Al Clauser

Who was Al Clauser?

Henry Alfred Clauser was a guitarist, songwriter and engineer featured on radio shows in Des Moines, Iowa and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Clauser was born in Manito, Illinois, on February 23, 1911. He may have originated the term, "Western Swing," since he had used it as early as 1928. Clauser and his string band had a popular radio show in the mid-1930s on WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, where they were regulars until 1942, after which Clauser moved the band to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began a regular weekly program on KTUL Radio. While at KTUL, Clauser added a teenager singer from Claremore, Oklahoma, named Clara Ann Fowler to his band, which was then called the Oklahoma Outlaws. Clara Ann later achieved international fame as Patti Page.

The band specialized in Western swing, playing the popular songs of the day, with Al's original songs added in. Al Clauser & His Oklahoma Outlaws appeared in an early Gene Autry film, "Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm," and recorded a dozen tracks for ARC in the 1930s. When Gene called to ask Al to bring the band to Hollywood to be in the movie, WHO sportscaster, Ronald Reagan, asked Al if he could come along on the Band Bus and Al said that would be fine. Reagan's first experience on a movie set was during the shooting of this film. In the 1970s and 80's, the office of Al's recording studio had an enormous photograph of Reagan with Reagan's thank-you note for his "start in the business" penned on it in ballpoint.