June 16, 2010
Jimmy Dean RIP
New Country Music Hall of Fame member Jimmy Dean died Sunday night (June 13) at his home in Varina, Va., at age 81.
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, told reporters that her husband had health problems but was still functioning well and was looking forward to his formal induction into the Hall of Fame later this year in Nashville. She said he was watching television when she left the room for a short time. When she returned, he was unresponsive.
In addition to his status as a recording artist, Dean was a television pioneer who brought country music to a national audience. In later years, he attained an additional identity nationally as the founder and spokesperson for the Jimmy Dean sausage brand.
Born Aug. 10, 1928, in Olton, Texas, he was playing piano, harmonica and accordion by the time he was a teenager. Dropping out of high school at age 16, he served in the Merchant Marines and U.S. Air Force. Stationed in Washington, D.C., he began performing at area clubs. Signed to Four Star Records, Dean's debut single, "Bummin' Around," reached No. 5 on Billboard's country chart in 1953.
In 1961, Dean wrote and recorded his signature song, "Big Bad John," in Nashville. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's pop and country charts and earned him a Grammy for best country & western recording.
He topped the chart again in 1965 with "The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night)" and scored five more Top 10 hits during his tenures on Columbia, RCA Victor and Casino Records. With his success during the early '60s, Dean became the first guest host of The Tonight Show. From 1963-1966 on ABC, The Jimmy Dean Show introduced mainstream America to artists such as George Jones, Roger Miller, Buck Owens and Charlie Rich.
Jimmy Dean will be laid to rest in a $350,000 piano-shaped granite mausoleum that he purchased several years ago. The 9½-foot long tomb is located near the banks of the James River on his property in Varina, Va. In a reference to the lyrics of his 1961 hit, "Big Bad John," the mausoleum will be inscribed with the epitaph, "Here lies one hell of a man." Funeral services are scheduled for Monday (June 21) at Grove Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond, Va.
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, told reporters that her husband had health problems but was still functioning well and was looking forward to his formal induction into the Hall of Fame later this year in Nashville. She said he was watching television when she left the room for a short time. When she returned, he was unresponsive.
In addition to his status as a recording artist, Dean was a television pioneer who brought country music to a national audience. In later years, he attained an additional identity nationally as the founder and spokesperson for the Jimmy Dean sausage brand.
Born Aug. 10, 1928, in Olton, Texas, he was playing piano, harmonica and accordion by the time he was a teenager. Dropping out of high school at age 16, he served in the Merchant Marines and U.S. Air Force. Stationed in Washington, D.C., he began performing at area clubs. Signed to Four Star Records, Dean's debut single, "Bummin' Around," reached No. 5 on Billboard's country chart in 1953.
In 1961, Dean wrote and recorded his signature song, "Big Bad John," in Nashville. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's pop and country charts and earned him a Grammy for best country & western recording.
He topped the chart again in 1965 with "The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night)" and scored five more Top 10 hits during his tenures on Columbia, RCA Victor and Casino Records. With his success during the early '60s, Dean became the first guest host of The Tonight Show. From 1963-1966 on ABC, The Jimmy Dean Show introduced mainstream America to artists such as George Jones, Roger Miller, Buck Owens and Charlie Rich.
Jimmy Dean will be laid to rest in a $350,000 piano-shaped granite mausoleum that he purchased several years ago. The 9½-foot long tomb is located near the banks of the James River on his property in Varina, Va. In a reference to the lyrics of his 1961 hit, "Big Bad John," the mausoleum will be inscribed with the epitaph, "Here lies one hell of a man." Funeral services are scheduled for Monday (June 21) at Grove Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond, Va.
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