From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat May 4, 2002  2:47 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Al Dexter

AL DEXTER (By Shaun Mather)

Born Clarence Albert Poindexter, 4 May 1902, Jacksonville, Texas
Died 28 January 1984, Lewisville, Texas

Multi-instrumentalist / singer / songwriter
Whatever else he may have achieved in his life, Al Dexter will be
forever remembered as the author of Pistol Packin' Mama, a massive
seller for him in 1943, and a hit for both Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
His early career was spent as head of the Texas Troopers who recorded
for Okeh and Vocalion during the '30s and early '40s. He made his first
recordings such as New Jelly Roll Blues for Vocalion in 1935, and his
1937 Honky Tonk Blues is the first country song to have honky tonk in
the title. During 1944 he had four number one country singles, PPM,
Rosalita, So Long Pal and Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry.
The following year saw him breach the Top 5 with I'm Losing My Mind
Over You (# 1), I'll Wait For You Dear (# 2), Triflin' Gal and I'm Losing
Without You. 1946 saw him hit the pop Top 20 with Guitar Polka, which
spent a quarter of the year at # 1 on the country charts. The song won
him an Oscar and helped him win the Leading Artist of 1946 Award from
the Jukebox Operators Association. Over the next couple of years he
scored with the likes of Wine Women And Song and Calico Rag. He retired
to run his own honky tonk bar in Dallas and was inducted into the Nashville
Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1971.

Recommended listening:
Pistol Packin' Mama - ASV/Living Era