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Al Dexter
Background information
Birth name	Clarence Albert Poindexter
Born	(1905-05-04)May 4, 1905 Jacksonville, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 28, 1984(1984-01-28) (aged 78) Lewisville, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1936–1968
Website	Archived Al Dexter Website

Clarence Albert Poindexter (May 4, 1905 – January 28, 1984), known best as Al Dexter, was an American country musician and songwriter.

He is best known today for his most popular song, "Pistol Packin' Mama", a 1943 hit which was one of the most popular recordings of the World War II years, and later became a hit again with a cover by Bing Crosby, as well as the Andrews Sisters.

Biography

Born in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, Dexter owned a bar in the 1930s and helped popularize the style of country music known as honky tonk. He made his recording debut on November 28, 1936, for ARC Records. and was probably the first artist to ever use the term "honky tonk" in a country song when he recorded "Honky Tonk Blues" at his first session.

His self-penned hit, "Pistol Packin' Mama", became the 1943 marching chorus of the New York Yankees. The 1943 movie of the same name, made by the Republic Pictures, gave Dexter close to $250,000 in royalties. Another hit from the 1940s was "Guitar Polka", which entered Billboard's list as the "Most Played Juke Box Folk Record" for 16 weeks running in 1946. 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, and in 1971, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He died on January 28, 1984, in Lewisville, Texas.

On August 21, 2010, Dexter was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall Of Fame, located in Carthage, Texas. Other inductees that night were George Jones along with composer 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

1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 685. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
2. ^ Russell, p. 235.
3. Russell, Pinson, p. 314.
4. La Chapelle, p. 150.
5. Russell, p. 236.
6. "Hillbilly Recordings – Month Ending November 25, 1939" (PDF). The Billboard. Cincinnati, Ohio. November 25, 1939. p. 68. Retrieved July 17, 2021.

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 Website
• obituary for Al Dexter's son Carl Wayne
• obituary for Al Dexter's son-in-law Leon Dudley

• 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 singer-songwriters
• Country musicians from Texas
• 20th-century American male singers