Dean Dixon was fond of saying that as his career progressed he was first called the American Negro conductor, Dean Dixon, then the American conductor, Dean Dixon, and then as the conductor, Dean Dixon. He felt he'd reach his zenith when he was referred to as simply Dean Dixon.

Born in 1915 in New York City, he never epitomized the American Conductor nor Negro Conductor as he was stylistically similar to Northern European conductors having conducted the Groteberg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden from 1953 to 1960 and the Hess Radio Symphony Orchestra at Frankfurt as Main Conductor from 1961 until 1970.

After conducting with Stoesel at the Julliard School and graduating from Columbia University, he formed an orchestra in New York in 1932. In 1941, he led the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra as the first African American conductor. In the following years, he also guest conducted the Philadelphia and Boston Symphony Orchestras.

He left the United States in 1949 for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted during the 1950 and 1951 seasons.  Dixon Traveled to Australia in 1964 to become the principal conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra until 1967.

Dixon is noted for his recordings of 20th Century American Composers -- including Cowell's Symphony No. 5, McDowell's Indian Suite, Moore's Symphony No. 2, among others -- on the American Recording Society label. Yet, he remained rooted in the European Classics and recorded some of his best discs for Westminster -- notably the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Janigro and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Schubert's Symphonies 4 and 5 with the London Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.

In 1976, the world lost a great conductor and distinguished man in the death of Dean Dixon.