Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm began singing at age five and learned to play the steel guitar at age six. He was considered a child prodigy on the instrument. By the age of eight, he had appeared on the Louisiana Hayride. Sahm performed with popular country music acts of the time, influenced by the San Antonio music scene that included conjunto and blues.
Sahm made his recording debut as "Little Doug" in 1955. During his teenage years, rock and roll influenced him. He enjoyed success performing in clubs around San Antonio with a band playing a style of music known as the "West Side Sound", a blend of music genres popular in San Antonio. Sahm had local hit records, while he played clubs as a musician for other bands. In 1965, music producer Huey P. Meaux, recorded Sahm and his new band the Sir Douglas Quintet. They had a top-twenty hit in the United States and the United Kingdom with "She's About a Mover" and toured the United States and Europe.
Following an arrest for possession of marijuana in 1965, Sahm moved to California, as the Hippie scene grew in San Francisco. He performed in local venues, including The Fillmore, and frequented the Haight-Ashbury district. In 1971, he returned to San Antonio, and soon after moved to Austin, Texas, as the burgeoning hippie scene grew in the area. Atlantic Records signed Sahm and released his debut solo album Doug Sahm and Band in 1973.
After a continuing decline in record sales, Sahm kept performing in clubs in Austin; he moved through different record labels. He enjoyed success in Sweden and in Canada, where one of his releases received a Juno Award. In 1989, Sahm formed the supergroup the Texas Tornados with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez. The Texas Tornados toured successfully, and one of their releases earned a Grammy Award. In 1999, Sahm died during a vacation trip. A posthumous album, The Return of Wayne Douglas, was released in 2000. Sahm was regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and he received multiple honors in the state of Texas, including hall of fame inductions and memorials in public places.