| Jimmy Dean |
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201
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Jimmy Dean
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Birth name: |
James Ray Dean |
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Born: |
August 10, 1928 |
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Origin: |
Plainview, Texas |
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Years active: |
1953-2010 |
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Labels: |
Columbia Records, RCA Records |
201
Phoots comi...
Jimmy Ray Dean[2] (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010)[1] was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad John". His acting career included a supporting role as Willard Whyte in the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. He lived near Richmond, Virginia and was nominated for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, although he was formally inducted posthumously.
Early life
Dean was born in Plainview, Texas, in 1928, the son of George Otto Dean and his second wife Ruth (née Taylor) Dean. He attributed his interest in music to the Seth Ward Baptist Church.[3] He dropped out of high school and became a professional entertainer after a stint in the U.S. Air Force in the late 1940s.
[edit] Entertainment career
Dean had his first hit, "Bummin' Around", in 1953 on the 4 Star label, but had no other hits for the rest of the decade. He signed with Columbia Records in 1957.
In 1954, Dean hosted the popular Washington D.C. radio program Town and Country Time on WARL-AM, and with his Texas Wildcats became popular in the Mid-Atlantic region. Patsy Cline and Roy Clark got their starts on the show. Although Cline and Dean became good friends; Clark, Dean's lead guitarist, was eventually fired by the singer for what was explained as his chronic tardiness. Dean replaced Clark with Billy Grammer. In 1955, Town and Country Time moved to WMAL-TV on weekday afternoons. Dean and the Texas Wildcats also appeared during 1957 on Town and Country Jamboree on WMAL-TV on Saturdays from 10:30 p.m.–1:30 a.m. ET, which was also carried by TV stations in Maryland and Virginia on a regional network.
Also during 1957, Dean hosted Country Style on WTOP-TV on weekday mornings. CBS picked up the show nationally from Washington for eight months in 1957 under the name, The Morning Show.[4][5] Then from September 14, 1958–June 1959, CBS carried The Jimmy Dean Show on weekday and Saturday afternoons.
Dean became best known for his 1961 recitation song about a heroic miner, "Big Bad John". Recorded in Nashville, the record went to number one on the Billboard pop chart and inspired many imitations and parodies. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[6] The track peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart.[7] The song won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. He had several more Top 40 songs including a Top 10 in 1962 with "PT-109", a song in honor of John F. Kennedy's bravery in World War II.[citation needed]
In the early 1960s, he hosted the Tonight Show on occasion and one night introduced Roy Clark, with whom he had remained friendly. In the mid-60s, Dean helped bring country music into the mainstream[8] with his 1963–66 ABC-TV variety series, The Jimmy Dean Show. It presented country music entertainers including Roger Miller, George Jones, Charlie Rich, Buck Owens and some, like Joe Maphis, who seldom received network exposure. The program also featured comedy and a variety of popular music artists, and Dean's sketches with one of Jim Henson's Muppets, Rowlf the Dog.
Dean appeared on several TV talk shows and game shows in the 1960s and performed on variety programs including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and The Hollywood Palace.[9]
Dean turned to acting after his TV show ended in 1966. His best-known role was as reclusive Las Vegas billionaire Willard Whyte in the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. He also appeared in fourteen episodes of Daniel Boone (1967–70) in three different roles (one episode as "Delo Jones", two as "Jeremiah" and eleven as "Josh Clements") and as Charlie Rowlands in two Fantasy Island episodes (1981–82), as well as on other TV shows including a semi-regular role as Charlie Bullets on J.J. Starbuck starring Dale Robertson (1987-88).[9]
Dean's singing career remained strong into the mid-1960s; in 1965, he achieved a second number one country hit with the ballad "The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night)", and he had a Top 40 hit that year with "Harvest Of Sunshine". In 1966, Dean signed with RCA Records and immediately had a Top 10 hit with "Stand Beside Me". His other major hits during this time included "Sweet Misery" (1967) and "A Thing Called Love" (1968). He continued charting into the early 1970s with his major hits including a duet with Dottie West, "Slowly" (1971); and a solo hit with "The One You Say Good Morning To" (1972).[citation needed]
In 1976, Dean achieved a million-seller with a recitation song as a tribute to his mother and mothers everywhere called "I.O.U." The song was released a few weeks before Mother's Day and quickly became a Top 10 country hit, his first one in a decade, and a Top 40 pop hit, his first in 14 years. The song was re-released in 1977, 1983 and 1984, but with minor success each time.
