#al dexter

[teledyn]

Al Dexter

Let's have another shot of that "best guitar ever made" Gibson Super-300, this one in the hands of the legendary Al Dexter, the man for whom they invented the term "Country Music"

[countrynumberones]

“Pistol Packin’ Mama” - Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters/Al Dexter and his Troopers

January 8, 1944 - February 19, 1944; March 11, 1944

Three-quarters of a century ago, Billboard magazine began separating out the sounds of folk, Western swing, and the quaint yet pejorative term of hillbilly music. Called the "Most-Played Juke Box Folk Records," the chart was first published in 1944, eight years after the trade magazine started tracking the success of the three big record companies—Columbia, RCA/Victor, and Brunswick—via separate Top 10 charts.

The move was a savvy one. Here was a way to give retailers an extra hook to hang these songs on, give the musicians making these sounds a way to further separate themselves out from the pop and jazz rabble, and give additional fuel to the fire of the folks spinning these songs on the regular on jukeboxes. Everyone had a reason to either help push a song to #1 with a couple of extra coins and calls to the radio request line, or to just cheer an artist or tune on their way to top spot.

This new ranking system also marked the start of country music's rise into its current position as a cultural juggernaut. While born in the U.S. by melding together folk, bluegrass, blues, and jazz, it's now a worldwide phenomenon, a butterfly effect where the first flutters of a song in Nashville can turn into a storm of excitement in Australia, Asia, and Europe. And it all started in almost too perfect fashion with a song called "Pistol Packin' Mama."

The creation of the "Folk Records" chart may well have been as a response to the overwhelming success of this tune. It was recorded in 1942 by Al Dexter and his Troopers, and was positively unavoidable during the next couple of years, to the delight and chagrin of listeners around the U.S. The writers of LIFE Magazine seemed to be gritting their collective teeth as they acknowledged the existence of the hit single in their October 11, 1943 issue, calling it "obnoxious" and a "national earache," and likening it to novelty tune "Yes, We Have No Bananas." But by that point, the song had sold nearly a million copies and hit the #1 spot on pop charts two weeks after that LIFE article was published. Three months later, Billboard started their new chart and at the top was "Pistol Packin' Mama."

However, it wasn't Dexter's recording of the song that was in that #1 "Folk Records" slot on January 8, 1944. Instead it was a re-recording by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, the first record made by the crooner for his then-new label Decca. Considering Crosby's place in the pop culture firmament at that time, this isn't terribly surprising. He was already a box office sensation, and just about to win his Academy Award for the role of Father O'Malley in Going My Way. If anyone was going to make a swinging tune about a gun-toting cuckold palatable for the masses, it was Crosby, buoyed by the tight harmonies of the proto-girl group who already had a number of hits under their collective belt.

But even in Al Dexter's original recording, which took over the top spot on the early country chart on February 5, 1944 (together with the Crosby/Andrews Sisters version, it would be at #1 for a total of eight weeks), the appeal of "Pistol Packin' Mama" is immediate. Dexter's pop smarts were borne of his early work in gospel music, whose spirituals aimed to get people into the collective spirit through group singing. Even without a hymnal in front of you, it was easy to pick up the thread and join in. It also helped that Dexter built the song from the foundation of the well-known folk tune, "Boil Them Cabbage Down." All that is to say that Dexter got to the bouncy chorus quickly, sticking to the perfect groove of that one line: "Lay that pistol down, babe, lay that pistol down."

The song's ubiquity in World War II-era America remains something to marvel at. With its lyrics connecting weaponry and women, it was a huge hit with soldiers. As Coy Prather writes in a since-deleted essay on the song for Texas Music, "Hundreds of fighter planes, bombers, tanks and cannons were painted with cowgirls and labeled 'Pistol Packin' Mama.'" He also notes that movie star Gary Cooper dared to sing the song during an appearance on Bob Hope's radio show, recorded at the Marine Air Corps Base in Santa Barbara, California. Naturally, the rest of the cultural marketplace fell in line. Jo Stafford, Tex Ritter, Glenn Miller, and Frank Sinatra, among others, recorded versions of the song. And Republic Pictures hurried out a film, starring Ruth Terry and featuring an appearance by the King Cole Trio. Its storyline of a casino sharpshooter was a far cry from Dexter's tune, which legendarily inspired by a young woman who happened into his bar one day after crawling through a barb wire fence to escape a shotgun wielded by her lover's wife.

