Don Dexter, 2004
Photo: Dick Nosbish
Background as a Musician
Professional Bio of Don Dexter
Thumbnail: Don Dexter, Ph.D., has an extensive background as a musician, playing drums with numerous artists such as Ricky Nelson, Del Shannon, Mason Williams, and Glenn Yarbrough. Don has performed on national TV shows, recorded with name artists, and played at Carnegie Hall. He is also an award-winning video producer, broadcaster and educator. In addition to owning a video production company, Don teaches film, video, and digital media production at the college/university level.
Don Dexter's passion for playing drums began as a young boy of 9 when he would listen to the radio in bed at night just before he went to sleep. He listened to rock, country, blues, and jazz from distant radio stations and dreamed of a life as a musician. Although he was taking piano lessons at the time, it was then that he realized what he really wanted to do was play drums. His dream began for him at age 10 when he joined a competitive Scout Drum and Bugle Corps and stayed with the marching unit for the next 5 years.
When he was 12, Don began studying with Buddy Krizneski, former drummer of the popular Ralph Flanagan Orchestra and the Washington D.C. Navy Dance Band. Eventually, Don bought Krizneski's drum set, a White Mother-of-Pearl Gretch four piece kit. His mother along with the neighbors, would attest he practiced for hours every day. His drumming vibrated throughout the neighborhood of his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin.
Buddy Krizneski mentored Don and encouraged him to set up goals and importantly, write the goals down on paper. He did just that. At age 16, Don wrote down these goals, (1) to play at Carnigie Hall, (2) to play with major artists, (3) to play recording sessions in Hollywood, (4) to play on national TV shows with major artists, and (5) to complete all of the goals by age 30. (Don fulfilled all of those goals before his 27th birthday)
One month before his 16th birthday, Don played his first professional gig with a rock & roll band called, "The Downbeats," made up of some of his peer musician friends. He couldn't believe that he was paid for doing something he loved.
In his sophomore year in high school, he and a few friends traveled to Milwaukee to see a "Jazz at the Philharmonic" concert that featured Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. Don managed to get backstage after the concert and meet both drummers. Don said that Buddy Rich was a little "abrupt," but Gene Krupa sat down and talked to Don and gave him words of encouragement. (10 years later, Don again saw Gene Krupa playing at the Metropole Club in New York City while Don was in New York to play on the Ed Sullivan Show and at Carnigie Hall.)
Don played drums through high school and upon graduation joined the U.S. Marine Corps. After boot camp and ITR training, Don auditioned for the Marine Band and Drum and Bugle Corps at the San Diego Marine Base. For the next three years he played in various Marine bands on the West coast and in the Far East. After an honorable discharge, he played with various rock and blues road groups ending up in Los Angeles in the early 1960's.
During this time Don developed skills and experience as an announcer and program producer for television and radio. (Through the years, he would collect more than 30 national and regional awards as a video producer/director, including an EMMY nomination.)
Breaking into the Los Angeles music scene is often difficult. But, Don networked himself, persisted, and within a short period of time he was playing drums in clubs in Hollywood and the L.A. area and doing a few recording sessions. (while full-time in music, he worked part-time as an announcer/producer for a top FM station in L.A.)
Opportunity knocked and Don auditioned for a band called, "Joe and Eddie," which, at the time was the number one folk-rock group in the country. Well known studio musician, guitarist Louie Shelton headed the group at that time. Don was hired and began touring with the group. Singer/writer Mason Williams was the "warm up" act to Joe and Eddie. A professional relationship with Mason Williams led to many recording sessions with Williams, the Smother's Brothers and David Carroll. Sadly, Joe was killed in a freeway accident and later, the group disbanded.
Don began working with studio musician Jerry Cole. With Cole, Don played concerts and recorded with numerous artists which included, Nino Tempo and April Stevens, Billy Daniels, The Shirelles, Del Shannon, and Ricky Nelson. Don said, "What a gig. With Rick Nelson, everything was first class. We flew first class and always stayed in first class hotels." Don also recorded with Jerry Cole on a few of his albums on Crown Records. Jerry Cole formed the original Stone Canyon Band with Don as the original drummer.
Some of the recording sessions Don played on, other than rock artists, were for TV commercials. He played on the sound tracks and received royalties for nationally broadcast television commercials such as, United Airlines, Gleem Toothpaste, Levi's and Tom McCann Shoes.
Other popular artists that Don played and/or recorded for include, Sonny James, Red Rhodes, The California Earthquake, Dorsey Burnette, Wynn Stewart, Danny Thomas, and The Fred Ramirez Trio, along with four concerts with the Grand Ole Opry road tour in Los Angeles. In addition, Don played with jazz groups such as the Johnny Pike Quartet and the legendary John Harmon.
