Al Dexter

Al Dexter attained an area in the favorite music cannon when he wrote “Pistol Packin’ Mama” in 1942. Documented by him a yr later, the solitary offered three million copies — not really keeping track of sheet music — in under 2 yrs and was rated the third most widely used music of the battle years. Both Bing Crosby (using the Andrews Sisters) and Frank Sinatra documented “Pistol Packin’ Mama” for strikes, and the music affected country’s pop-influenced Nashville audio from the ’50s. It’s challenging to trust, but Dexter also were able to impact the honky tonk design that later demonstrated a brilliant counterpoint towards the Nashville audio. He possessed a bar for a while through the ’30s and popularized the word honky tonk — slang for both rowdy pubs and later on the music that surfaced using their jukeboxes — on his 1937 documenting “Honky Tonk Blues.” Nevertheless, the favorite theory that Dexter in fact coined the word could be blown filled with holes; he previously never heard about honky tonk before his songwriting partner Wayne B. Paris recommended it like a name in 1936. Created Clarence Albert Poindexter in Jacksonville, TX, on, may 4, 1902, Dexter started playing square dances around oil-rich eastern Tx through the 1920s. The Melancholy pressured him to are a residence painter, but Dexter started moonlighting after he shaped the Tx Troopers in the first ’30s. The group documented for Okeh and Vocalion through the remaining ’30s and in to the ’40s. In 1944 — the very first year when graphs could be accurately expected — Dexter obtained four number types on the united states graph. “Pistol Packin’ Mama” was re-released for the B-side of “Rosalita,” and both music hit number 1 in January 1944. His biggest strike of the entire year emerged in March, though, when “SUCH A LONG TIME Pal” spent 13 weeks at number 1 on the united states graph — its B-side, “As well Late to be concerned, As well Blue to Cry,” remained at the very top for 14 days. The last from the battle years had been also effective for Dexter: “I’m Shedding My Brain Over You”/”I’ll Await You Dear,” strike number 1 and number 2 respectively in January 1945, using the previous spending seven weeks at number 1. His second double-sided strike of the entire year, “Triflin’ Gal”/”I’m Shed Without You,” both strike the very best Five in August. In Feb 1946, Dexter’s “Electric guitar Polka” spent nearly four a few months at number 1; it had been his biggest nation hit and maintained the very best 20 for the pop graphs (also producing the quantity two B-side “Honey DO YOU CONSIDER It’s Incorrect”). After “Wines, Women and Tune” also strike number one afterwards in 1946, Dexter documented three more Best Five singles during 1946-1947, “It’s Your decision,” “Kokomo Isle,” and “Down on the Roadside Inn.” His last chart singles had been the 1948 Best 15 singles “Rock and roll and Rye Rag” and “Calico Rag.” All informed, Dexter received 12 yellow metal information for million-sellers within the five-year period from 1943 to 1948. He earned an Oscar for “Electric guitar Polka” and was voted the best Musician of 1946 with the Jukebox Providers Association. In the past due ’40s, Dexter opened up his own membership in Dallas; he performed generally there until his pension. Dexter was inducted in to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Popularity in 1971.