Al Dean’s ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe’ Still Wears Well in the Hearts of Texans

Al Dean, who made “Cotton-Eyed Joe” one of the most popular country tunes ever, looks like a character out of the “Cowpokes” comic strip and is happiest mending fences and corralling cattle.

But although Dean would rather be out on the range, his music always brings him back to the bandstand.

The 57-year-old musician has gained regional popularity but has not fared as well financially as some other country entertainers, including superstar George Strait, who once asked to sing with Dean’s band but was rejected.

Dean’s band still plays the song that continues to bring in the bucks, but not much publicity.

“To this day, we play the ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe’ twice a night and sometimes three times a night,” he said. “If you’re a country-Western band, and if you come to Texas, you’d better know how to play the ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe.’

“There are several versions of the ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe,’ but ours is a magic mix, and I don’t think it can be duplicated.”

“Cotton-Eyed Joe,” a mixture of fiddle, guitar and drum rhythm, has been around as long as people can remember.

It has been played in jukeboxes at roadside cafes and in honky-tonks from Texas to Montana. It gained even more popularity after it was featured in the movie “Urban Cowboy.”

The song is closely associated with a dance in which several two-steppers, with their arms around each others’ waists and shoulders, move counterclockwise, taking several steps forward and a few back as they kick up their heels.

The rhythm intensifies, and the pros are quickly separated from the amateurs.

The song is known throughout the country and is synonymous with Texas, but Dean admits that few people know the artist’s name.

“There were times when people would try to impersonate me to make some money,” he said.