Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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DEAN, Jimmy

(b 10 August 1928, Plainview TX; d 13 June 2010, Henrico County VA) Enormously popular country singer in the 1960s, also TV host and actor. With Tennessee Haymakers while in USAF, then with Texan Wildcats in the Washington DC area; his first hit was 'Bummin' Around' '53 on the Four Star label. He pioneered country music on TV, hosting weekday, Saturday-evening shows on WMAL (Virginia), then a networked CBS show '60; signed with Columbia and had his biggest hit 'Big Bad John' '61: no. 1 both country and pop, won Grammy as Best Country and Western Performance. Followed with 'Dear Ivan', 'P.T. 109' '62; 'The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And The Last Thing Ev'ry Night)' '65. Switched to RCA for more hits 'Stand Beside Me' '66, 'A Thing Called Love' '68, 'Slowly' '71 (duet with Dottie West). Albums included Big Bad John '62, Jimmy Dean's Hour Of Prayer '64 on Columbia; Speaker Of The House '67, These Hands '72 on RCA.
      He was the first guest host on The Tonight Show, had a top line variety show on ABC-TV '63-6, and appeared in series Daniel Boone, Candid Camera, etc. He co-starred in the James Bond flick Diamonds Are Forever '74.
      He was a natural for the pig meat business, as his family had done that since he was a child; when he started his own company in 1969 it was profitable very quickly. He retired from music in the 1970s as his sausage business took over, but came back with album and single I.O.U. on Casino '76. He sold the sausage business to Sara Lee in 1984 but continued to be its spokesman for many years. He was married to Donna Meade Dean, a songwriter and recording artist. He was said to be worth $75m in the 1990s, but had seen a lot of people make a lot of money and end up broke; he took care of business, saying, "No one's going to play a benefit for Jimmy Dean."