Doug Sahm is one of those unheralded musicians whose public recognition is generally based on a few old pop hits, but whose range of talent mixed Beatle-esque tunefulness with Tex-Mex sensibility. He was a child when he played with Hank Williams, Sr. and did the rhythm and blues circuit in the 1950’s.  As the Sir Douglas Quintet, he joined the British Invasion to chart with “She’s About a Mover,” with a band that was more south of the border than Liverpool and later, struck again with the hit “Mendocino.” You’ve probably heard these songs at some point in your life, but Sahm... Read More

There is a great endorsement that appears on the back cover of one of Ben McIntyre’s books about WWII; it reads, simply, “The best book ever written.” This book, by Nick Tosches, may actually come close. Written in a schizophrenic style which alternates between a straight narrative and the hellfire and brimstone voice of religious guilt and condemnation, Jerry Lee Lewis is reconstructed in this book as one of the first great rock and roll stars- screaming drunk, waving a handgun, at the front gates of Graceland, yelling for Elvis to come out; one-upping Chuck Berry, who... Read More