Texas Rock for Country Rollers

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Texas Rock for Country Rollers
Dough Sahm - Texas Rock For Country Rollers.jpg
Studio album by
Doug Sahm
ReleasedAugust 1976
Studio
GenreCountry, country rock, blues rock
Length32:14
LabelABC-Dot
ProducerHuey P. Meaux
Doug Sahm chronology
Groover's Paradise
(1974) 		Texas Rock for Country Rollers
(1976) 		Hell of a Spell
(1980)

Texas Rock for Country Rollers is the third album by American country-music singer Doug Sahm. Sahm composed for the album seven original songs, while covers constituted the rest of the album. It was released by ABC-Dot in 1976.

Recording[]

The album was recorded at SugarHill Recording Studios, in Houston, Texas. The session was produced by Huey P. Meaux and engineered by Mickey Moody. Meaux financed the costs with the success of his Freddy Fender recordings. In addition to vocals, Sahm contributed to the album by playing the lead guitar, fiddle and piano. The backup band consisted of Augie Meyers (keyboards, organ, piano, vocals), Atwood Allen (backing vocals), Harry Hess (steel guitar), Jack Barber (bass) and George Rains (drums).[1]

Covers in the album included Allen's penned "I Love the Way You Love (The Way I Love You) ", Merle Kilgore/Claude King's "Wolverton Mountain", and a Gene Thomas-medley of "Cryin' Inside"-"Sometime". [2] The rest of the songs were seven Sahm-written originals. Sahm played the ballad "I'm Missing You" inspired in the style of Buddy Holly, while "You Can't Hide a Redneck (Under That Hippy Hair)" featured an intro based in Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man". [3]

Release and reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[4]
Christgau's Record GuideB[5]

Two singles were released promoting the album: "Cowboy Peyton Place" / "I Love the Way You Love" (ABC/Dot 17656) and "Cryin' Inside-Sometime" / "I'm Missing You" (ABC/Dot 17674). The ten-track Texas Rock For Country Rollers was released in August 1976 by ABC-Dot Records (Dot DOSD 2057). Upon its release it did not earn major sales, but garnered positive reviews.[1]

It was credited to Sir Doug and The Texas Tornados. The band featured in the record is not the later Texas Tornados, the tejano supergroup that Sahm and Meyer joined in 1989.[6]

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau responded favorably to the country influence on the first side but lamented the use of the steel guitar. Meanwhile, he praised the second side, calling it "redneck hoohah".[5] Dave Marsh opened his Rolling Stone critic by calling Sahm "the greatest of country-rockers". He considered that the country-themed album "flatten(ed) out" his usual blend of "rock, Mexican and country influences". While he praised song "You Can't Hide a Redneck (Under that Hippy Hair)" and the Thomas medley. He concluded that "Sahm owes himself, and us, better than this".[7]

Allmusic rated the album with four out of five stars. The review concluded that the album had "good playing and better vibes" but criticized the producer by declaring that "there is the feeling that somebody was asleep at the wheel".[4]

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Love the Way You Love (The Way I Love You)"Atwood Allen5:17
2."Cowboy Peyton Place"Doug Sahm3:35
3."Give Back the Key to My Heart"Doug Sahm2:51
4."Wolverton Mountain"Merle Kilgore, Claude King2:30
5."Texas Ranger Man"Doug Sahm3:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Float Away"Doug Sahm2:38
2."I'm Missing You"Doug Sahm3:02
3."Gene Thomas Medley: Sometime/Cryin' Inside"Gene Thomasson2:41
4."Country Groove"Doug Sahm2:31
5."You Can't Hide a Redneck (Under That Hippy Hair)"Doug Sahm3:55

Personnel[]

  • Doug Sahm - vocals, lead guitar, fiddle, piano
  • Atwood Allen - rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Harry Hess - steel guitar, slide guitar, harmonica
  • Jack Barber - bass guitar
  • Augie Meyers - piano, organ
  • George Rains - drums
  • "Uncle" Mickey Moody - acoustic guitar, engineer

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Bradley, Andy; Wood, Roger 2010, p. 201.
  2. ^ Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn 2010, p. 133.
  3. ^ Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn 2010, p. 134.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Chadburne, Eugene 2008.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ^ Jassinski, Luarie 2012, p. 215.
  7. ^ Marsh, Dave 1976.

References[]

  • Bradley, Andy; Wood, Roger (2010). House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78324-9.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Chadburne, Eugene (2008). "Texas Rock For Country Rollers". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  • Jassinski, Luarie (2012). Handbook of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-0-876-11297-7.
  • Marsh, Dave (1976). "Duo As Strong As Ever". Rolling Stone. 68 (30). Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. 7C. Retrieved January 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  • Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn (2010). Texas Tornado: The Times and Music of Doug Sahm. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-77439-1.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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