“He was everywhere mixing the Texas sound with conjunto, and it all just came together and blended perfectly.”
SAN ANTONIO — The Texas music community is mourning the loss of legendary musician, songwriter and actor Augie Meyers, whose distinctive keyboard sound helped define the Tex-Mex rock genre for decades.
A post on Meyers’ official Facebook page announced that the San Antonio native died peacefully in his sleep Sunday with his wife, Sara, at his side. He was 85.
Born in San Antonio in May 1940, Meyers rose to prominence in the 1960s as a founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet alongside longtime friend Doug Sahm. The band gained national attention during the British Invasion era, when many listeners mistakenly believed the Texas group was from England.
“Everybody thought they were from Britain,” recalled Henry Pena. “When they got there, they saw a bunch of kids from Texas and said, ‘What’s going on here?’ Well, we’re here already, you might as well let us play.”
Meyers became widely recognized for his signature use of the Vox Continental organ and his ability to blend rock, conjunto and Tex-Mex influences into a sound that became uniquely tied to South Texas.
With the Sir Douglas Quintet, Meyers helped produce several enduring hits, including “Mendocino,” “Velma from Selma,” “Nuevo Laredo” and the iconic, “(Hey Baby) Qué Pasó.”
“San Antonio is missing him now,” Pena said. “We’ve got to pay homage to him because he was a hero for all of us here in the music industry – a big contributor.”
In the 1990s, Meyers co-founded the Grammy-winning supergroup Texas Tornados with Tex-Mex stars Flaco Jiménez and Freddy Fender, further cementing his legacy in the genre.
Accordionist Santiago Jiménez Jr., brother of Flaco Jiménez, remembered Meyers as both a gifted musician and a generous friend.
“We lost a friend, a musician, an icon,” Jiménez said.
Friends and colleagues also described Meyers as humble despite his fame. Treviño said the musician was frequently recognized in public but never turned away fans.
“We couldn’t go anywhere without people coming up for an autograph or sharing a story about him,” JoeTreviño with Blue Cat Recording said. “He was always gracious. Nobody left without feeling like they were treated well.”
Irma Gutierrez, owner of Del Bravo Record Shop in San Antonio, said Meyers’ influence reached far beyond the local scene.
“He was everywhere, mixing the Texas sound with conjunto, and it all came together perfectly,” Gutierrez said. “His passing is a great loss for the music industry.”
KENS 5 Reporter, Sue Calberg said Meyers also left a personal impact on people who knew him outside the spotlight. Meyers grew up in the same east-side neighborhood as her father and would visit him in a nursing home years later.
“All the caregivers said when Augie Meyers showed up, Justin just lit up,” Calberg said. “Everybody thinks about him as a musician, but I think about him as a lifelong friend who was kind to my dad.”
Fans and musicians across Texas have been sharing tributes online, remembering Meyers as a San Antonio treasure whose influence shaped generations of artists.
“A great guy, a legend, an icon for us here in San Antonio,” Pena said. “A treasure we’ll remember forever.”