Little Jimmy Dickens

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Little Jimmy Dickens in the Grand Ole Opry (2004)

James Cecil "Little Jimmy" Dickens (born December 19, 1920 in Bolt , West Virginia ; † January 2, 2015 near Nashville ) was an American country singer who was one of the most popular stars of country music in the 1950s and 1960s. Scene counted.

Life

Beginnings

Dickens grew up on a farm in West Virginia, the youngest of thirteen children. From an early age he dreamed of a career as a country musician. At the age of 17 he got started with a local radio station, where he had regular appearances as "Jimmy The Kid". In the following years he changed residence and radio station several times until he was discovered by Roy Acuff in 1946 .

Career

Little Jimmy Dickens - Country Boy

Acuff invited the short, only 150 cm tall Dickens to appear at the Grand Ole Opry . His 1948 debut was extremely successful, and Little Jimmy Dickens became a permanent member of country music's premier show. It was above all his sympathetic and humorous manner that made him one of the most popular actors in the Opry.

In 1949 he received a record deal from the Columbia label. The first single, Take An Old Cold Tater (And Wait) , was already in the top 10. His next songs, including Country Boy and A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed penned by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and Hillbilly Fever , were also successful. In the following years Little Jimmy Dickens was rarely represented in the charts. Its tradition-oriented music did not have it easy against the current Nashville sound .

It wasn't until 1962 that he had his next top 10 hit with Violet And The Rose . Three years later he achieved his greatest success with May The Bird Of Paradise Flow Up Your Nose . The song even made it to # 15 in the pop charts and made it known nationwide. During these years he undertook extensive tours that took him to Europe and the Far East.

After that he changed labels several times, but could no longer build on his old successes. He remained connected to the Grand Ole Opry, where he was still one of the most popular stars. In 1982 Little Jimmy Dickens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame . In his later years, Dickens struggled with illness and spent long periods in hospital.

In 2008 Dickens celebrated his 60th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. So on November 1st, a celebration - hosted by Brad Paisley , Trace Adkins and George Jones - was held at the Opry, which Dickens also attended.

Discography

  • 1957 - Raisin 'The Dickens
  • 1960 Big Songs By Little Jimmy Dickens
  • 1962 - Little Jimmy Dickens Sings Out Behind The Barn
  • 1965 - Handle With Care
  • 1965 - May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
  • 1967 - Ain't It Fun
  • 1968 - Jimmy Dickens Sings
  • 1969 - Jimmy Dickens Comes Callin

Remarks

  1. ↑ Brian Mansfield: Country great “Little” Jimmy Dickens dies at 94 . USA Today January 3, 2015
  2. ↑ Joel Whitburn: The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits. 1944-2006 . 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006, ISBN 9780823082919 , p. 106
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, ISBN 9780898201802 , p. 168

Web links

Commons : Little Jimmy Dickens  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Dickens, Little Jimmy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dickens, James Cecil; Dickens, Jimmy (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer
DATE OF BIRTH December 19, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Bolt , West Virginia
DATE OF DEATH 2nd January 2015
Place of death near Nashville