20 years ago today (11/18/99), American musical genius Doug Sahm died at age 58 from a heart attack. Possibly the most underrated musician of all time (or at least in rock and roll), Doug Sahm’s mix of blues, soul, Tejano and psychedelic may epitomize Texan music. Though he isn’t known by nearly enough people, many famous musicians such as Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Jerry Garcia, and even Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes either worked with him or cited him as a major influence, often both. His willingness to try out pretty much any genre of music and to cross-pollinate country and rock with groovy confidence paved the way for the alt-country and Americana wave that would hit in the 90s and continue to this day.
People often consider The Last Waltz to be one of the greatest – if not the greatest Thanksgiving performance of all time – but this all-star concert featuring Sahm, Leon Russell, Jerry Garcia (on pedal steel!) and more that went down in Austin in 1972 may come to a close second. Check it out…