Early life
Dean was born in Plainview, Texas, in 1928, the son of George Otto Dean and his second wife Ruth (née Taylor) Dean. He attributed his interest in music to the Seth Ward Baptist Church.[3] He dropped out of high school and became a professional entertainer after a stint in the U.S. Air Force in the late 1940s.
[edit] Entertainment career
Dean had his first hit, "Bummin' Around", in 1953 on the 4 Star label, but had no other hits for the rest of the decade. He signed with Columbia Records in 1957.
In 1954, Dean hosted the popular Washington D.C. radio program Town and Country Time on WARL-AM, and with his Texas Wildcats became popular in the Mid-Atlantic region. Patsy Cline and Roy Clark got their starts on the show. Although Cline and Dean became good friends; Clark, Dean's lead guitarist, was eventually fired by the singer for what was explained as his chronic tardiness. Dean replaced Clark with Billy Grammer. In 1955, Town and Country Time moved to WMAL-TV on weekday afternoons. Dean and the Texas Wildcats also appeared during 1957 on Town and Country Jamboree on WMAL-TV on Saturdays from 10:30 p.m.–1:30 a.m. ET, which was also carried by TV stations in Maryland and Virginia on a regional network.
Also during 1957, Dean hosted Country Style on WTOP-TV on weekday mornings. CBS picked up the show nationally from Washington for eight months in 1957 under the name, The Morning Show.[4][5] Then from September 14, 1958–June 1959, CBS carried The Jimmy Dean Show on weekday and Saturday afternoons.
Dean became best known for his 1961 recitation song about a heroic miner, "Big Bad John". Recorded in Nashville, the record went to number one on the Billboard pop chart and inspired many imitations and parodies. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[6] The track peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart.[7] The song won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. He had several more Top 40 songs including a Top 10 in 1962 with "PT-109", a song in honor of John F. Kennedy's bravery in World War II.[citation needed]
In the early 1960s, he hosted the Tonight Show on occasion and one night introduced Roy Clark, with whom he had remained friendly. In the mid-60s, Dean helped bring country music into the mainstream[8] with his 1963–66 ABC-TV variety series, The Jimmy Dean Show. It presented country music entertainers including Roger Miller, George Jones, Charlie Rich, Buck Owens and some, like Joe Maphis, who seldom received network exposure. The program also featured comedy and a variety of popular music artists, and Dean's sketches with one of Jim Henson's Muppets, Rowlf the Dog.
Dean appeared on several TV talk shows and game shows in the 1960s and performed on variety programs including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and The Hollywood Palace.[9]
Dean turned to acting after his TV show ended in 1966. His best-known role was as reclusive Las Vegas billionaire Willard Whyte in the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. He also appeared in fourteen episodes of Daniel Boone (1967–70) in three different roles (one episode as "Delo Jones", two as "Jeremiah" and eleven as "Josh Clements") and as Charlie Rowlands in two Fantasy Island episodes (1981–82), as well as on other TV shows including a semi-regular role as Charlie Bullets on J.J. Starbuck starring Dale Robertson (1987-88).[9]
Dean's singing career remained strong into the mid-1960s; in 1965, he achieved a second number one country hit with the ballad "The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night)", and he had a Top 40 hit that year with "Harvest Of Sunshine". In 1966, Dean signed with RCA Records and immediately had a Top 10 hit with "Stand Beside Me". His other major hits during this time included "Sweet Misery" (1967) and "A Thing Called Love" (1968). He continued charting into the early 1970s with his major hits including a duet with Dottie West, "Slowly" (1971); and a solo hit with "The One You Say Good Morning To" (1972).[citation needed]
In 1976, Dean achieved a million-seller with a recitation song as a tribute to his mother and mothers everywhere called "I.O.U." The song was released a few weeks before Mother's Day and quickly became a Top 10 country hit, his first one in a decade, and a Top 40 pop hit, his first in 14 years. The song was re-released in 1977, 1983 and 1984, but with minor success each time.