Bringing It All Back Home

Browsed the latest Austin Chronicle today and stumbled over this eyecatcher in Austin Powell's "Off The Record" column:

"Doug was like me, maybe the only figure from that old period of time that I connected with. I'd never met anybody that had played onstage with Hank Williams before, let alone someone my own age. Doug had a heavy frequency, and it was in his nerves. I miss Doug. He got caught in the grind. He should still be here."
--Bob Dylan on Doug Sahm in the latest issue of Rolling Stone

Astonishing words. Dylan was tight with (and critical in the maturation of) The Band, simpatico with the likes of Jerry Garcia, Roger McGuinn, and George Harrison, and at least an acquaintance of Hendrix and Lennon. Yet, it is Sir Doug who is singled out as BFF. Not too shabby. I don't wanna jinx anything, but 2009 is shaping up as a strong year for Doug Sahm. 'Bout damn time. Look for a post exploring the Dylan/Sahm love in a couple days. In the meantime, here's a teaser:

Doug Sahm & Bob Dylan - (Is Anybody Going To) San Antone (1973) [purchase]

You can also find this song on my Jerry Wexler post from last year. More importantly, it also graces the "Honky Tonk Heroes Mix" at Setting The Woods On Fire. Sadly, the mix doubles as a kind of "Last Waltz," as yesterday Paul announced the retirement of STWOF. He will be missed at the Lounge. His excellent "Who Invented Country-Rock?" series last year was directly responsible for me taking a whack at a music blog. If y'all ain't fans already, take some time to check out the back catalog. Classic country and R&B and you can't beat that. Paul's still an active voice at Groover's Paradise, but that is a tamer beast, to be sure. A toast !!! to STWOF.