Norwood "Pony" Poindexter, born February 8, 1926, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. He began playing clarinet at age seven and joined a rhythm and blues band at 12 before switching to saxophone and debuting professionally with Sidney Desvigne in 1940. Following studies at the Candell Conservatory of Music, he performed with Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, and Stan Kenton, and accompanied Lambert, Hendricks & Ross from 1961 to 1963. Poindexter released his debut album as a leader, Pony's Express, in 1962, followed by Live at the Basin Street East (1963) and Gumbo! (1963). He relocated to Europe in 1964, touring and recording extensively before returning to San Francisco in 1977. He published his autobiography, Pony Express, in 1985. Poindexter died on April 14, 1988, in Oakland, California.