[awwhawk]

The Hurricanes - “Pistol Packin’ Mama” (Al Dexter cover) from Pistol Packin’ Mama b/w Poor Little Dancing Girl single (King Records, 1955)

[happy-dude]

2014 Musical Exploration - Week 3

I was slightly more enthused looking at the first few weeks of the year about the third week, than I was about starting off with two weeks of pop music.  That said, out of the decade channels I was least excited about a week of the 1940's than any of the others.  For the third week in a row, I was pleasantly surprised.

Week #03 January:  40's on 4 - Pop Hits/Big Band

What I was supposed to hear:  All aboard Track Number 4. The Savoy Express with Big Bands, classic vocal stars and hits from the '40s and beyond!

What I expected to hear:  Lots of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Bing Crosby

What I actually heard:  Lots of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and not as much Bing Brosby as I expected.  I heard a lot of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey and The Dorseys.  I'll admit, I have very little knowledge of music from the 40's and what was new and exciting for me are good ole stand-bys of the era.  I was aware of Tommy Dorsey, but not Jimmy.  I'm a little more partial to Jimmy.

I expected all Big Band sound, but was pleased to hear how much swing and jazz carried over from the 1920's and 30's.  I really enjoyed that sound much more than the Andews Sisters and the like.  I was exposed to Artie Shaw and Count Basie for the first time, and I have to say...love 'em both!  Artie Shaw showed me that you can really get after it on a clarinet.  The 'saxamaphone' gets all the sexy attention in the reed instrument family, but damn, Artie Shaw with a clarinet is like Jimi Hendrix with a guitar.  Sorta.

Three songs that caught my ear:

Pistol Packin' Mama - Al Dexter - The first time I heard this song, it was sung by Willie Nelson.  It was good to hear the original.  It appeals to my country music side.

The Java Jive - Ink Spots -  How can a song that starts, "I love coffee, I love tea.  I love the java jive and it loves me," not catch my ear?  I do love coffee, so I have to give mention to a song simply about coffee.  Nothing else, just coffee...and tea.

Swingin' the Blues - Count Basie - For me this song sums up my week in the 1940's.  A little swing, a little blues, a little jazz and a whole lot of big band sound!

Another week that only further exposed my closed-mindedness when it comes to music.  (At least I can admit being closed-minded.)  I enjoyed this week slightly more than the previous two weeks of pop music and give it a score of 7 out of 11.

Next week is the 1950's.  The first week I have truly looked forward to.  Elvis, Chuck Berry (one of my all-time favorites) and the Everly Brothers.  The birth of rock n' roll!   \m/  \m/

[zoundz]

Al Dexter - I'm Losing My Mind Over You (original version - 1945)

[magictransistor]

Al Dexter. The Original Pistol Packin' Mama. 1968

[song-lyrics-and-meanings-bl-blog]

Al Dexter - World Wide (Remix)

Full song lyrics: Al Dexter - World Wide (Remix)

[Edi] + (Bosko) (gangstaz clap yo hands) World Wide….. Outlawz (all the ladies clap yo hands) Makaveli The Don…. With the homie T-Low (gangstaz clap yo hands) Felly Fel on the track…. Bosko (all the ladies clap yo hands) It’s going down real big…. let’s go (clap yo hands baby) [T-Low – Ch…

Full song lyrics: Al Dexter - World Wide (Remix)

[ayamai]

Al Dexter : Pistol Packin' Mama ( 1943 )