Texas Tornados

Formed as the premier Tex-Mex supergroup, Texas Tornados united four pillars of the style: Doug Sahm, his longtime Sir Douglas Quintet colleague Augie Meyers, Hispanic country star Freddy Fender, and accordion virtuoso Flaco Jimenez. Their high-energy, celebratory style fused country, early rock & roll, Mexican folk music, R&B, blues, and any other roots traditions they encountered. The quartet first came together in 1989 for a San Francisco concert billed as the Tex-Mex Revue. The experience proved so rewarding that they remained together, drawing far greater notice collectively than any had achieved individually; by then Jimenez already boasted several acclaimed solo releases, whereas Sahm had appeared only sporadically throughout the 1980s and Fender even less frequently. Reprise issued their self-titled debut in 1990 in simultaneous English- and Spanish-language editions, earning glowing notices and modest commercial traction that carried it to number 25 on the country albums chart. Extensive touring followed, after which the Grammy-nominated sophomore set Zone of Our Own arrived in 1991 and again drew widespread praise. With 1992’s Hangin’ on by a Thread the band’s core listenership had shifted toward Latino audiences, prompting greater emphasis on Jimenez. Following additional roadwork the members dispersed to pursue separate endeavors and fresh material, most prominently when Sahm and Meyers launched a new incarnation of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Reprise meanwhile assembled the compilation The Best of Texas Tornados. The original lineup reconvened for 1996’s 4 Aces, which garnered comparatively modest notice and acclaim. Their concert at Austin’s Antone’s in late 1998 was captured and issued the next summer as Live From the Limo, Vol. 1, the sole installment in the series after Sahm suffered a fatal heart attack in late 1999.