sam doores

Biography

Sam Doores is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work at the crossroads of Americana, alt‑country, folk, and New Orleans rhythm-and-blues. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area and coming of age as a teenage troubadour busking around the United States, he eventually made a life‑changing trip to New Orleans in the mid‑2000s, drawn by the city’s deep musical traditions and post‑Katrina energy. In New Orleans he secured a regular gig at an Irish pub, immersed himself in local street‑level music culture, and began developing a songwriting voice that blended classic country, folk storytelling, and the syncopated feel of the city’s brass bands and Mardi Gras Indian traditions.

Doores first came to wider attention through his close association with Alynda Segarra and Hurray for the Riff Raff, contributing guitar, vocals, and songwriting to a string of records that linked old‑time Americana with socially conscious themes. He also co‑founded his own band in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, initially known as Sam Doores + Riley Downing & The Tumbleweeds and later as The Deslondes, whose 2012 album “Holy Cross Blues” and subsequent releases earned praise for reviving honky‑tonk, country‑soul, and swamp‑pop sounds with a modern edge. As a collaborator, sideman, and bandleader he toured extensively in North America and Europe, helped run a small home‑grown label devoted to friends’ recordings, and built a reputation for fostering collective, community‑based music making.

In 2020 Doores released his self‑titled solo debut, recorded over several years between New Orleans, Nashville, and Berlin, where he worked closely with producer Anders Christopherson and a rotating cast of international players. The album weaves in influences ranging from Tin Pan Alley songcraft and Mississippi hill‑country blues to Cambodian rock, French Quarter jazz, and psychedelic folk‑rock, reflecting both his years in New Orleans and his experiences abroad. While still a relatively young artist, his body of work with Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Deslondes, and his solo material has made him an influential figure in contemporary Americana circles, noted for bridging traditional roots music with experimental production and for nurturing collaborative scenes that extend beyond his own records.

Fun Facts

• He first connected with New Orleans by hitchhiking toward the city as a teenager, detouring to Austin when Hurricane Katrina hit, then being persuaded by displaced New Orleans musicians to visit Jazz Fest, which convinced him to relocate.
• His early New Orleans break came when an Irish pub owner spotted him busking on Bourbon Street and offered him a steady gig, giving him a regular stage and income in the city.
• The street where he lived in the Holy Cross neighborhood inspired both the name of The Deslondes and a years‑long house scene where friends gathered to play, cook, and record, eventually spawning a small DIY label.
• Portions of his solo debut were tracked in Berlin with a producer who initially reached out by email, leading to recurring sessions where a house band included a Spanish keyboardist coincidentally named Carlos Santana.

Associated Acts

• The Deslondes - guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, original (2013-08–present)
• Sam Doores & The Tumbleweed

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• New Orleans traditional and street musicians - Local players he met after relocating to New Orleans, whose brass-band rhythms, Mardi Gras Indian chants, and barroom song traditions shaped his sense of groove and community-centered performance. (Overall approach on “Holy Cross Blues” and his self-titled solo album) [Mid-2000s through 2010s]
• American folk, country, and rock songwriters - Canonical country, folk, and rock writers whose storytelling and classic song structures underpin his Americana and alt-country writing style. (Songwriting across his work with Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Deslondes, and his solo material) [Lifelong influence, emerging in his teens and continuing throughout his career]
• Global roots styles (e.g., Cambodian rock, gospel choirs, South African choral traditions) - Non‑U.S. traditions he sought out as a listener and collaborator, broadening his melodic and rhythmic palette beyond standard Americana forms. (Tonal and rhythmic colors heard on the solo album “Sam Doores” and later collaborations) [Primarily 2010s onward]

Key Collaborators

• Alynda Segarra / Hurray for the Riff Raff - Core bandmate and songwriting partner in a long-running New Orleans–based roots project that mixed folk, country, and political storytelling. (Multiple Hurray for the Riff Raff albums and touring lineups in which he played guitar and contributed songs) [Late 2000s through mid‑2010s]
• Riley Downing - Co-frontman, writer, and singer in their New Orleans band that evolved from The Tumbleweeds into The Deslondes. (“Holy Cross Blues” and subsequent Deslondes recordings and tours) [Around 2010 through the 2010s]
• The Deslondes - Five-piece New Orleans roots band combining honky-tonk, R&B, and country-soul, with Doores as one of the main writers and vocalists. (Self‑titled album and later releases under The Deslondes name) [Mid‑2010s]
• Anders Christopherson - Berlin-based producer and engineer who hosted extended experimental sessions and helped shape Doores’s first solo album. (Production and engineering on the album “Sam Doores” recorded largely in Berlin) [Approximately mid‑2010s to 2020 during the album’s long gestation]
• Mashed Potato Records circle of New Orleans musicians - Friends and local artists who recorded in his living room, appearing on compilations for a small DIY label he helped run. (Compilation releases featuring songs tracked in his home studio environment) [2010s]

Artists Influenced

• Younger New Orleans roots and Americana artists (general group) - Emerging songwriters and bands who cite the collaborative Lower Ninth Ward scene and projects like The Deslondes and Hurray for the Riff Raff as models for blending classic roots music with contemporary themes. (Subsequent New Orleans–based Americana and alt-country recordings that echo his mix of traditional forms and modern concerns) [Late 2010s onward]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Those Were (Could've Been) the Days (The Deslondes)
2. Heavenly Home (The Deslondes)
3. Drifter’s Wife (Roll It Out)
4. Low Down & Lonesome (Holy Cross Blues)
5. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? (Tres Grand Serpent / What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?)
6. Silver & Gold (Holy Cross Blues)
7. Windmills (Sam Doores)
8. Take Me Back (Roll It Out)
9. I Got Found (Holy Cross Blues)
10. Depression Blues (Holy Cross Blues)

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz