Honky Tonks. (original) (raw)
A friend from Daingerfield called a few days ago with an interesting question: �How did the term �Honky Tonk� come about?�
As best we can tell, it was slang for local bars and clubs frequently patronized by poor whites, often called �honkies.�
Country singer Clarence Albert Poindexter, better known as Al Dexter, was working as a house painter in Troup, Texas, in the 1930s. He soon put together a band, �The Texas Troopers� and began performing in East Texas bars and clubs.
In 1936, Dexter signed a recording contract with ARC Records. His song, �Honky Tonk Blues,� which he wrote with James B. Paris, was the first country song to use the term �honky tonk.�
In the late 1930s, Dexter owned a honky tonk himself, the Roundup, at Turnertown in the East Texas oilfield.
Through his experiences there and in other roadhouses, Dexter developed the idea for his future hit, �Pistol Packin� Mama.�
In 1943, with Gene Autry�s backup band, Dexter recorded �Pistol Packin� Mama� and �Rosalita� with Columbia. The record sold a million copies in its first six months.
�Pistol Packin� Mama� remained No. 1 on Billboard Magazine�s chart for eight weeks and was recorded by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters.
�Pistol Packin� Moma� also became the marching chorus for the New York Yankees and a 1943 movie of the same name gave Dexter $250,00 in royalties.
From 1944 through 1948, Dexter recorded other country hits, including �Too Late To Worry,� �Wine, Women and Song,� and �Calico Rag.� Dexter had 14 top records that sold a million or more records.
In 1971, Dexter was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter�s Hall of Fame. and was the first country singer to perform on Broadway.
Dexter�s recordings, song writing and real estate investments made him a wealthy man. He died in 1984 from a heart attack at his home on Lake Lewisville.
Dexter�s son, Wayne Poindexter, with son-in-law Leon Dudley, recently produced a three-disk collection of his father�s songs. They are available at Dexter Estate Productions, PO Box 1542, Rowlett, Texas, 75030.
May 2, 2010 Column
A weekly column syndicated in 70 East Texas newspapers
See Pistol Packing Mamma by Bob Bowman