Groover's Paradise | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1974 | |||
Recorded | May–June 1974 | |||
Studio | Cosmo's Factory | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, tejano, blues | |||
Length | 34:20 | |||
Label | Warner Records | |||
Producer | Doug Clifford | |||
Doug Sahm chronology | ||||
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Groover's Paradise is an album by Doug Sahm, produced by musician Doug Clifford and released on Warner Records in 1974. Following his return to Texas after his success with the Sir Douglas Quintet in California, Sahm settled in Austin, Texas. As the local music scene thrived, he was featured as the main attraction in local clubs and he recorded his debut album for Atlantic Records.
In California, Sahm became acquainted with the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, and he signed an agreement with Clifford and Stu Cook to record for their production company after his second Atlantic release was unsuccessful. Groover's Paradise found success in Austin, but it failed to chart on a national level. Meanwhile, it was favored by the critics.
After a drug arrest in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1965, Doug Sahm left Texas to move to California. With the Sir Douglas Quintet, he made hit records, and he performed in San Francisco venues as the hippie scene grew. [1] Sahm left California in 1971 to return to his home in San Antonio, Texas, [2] and he then moved the same year to Austin, Texas. [3] By the early 1970s, the musical scene of Austin soared. Due to the city's low cost of living, between 1972 and 1974, 200 musicians moved to Austin. Sixty-five bands were based around the area, while there were twenty-eight night clubs. The Ritz theater was re-opened to host large shows, as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Jerry Jeff Walker found major success. [4]
Sahm made appearances at the Armadillo World Headquarters and the Soap Creek Saloon. [3] The Armadillo World Headquarters became a popular club, with a crowd constituted by country music fans, hippies and students. Sahm was often featured as the main attraction of the club. [4] In 1972, he disbanded the Sir Douglas Quintet. [2] He was signed by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records, and he released his debut solo album in 1973: Doug Sahm and Band . [5]
During his time in California, Sahm befriended members of Creedence Clearwater Revival. [6] In 1974, following a second unsuccessful album release with Atlantic Records, Sahm traveled to Berkeley, California to record the single "Groover's Paradise". [7] He signed a contract with DSR Productions, owned by former Credence Clearwater Revival members Doug Clifford (drummer) and Stu Cook (bassist). [8] The company had an agreement with Warner Records to record Sahm and to provide them with the masters. [8] Sahm was backed by a band dubbed the Tex -Mex Trip. [9] The band included saxophonist Frank Rodarte, session musician Link Davis, Jr. and Los Angeles session musicians. [6] Clifford produced the album and joined the band on drums, while Cook played the bass. [10] All the songs of the album were written by Sahm, except Luis Guerrero's "La Cacahuata". [11] Groover's Paradise was recorded at Cosmo's Factory studio in Berkeley, California. [10] The record sleeve featured art by Kerry Awn, while the armadillos were drawn by Jim Franklin. [12] The cover depicted "various well-known local scenes" of Austin. [13] The recording of Groover's Paradise took place between May and June 1974. [7] [14] [15] The recording featured a blend of country music, tejano, blues and rock. [16]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
United Press International | Favorable |
Austin American-Statesman | Favorable |
Robert Christgau | Favorable |
AllMusic | |
Austin Chronicle | Favorable |
Texas Monthly | Favorable |
The single "Groover's Paradise" was released in July 1974. [17] Backed with "Girls Today (Don't Like to Sleep Alone)", it was cataloged under WB 7819. [18] The album was released in August 1974, and Sahm begun a national tour to promote it. [19] [20] Upon its release, Groover's Paradise became a hit in Austin, but it failed to succeed in other cities. [21]
United Press International called it "the best thing Doug has done in quite a while", and attributed it to Clifford's work as a producer. [22] the Austin American-Statesman favored the album, as the reviewer considered it was performed with "finesse and simplicity". [13] Critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ grade. Christgau considered Sahm a "master whose core simplicity is completely unassailable". [23] AllMusic gave Groover's Paradise four-and-a-half stars out of five. Critic Eugene Chadbourne opined: "the tracks indicate a mastery of many basic forms such as blues, rhythm & blues, norteño, country, and Cajun and the players always seem to be probing beyond this to find something new." [16] Meanwhile, Austin Chronicle deemed it "the quintessential Austin album" and called its cover art "the ultimate hippie version of Austin". [24] Texas Monthly considered that the album captured Austin's "insouciant essence" as a "carefree hippie mecca". [25]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Groover's Paradise" | 3:25 |
2. | "Devil Heart" | 4:20 |
3. | "Houston Chicks" | 3:48 |
4. | "For the Sake of Rock 'N Roll" | 3:17 |
5. | "Beautiful Texas Sunshine" | 3:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Just Groove Me" | 3:27 | |
2. | "Girls Today (Don't Like to Sleep Alone)" | 2:29 | |
3. | "La Cacahuata (Peanut)" | Luis Guerrero | 1:45 |
4. | "Her Dream Man Never Came" | 3:06 | |
5. | "Catch Me in the Morning" | 5:07 |
| Studio [26]
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Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band's most prolific and successful period between 1969 and 1971 produced fourteen consecutive top 10 singles and five consecutive top 10 albums in the United States – two of which, Green River (1969) and Cosmo's Factory (1970), reached number one. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.
Douglas Wayne Sahm was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important performer of Texan Music. He gained fame along with his band, the Sir Douglas Quintet, with a top-twenty hit in the United States and the United Kingdom with "She's About a Mover" (1965). Sahm was influenced by the San Antonio music scene that included conjunto and blues, and later by the hippie scene of San Francisco. With his blend of music, he found success performing in Austin, Texas, as the hippie counterculture soared in the 1970s.
