Little Jimmy Dickens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Little Jimmy Dickens | |
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 Little Jimmy Dickens performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Cecil Dickens |
| Also known as | Little Jimmy Dickens |
| Born | December 19, 1920 |
| Origin | Bolt, West Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | late 1930s – Present |
| Labels | Columbia Records, Decca Records, United Artists Records |
James Cecil Dickens (born December 19, 1920), better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" (150 cm), and his rhinestone-studded outfits. He has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 60 years and is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Bolt, West Virginia, Dickens began his musical career in the late 1930s, performing on a local radio station while attending West Virginia University. He soon quit school to pursue a full-time music career, and traveled the country performing on various local radio stations under the name "Jimmy the Kid."
In 1948, Dickens was heard performing on a radio station in Saginaw, Michigan by Roy Acuff, who introduced him to Art Satherly at Columbia Records and officials from the Grand Ole Opry. Dickens signed with Columbia in September and joined the Opry in August. Around this time he began using the nickname, Little Jimmy Dickens, inspired by his short stature.
Dickens recorded many novelty songs for Columbia, including "Country Boy," "A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed" and "I'm Little But I'm Loud." His song "Take an Old Cold Tater (And Wait)" inspired Hank Williams to nickname him "Tater". Later, telling Jimmy he needed a hit, Williams penned "Hey Good Lookin'" specifically for Dickens in only 20 minutes while on a Grand Ole Opry tour bus. A week later Williams cut the song himself, jokingly telling him, "That song's too good for you!"
In 1950 he formed the Country Boys with musicians Jabbo Arrington, Grady Martin, Bob Moore and Thumbs Carllile and. It was during this time that he discovered future Hall of Famer Marty Robbins at a Phoenix, Arizona television station while on tour with Grand Ole Opry road show. In 1957, Dickens left the Grand Ole Opry to tour with the Philip Morris Country Music Show.
In 1962 Dickens released "The Violet and the Rose," his first top ten single in 12 years. During 1964 he became the first country artist to circle the globe while on tour, and also made numerous TV appearances including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In 1965 he released his biggest hit, "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," reaching number one on the country chart and number fifteen on the pop chart.
In the late 1960s he left Columbia for Decca Records, before moving again to United Artists in 1971. That same year he married his wife, Mona, and in 1975 he returned to the Grand Ole Opry. In 1983 Dickens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
Recently, Dickens has made appearances in a number of music videos by fellow country musician and West Virginia native Brad Paisley. He has also been featured on several of Paisley's albums in bonus comedy tracks along with other Opry mainstays such as George Jones and Bill Anderson. They are collectively referred to as the Kung-Pao Buckaroos.
With the passing of Hank Locklin in March 2009, Dickens is now the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 89.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Old Country Church | Columbia | |
| 1957 | Raisin' the Dickens | ||
| 1960 | Big Songs | ||
| 1962 | Out Behind the Barn | ||
| 1964 | Little Jimmy Dickens' Best | Harmony | |
| Alone with God | |||
| 1965 | Handle with Care | Columbia | |
| May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose | 4 | ||
| 1966 | Greatest Hits | ||
| 1967 | Ain't It Fun | Harmony | |
| 1968 | Big Man in Country Music | Columbia | |
| Sings | Decca | ||
| 1969 | Comes Callin' | ||
| Greatest Hits | 39 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1949 | "Take an Old Cold 'Tater (And Wait)" | 7 | singles only | |
| "Country Boy" | 7 | |||
| "Pennies for Papa" | 12 | |||
| "My Heart's Bouquet" | 10 | |||
| 1950 | "A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed" | 6 | ||
| "Hillbilly Fever" | 3 | |||
| 1954 | "Out Behind the Barn" | 9 | Raisin' the Dickens | |
| 1962 | "The Violet and a Rose" | 10 | Out Behind the Barn | |
| 1963 | "Another Bridge to Burn" | 28 | Handle with Care | |
| 1965 | "He Stands Real Tall" | 21 | ||
| "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" | 1 | 15 | May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose | |
| 1966 | "When the Ship Hit the Sand" | 27 | 103 | Greatest Hits (1966) |
| "Who Licked the Red Off Your Candy" | 41 | Big Man in Country Music | ||
| 1967 | "Country Music Lover" | 23 | ||
| 1968 | "How to Catch an African Skeeter Alive" | 69 | Comes Callin' | |
| 1969 | "When You're Seventeen" | 55 | Greatest Hits (1969) | |
| 1970 | "(You've Been Quite a Doll) Raggedy Ann" | 75 | singles only | |
| 1971 | "Everyday Family Man" | 70 | ||
| 1972 | "Try It, You'll Like It" | 61 | ||
[edit] External links
- Watch Little Jimmy Dickens, "Hannah," on Ozark Jubilee, August 1, 1959 (Flash player)
- Dickens in the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Grand Ole Opry member
- Allmusic
- [1]
