Personnel: Nicholas Tremulis (vocals, guitar, piano); Charlie Sexton (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Greg Dulli, Jimmie Vaughan, Kevin Russell , Lloyd Maines, Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar); Dave Alvin (vocals, acoustic guitar); Richard Bowden (vocals, mandolin, fiddle); Amy Farris (vocals, violin, viola); Max Johnston (vocals, strings); Marcia Ball (vocals, piano); Claude Bernard, Terry Allen (vocals, keyboards); Jimmy Allen Smith (vocals, bass guitar); Delbert McClinton, Joe "King" Carrasco, Little Willie G., Alejandro Escovedo, Raul "Nunie" Rubio (vocals); John X. Reed , Will Sexton, Shawn Sahm (guitar, background vocals); David Hidalgo, Derek O'Brien, David Pulkingham, Louie Prez, Ry Cooder, Rob McNelley (guitar); Danny Ott (electric guitar); Tommy Detamore (steel guitar); Mike Guerra (bajo sexto, background vocals); Susan Voelz (violin, background vocals); James Pennebaker (fiddle); Flaco Jimnez, Bukka Allen (accordion); Steve Berlin (saxophone, keyboards, percussion); Louie Bustos, Greg Piccolo (tenor saxophone); Al Gomez (trumpet); Kevin McKendree (piano); Don Heffington, Hector Muoz, Cougar Estrada (drums, percussion); Mike Buck (drums, background vocals); Cully Symington, Steve McDaniels, Davis McLarty, George Rains, Ernie Durawa, Shandon Sahm, Joachim Cooder, Lynn Williams, Keith Langford (drums); Jacob Garcia, Neal Walker, Joe Ely, Speedy Sparks, Josh Gravelin (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Craig Adams ; Jared Tuten; Kevin McKendree; Stuart Sullivan; Shawn Sahm; Cesar Rosas; Charlie Sexton; Mario J. McNulty.
Liner Note Authors: David Katznelson; Bill Bentley.
Recording information: CRG; Donner & Blitzen, Arcadia, CA; Poverty Studios, Groovers Paradise, TX; Quiet Neighbor Recording; Rax Trax Recording, Chicago, IL; Screen Door Music Studios; Sunbird Studio, Spicewood, TX; The Rock House, Franklin, TN; The Wonder Chamber; Winslow Court Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Wire Recording; Wire Recording, Austin, TX.
Illustrator: Kerry Awn.
Photographers: Baron Wolman; Scott Newton.
Despite a couple of hits (1965's "She's About A Mover" and 1969's "Mendocino"), the Sir Douglas Quintet's Doug Sahm remained something of a cult favorite as of the release of 2009's KEEP YOUR SOUL: A TRIBUTE TO DOUG SAHM. Fittingly--since Sahm was both the consummate musician's musician and a master of Texas rock, country, blues, and tex-mex--the album finds artists (most of them Texan) from across the genre spectrum covering tracks by the Lone Star god. From blues stalwarts like Jimmy Vaughan ("Why, Why, Why") to former Afghan Whig Greg Dulli ("You Was For Real"), the collection mirrors the breadth of a talent producer Jerry Wexler called "the most gifted, the most versatile" he had ever worked with. The versions that keep the most faithful to Sahm's gleefully loose and rhythmic border rock like Delbert McClinton's reading of "Texas Me" or the Gourds' "Nuevo Laredo" are the stand-outs here--along with the version of "Mendocino" by Sahm's son Shawn, who sounds scarily like his dad.
Professional Reviews
Dirty Linen (p.50) - "[I]t is one memorable celebration as the cream of the Lone Star State's music scene, including Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, Delbert McClinton, and Jimmy Vaughn, step up to honor one of their own."
Billboard (p.29) - "Sahm's forever groovy mastery of counter-culture vernacular is illustrated by Los Lobos' rendition of 'It Didn't Even Bring Me Down'..."