Armadillo World Headquarters was an influential Texas music hall and beer garden in Austin at 5251⁄2 Barton Springs Road – at South First Street – just south of the Colorado River and downtown Austin. The 'Dillo flourished from 1970 to 1980. The structure that housed it, an old National Guard Armory, was demolished in 1981 and replaced by a 13-story office building.
The Sir Douglas Quintet was an American rock band, formed in San Antonio in 1964. With their first hits, they were acclaimed in their home state. When their career was established, the band relocated to the West Coast. Their move coincided with the burgeoning San Francisco psychedelic rock scene of the mid 1960s to early 1970s. Overall, the quintet were exponents of good-times music with strong roots in blues and Texas-regional traditions. The band's songs were most noted for the instantly distinguishable organ sound of Augie Meyers' Vox Continental.
Shotgun Willie is the 16th studio album by Willie Nelson, released in 1973. The recording marks a change of style for Nelson, who later stated that the album "cleared his throat". When Nelson refused to sign an early extension of his contract with RCA Records in 1972, the label decided not to release any further recordings. Nelson hired Neil Reshen as his manager, and while Reshen negotiated with RCA, Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the ongoing hippie music scene at the Armadillo World Headquarters renewed his musical style. In Nashville, Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler, vice president of Atlantic Records, who was interested in his music. Reshen solved the problems with RCA and signed Nelson with Atlantic Records as their first country music artist.
Phases and Stages is the 17th studio album by Willie Nelson, which followed the moderate success of his first Atlantic Records release, Shotgun Willie. Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler at a party where Nelson sang songs from an album he planned to record. The single "Phases and Stages" was originally recorded the same year. Nelson recorded the album at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in two days and Wexler produced it.
The Troublemaker is the 20th studio album by country singer and songwriter Willie Nelson. When Nelson refused to sign an early extension of his contract with RCA in 1972, the label decided not to release any further recordings. Nelson hired Neil Reshen as his manager, and while Reshen negotiated with RCA, Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the ongoing hippie music scene at the Armadillo World Headquarters renewed his musical style. In Nashville, Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler, vice president of Atlantic Records, who was interested in his music. Reshen solved the problems with RCA and signed Nelson with Atlantic Records as their first country music artist.
Bill Bentley is an American music industry executive, particularly notable for having produced tribute albums of the music of significant cult artists Roky Erickson (1990), Skip Spence (1999), Doug Sahm (2009) and Lou Reed, in addition to other recording projects.
Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm is a 2009 tribute album to the late Doug Sahm, released on Vanguard Records.
Cosmo is the first solo studio album by former Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford, released shortly after that band's breakup.
The discography of Doug Sahm started in 1955 with the release of "A Real American Joe" on Sarg Records. Sahm fronted three bands early in his career: The Pharaohs, The Dell-Kings and The Markays. He released the song "Crazy Daisy" (1959), and he had a local hit in San Antonio, Texas with "Why Why Why" (1960) on Renner Records. Sahm had another local hit with "Crazy, Crazy Feeling" (1961). After he disbanded the Sir Douglas Quintet in 1972, he was signed by Atlantic Records in October 1972, and he released his solo debut album Doug Sahm and Band.
Doug Sahm and Band is the debut solo album of American singer-songwriter Doug Sahm. In 1972, after leaving the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sahm moved to Austin, Texas. He was signed by Jerry Wexler to the newly opened country music division of Atlantic Records, and started the album sessions by October 1972. It featured appearances by Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David "Fathead" Newman, Flaco Jimenez, David Bromberg and Kenny Kosek.
The Willie Nelson statue, or simply Willie, is a bronze sculpture of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, located in Downtown Austin, Texas. The statue was commissioned to artist Clete Shields by the nonprofit organization Capital Area Statues.
Texas Tornado is the second solo album by Doug Sahm, released by Atlantic Records in December 1973. Sahm co-produced the album with Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin. Wexler signed Sahm to Atlantic records after the opening of the label's country music division.
Hell of a Spell is an album by singer-songwriter Doug Sahm released by Takoma Records in January 1980. Sahm was signed to the label in 1979 after it was acquired by Chrysalis Records the same year. Upon request of the president of Takoma, Sahm recorded blues numbers and he dedicated the record to Guitar Slim. While the album was well received by the critics, it was a commercial failure.
Juke Box Music is an album by singer Doug Sahm released by Antone's Record Label in January 1989. Sahm returned to Austin, Texas in 1988 after living and experiencing success with his music in Sweden and Canada. Upon his return, Sahm started to perform at the Austin night club Antone's. The owner of the club, Clifford Antone signed him to his independent record label.
The Last Real Texas Blues Band Featuring Doug Sahm is an album by Doug Sahm released by Antone's Record Label in February 1995.
Get a Life is a 1998 album by Doug Sahm released by the Dutch label Munich Records. The tracks were recorded in Austin and San Marcos, Texas, Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California. The producers of the tracks included Sahm, Mike Stewart, Billy Stull and Bob Flick. Sahm wrote the liner notes for the album. The recordings featured The Gourds, as well as Augie Meyers. Sahm met The Gourds as he performed at a music festival in Belgium in 1997. Sahm approached the band after he heard them sing a cover of his original "At the Crossroads".
The Return of Wayne Douglas is the last studio album recorded by Doug Sahm. It was released by his own label, Tornado Records.
Day Dreaming at Midnight is an album by the American band the Sir Douglas Quintet, released in 1994. Doug Sahm was motivated to reform the band due to his son Shawn's musicianship and the encouragement from Metallica's manager Cliff Burnstein.