In the mid 1960's Hollywood Record Producer Paul Arnold, began an experimental album project. He recruited five musicians for the job. Don was included for this new rock group along with Jerry Cole, Glenn Cass, Norm Cass, and Rich Cliburn. (lead guitarist of Smith) The name of this new group was, "The Id." The album ¯he Id recorded was called, "The Inner Sounds of the Id." It featured rock and roll in various time signatures like 17/8 time, 7/4 time, as well as straight-ahead blues/rock in 4/4 time. In his spare time, Don along with the other musicians worked on the album's songs on weekends over a period of about two years, then went into the studio and recorded the album. It was released on RCA records in January of 1967. Promotion included a full page picture of the gorup in Billboard magazine, and the single, "Short Circuit" was reviewed and given a Bullet by the Billboard music critic. Even though the album was not a commercial hit, it became popular on the undergound radio stations in L.A. and a few other cities and developed a "cult" following.
The Id debuted in Chicago with little success. After three weeks the tour was canceled. Although Don was playing with Glenn Yarbrough at the time, he left for one month for the brief Id tour, then went back with Yarbrough. The rest of the dispersed into other groups and studio work. Over the next 5 years the, "Inner Sounds of the Id" sold approximately 250,000 copies.
In 1966, singer Glenn Yarbrough of "Baby, the Rain Must Fall" and other hits, asked Don to come to work with him. "This was a great gig," Don responded when asked. "We worked about two and a half months in the spring and two and a half months in the fall, and were paid a retainer from Glenn for the rest of the yer. We flew all over America and Canada doing concerts and television. "The road was rigorous," Don said, "but paid handsomely." During time off from Yarbrough, Don did recording sessions, club dates, and concerts with other artists and L.A. roducers. He backed up Glenn for the next four years. They often played the Troubadour club in Hollywood and the Hungary i in San Francisco.
During his tour with Glenn Yarbrough, Don played on numerous TV shows, including the NBC "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," the CBS "Ed Sullivan Show," a CBS Special, "Live at the Hungary i," and a sold out Carnigie Hall Concert in New York City. With Glenn Yarbrough, Don played numerous concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, Universla Studios, Wakaki Shell in Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as concerts in many cities such as Red Rocks in Denver. Glenn and his group were guest artists on a Bob Hope concert special once at Indiana Universiy. Don said that, "meeting and conversing with Bob Hope was one of the thrilling points in my career, this man was bigger than life."
During the interim time off between Glenn Yarbrough's spring and fall tours, Don played on the tracking dates for many TV shows and some movies which included an ABC Movie of the Week, "Sgt. Deadhead," with Donna Loren and Frankie Avalon, "Beach House Party," and an ABC TV Special, "The World of Dr. Goldfoot," with Frankie Avalon, Vincent Price, and various rock artists, (this was a spoof on the James Bond movie, "Goldfinger")
Don worked with DayVideo/Seals and Crofts Productions in Los Angeles in the area of video production, promotion, and distribution during the mid 1970's. At the time, Marcia Day, visionary executive producer and president, headed the Seals & Crofts organization.
There were many more recording sessions, concerts, club dates, and jam sessions into the wee small hours of the morning that Don has played, but, too numerous to mention. Each of those gigs mentioned above have a story that has provided lifelong memories of "good licks," good times, and good friends.
In 1977, Don left Los Angeles and moved to the high country of Colorado and began a career in higher education as well as continuing with his interest in television and video production. Although he continued to play drums professionally through 1999, it was mostly part-time on weekends, special concerts and one-nighters.
Brief Look at Educational
and Video Producer Background
Presently (2005), Dr. Don "Doc" Dexter, Ph.D., is a professor at The Art Institute of Colorado in Denver teaching courses in documentary film and video, video production, and digital media production. He holds a Ph.D., M.A., and B.Sc. in areas of Film and Television. Don expressed how he feels about being a professor in higher education, "I love teaching and working with students, especially in a studio environment. It's challenging and very rewarding." As a video producer/director, he has a strong love for documentary film and video. Previously, Don taught for the University of Colorado and the Colorado community College System. He was named, Instructor of the Year at a previous college.
Concurrently, Don produces film and video programs through his own video production company, award winning Wolf River Productions. As mentioned above. He has received numerous national and regional awards as a video producer/director which include Classic Tell awards, Gold Tellys, Cindy awards, and Videographer of the year, as well as working on EMMY award winning projects. In 2004, Don, along with a former student, each received a regional EMMY Award. Don has had two previous EMMY nominations.
Music wise, Don continues to play drums. He has two kits, a Pearl, Maple wood 5 piece and a Ludwig, Blue Mother-of-Pearl 5 piece. The Pearl Maple wood kit is set up in his living room. He occasionally lays one-night gigs and once in a while sits in and jams with local groups. Don feels that he has had an exciting, enjoyable, and rewarding career as a drummer. When asked how he feels about his life as a musician he stated, "I've had the opportunity, the honor, and privilege of playing music with some great musicians, and the career that I dreamed of and visualized as a boy came true." Don says that one of the high points of his career was playing at Carnigie Hall in New York, which was one of the dreams and goals he set as a young boy of 16. His passion and love for drums and music still remains strong.
Page posted July, 2003
