Clarence Albert Poindexter (May 4, 1905 – January 28, 1984), known as Al Dexter, was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

ian and songwriter. He is best known for "

Pistol Packin' Mama "Pistol Packin' Mama" was a "Hillbilly"-Honky Tonk record released at the height of World War II that became a nationwide sensation, and the first "Country" song to top the Billboard popular music chart. It was written by Al Dexter of Troup, ...

," a 1943 hit that was one of the most popular recordings of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

years and later became a hit again with a cover by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and The

Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

Biography

Born in

Jacksonville, Texas Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Cherokee County, and ...

, United States, Dexter owned a bar in the 1930s and helped popularize the style of country music known as

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

.Russell, p. 235. He made his recording debut on November 28, 1936, for ARC Records.Russell, Pinson, p. 314. and he was probably the first artist to use the term "honky tonk" in a country song when he recorded "Honky Tonk Blues" at his first session.La Chapelle, p. 150. His self-penned hit, "

", became the 1943 marching chorus of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. The 1943 movie of the same name, made by the

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

, gave Dexter close to $250,000 in royalties. Another hit from the 1940s was "

Guitar Polka "Guitar Polka" is a 1946 instrumental song by Al Dexter Clarence Albert Poindexter (May 4, 1905 – January 28, 1984), known as Al Dexter, was an American country musician and songwriter. He is best known for " Pistol Packin' Mama," a 1943 ...

", which entered ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

's'' list as the "Most Played Juke Box Folk Record" for 16 weeks running in 1946.Russell, p. 236. Still other hits include " So Long Pal", "Triflin' Gal", " I'm Losing My Mind Over You" and " Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry." Dexter was the first country singer to perform on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and in 1971, was inducted into the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

. He died on January 28, 1984, in

Lewisville, Texas Lewisville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, predominantly within Denton County with a small part lying within Dallas County. As a suburban community within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the 2020 census tabulated a population of 1 ...

. On August 21, 2010, Dexter was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall Of Fame, located in

Carthage, Texas Carthage is a city and the county seat of Panola County, Texas, United States. This city is situated in deep East Texas, 20 miles west of the Louisiana state line. Its population was 6,569 at the 2020 census. History Carthage was founded in 1847 ...

. Other inductees that night along with Dexter were

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

and Ray Winkler. Following Al Dexter's death in 1984, his family discovered 50 master tapes containing studio recordings. In 2010, Al Dexter's son, Carl Wayne Poindexter, released the three-disc CD box set entitled ''Al Dexter's Found Masters Volume 1–3'' on his independent record label, Al Dexter Estate Productions. This professionally produced collection contained digitally re-mastered studio recordings which were made by Dexter with various band line-ups and configurations.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

Bibliography

* Peter La Chapelle, ''Proud To Be An Okie'', University of California Press, 2007 * Tony Russell, ''Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost'', Oxford University Press, 2007 * Tony Russell, Bob Pinson, ''Country Music Records: A Discography 1921–1942'', Oxford University Press, 2004

External links

Archived Al Dexter Websiteobituary for Al Dexter's son Carl Wayneobituary for Al Dexter's son-in-law Leon Dudley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Al 1905 births 1984 deaths American male singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters People from Jacksonville, Texas King Records artists Vocalion Records artists Ekko Records artists Singer-songwriters from Texas 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Texas 20th-century American male singers