Category: Jam Session
Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman
hero, "Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died
on Sunday. He was 81.
RICHMOND, Va. - Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a
workingman hero, "Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known for his sausage
brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County,
Va., home.
She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still
functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in
front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he
was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.
"He was amazing," she said. "He had a lot of talents."
Born in 1928, Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped
out of high school after the ninth grade. He went on to a successful
entertainment career in the 1950s and '60s that included the nationally
televised "The Jimmy Dean Show."
In 1969, Dean went into the sausage business, starting the Jimmy Dean Meat
Co. in his hometown. He sold the company to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.
Dean lived in semiretirement with his wife, who is a songwriter and
recording artist, on their 200-acre estate just outside Richmond, where he
enjoyed investing, boating and watching the sun set over the James River.
In 2009 a fire gutted their home, but his Grammy for "Big Bad John," a
puppet made by Muppets creator Jim Henson, a clock that had belonged to
Prince Charles and Princess Diana and other valuables were saved. Lost were
a collection of celebrity-autographed books, posters of Dean with Elvis
Presley and other prized possessions.
Donna Meade Dean said the couple had just moved back into their
reconstructed home.
With his drawled wisecracks and quick wit, Dean charmed many fans. But in
both entertainment and business circles, he was also known for his tough
hide. He fired bandmate Roy Clark, who went onto "Hee Haw" fame, for showing
up late for gigs.
More recently, a scrap with Sara Lee led to national headlines.
The Chicago-based company let him go as spokesman in 2003, inciting Dean's
wrath. He issued a statement titled "Somebody doesn't like Sara Lee,"
claiming he was dumped because he got old.
"The company told me that they were trying to attract the younger housewife,
and they didn't think I was the one to do that," Dean told The Associated
Press in January 2004. "I think it's the dumbest thing. But you know, what
do I know?"
Sara Lee has said that it chose not to renew Dean's contract because the
"brand was going in a new direction" that demanded a shift in marketing.
Dean grew up in a musical household. His mother showed him how to play his
first chord on the piano. His father, who left the family, was a songwriter
and singer. Dean taught himself to play the accordion and the harmonica.
His start in the music business came as an accordionist at a tavern near
Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he was stationed in the
1940s. After leaving the Air Force in 1948, he fronted his band, the Texas
Wildcats, and drew a strong local following through appearances on
Washington-area radio.
By the early 1950s, Dean's band had its first national hit in "Bummin'
Around."
"Big Bad John," which is about a coal miner who saves fellow workers when a
mine roof collapses, became a big hit in 1961 and won a Grammy. The star
wrote it in less than two hours.
His fame led him to a string of television shows, including "The Jimmy Dean
Show" on CBS. Dean's last big TV stint was ABC's version of "The Jimmy Dean
Show" from 1963 to 1966.
Dean in February was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was to be
inducted in October and his wife said she thinks he was looking forward to
it.
Dean became a headliner at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl
and became the first country star to play on the Las Vegas strip. He was the
first guest host on "The Tonight Show," and also was an actor with parts in
television and the movies, including the role of James Bond's ally Willard
Whyte in the 1971 film "Diamonds Are Forever."
Besides his wife, Dean is survived by three children and two grandchildren,
Donna Meade Dean said. Arrangements have not be made, but it will be a
private service, she said.
In the late '60s, Dean entered the hog business - something he knew well.
His family had butchered hogs, with the young Dean whacking them over the
head with the blunt end of an ax. The Dean brothers - Jimmy and Don - ground
the meat and their mother seasoned it.
The Jimmy Dean Meat Co. opened with a plant in Plainview. After six months,
the company was profitable.
His fortune was estimated at $75 million in the early '90s.
Having watched other stars fritter away their fortunes, Dean said he learned
to be careful with his money.
"I've seen so many people in this business that made a fortune," he told the
AP. "They get old and broke and can't make any money. ... I tell you
something, ... no one's going to play a benefit for Jimmy Dean."
Dean said then that he was at peace at his estate and that he had picked a
spot near the river where he wanted to be buried.
"It's the sweetest piece of property in the world, we think," he told the
Richmond Times-Dispatch. "It sure is peaceful here."
Interesting article. Thanks.
Seems like a lot of celebrity deaths in the last few weeks.
I shal eat some sausages today and think of him lol
Interesting artical, that, and a sad loss to country music, too.