He created the signature sound of Texas with a British Vox electric organ
With the passing of Augie Meyers in his sleep after a short illness on 7th March, the music of South Texas and San Antonio will never be the same again. Augie Meyers, with his Vox organ, songwriting and humour, created a new sound with his friend Doug Sahm in the Sir Douglas Quintet when they merged the R&B sounds of San Antonio, with country, blues, Tejano, Cajun and good old British beat music. He continued to work with Doug Sahm until Sahm’s death in 1999, and his organ sound was much in demand by other musicians, including Bob Dylan, who had been a fan of the Sir Douglas Quintet since the 1960s, as he built his artistic renaissance in the late 1990s. The essence of Tejano music was probably best captured by the Texas Tornadoes, who were formed by Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, Flaco Jiménez, and Freddy Fender, who added more Mexican spice to the conjunto rock of the Sir Douglas Quintet.
Augie Meyers was born on 31st May 1940 in San Antonio and formed the Sir Douglas Quintet with local music prodigy and friend Doug Sahm on guitar and vocals, Jack Barber on bass, Frank Morin on sax and trumpet, and Johnny Perez on drums. The band were popular in Texas, and with the help of “Crazy Cajun” Huey P. Meaux, they had a national hit with She’s About A Mover written by Sahm and featuring Augie Meyer’s Vox organ in a sound that came to represent Tex-Mex rock’n’roll. After their initial success, they left Texas for San Francisco, where they continued their success but never succumbed to the more psychedelic sounds of the time. Their biggest European hit was 1968’s Mendocino. When Sahm returned to Texas in 1971, he recorded a number of solo albums, mostly featuring Augie Meyers, who was also back in Texas, with the music becoming more country rock. At the same time, Meyers launched the first of numerous record labels, the Texas Re-cord Co, which released his own records and live recordings by the Sir Douglas. Quintet.
The Quintet was reactivated, they had never officially disbanded, with Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers and Johnny Perez were joined by fiddler Alvin Crow and bassist Speedy Sparks. This was in response to the original Sir Douglas Quintet being cited as a major influence by the then-new wave, particularly by Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve of the Attractions. Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers continued to record until Sahm’s death for many labels, some of which were released as Quintet albums and some as simply Doug Sahm.
The Texas Tornados, which formed in 1990, was an equal partnership of the four band members who had all enjoyed success in their careers. The band built on this success, releasing 4 studio albums before Sahm’s death and two live albums. The band also released a Spanish version of their debut album. Augie Meyers had numerous songs recorded by the band, with (Hey Baby) Que Paso being possibly the most representative. After Sahm’s death, Augie Meyers continued to release his own records and increased his session work. This included working with Dylan on some of his greatest albums, such as Love and Theft and Time Out Of Mind, and artists like John Hammond, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Russell, Raul Malo, Willie Nelson, and Tom Waits. He also got the Texas Tornados to reform with Doug Sahm’s son Shaun.
Artists who create their own signature sound are rare in music, and artists who become cultural icons are even rarer, and Augie Meyers fits both categories. While he took his music seriously, this didn’t mean he couldn’t bring humour to his songs. Texas has always loved its heroes, and the cover of Augie Meyers’ passing makes it clear he has moved to the pantheon of Texas greats.
A fitting obituary to a particularly fine musician. I particularly enjoyed the Texas Tornados, a fantastic band. RIP Augie.
Yes, Rick, all very said. I agree the Texas Tornados were very special.