Horace Kirby Dowell, known professionally as Saxie Dowell, was an American jazz saxophonist born on May 24, 1904, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina, where he met Hal Kemp and joined Kemp's orchestra in 1925 as a reed player and vocalist. Dowell composed "I Don't Care," recorded by Kemp in 1928. He became known for his comedic vocal performances in the 1930s and achieved a hit with the novelty song "Three Little Fishies" in 1939. After leaving Kemp, he formed his own big band in 1940. During World War II, Dowell served as a bandleader aboard the U.S.S. Franklin, surviving a bombing attack. Post-war, he led a band featuring a young Keely Smith and later worked as a disc jockey in Chicago and Phoenix. Dowell retired in the late 1950s and passed away on July 22, 1974, in Scottsdale, Arizona.