“Jimmy Dean was an iconic country singer and television personality. He first performed with a band called the Tennessee Haymakers before forming the band Texas Wildcats. His first single, “Bummin’ Around,” became a Top 10 hit in 1953. Dean’s folksy charm soon earned him his radio show on WARL in Arlington, Virginia. From 1957-1966, The Jimmy Dean Show aired on CBS and ABC. Jimmy’s single, “Big Bad John,” earned him a Grammy after hitting No.1 on the country music and pop charts. After the cancellation of The Jimmy Dean Show, Dean acted in the Daniel Boone series, and the James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Never satisfied with his acting or singing, Dean founded The Jimmy Dean Meat Co. with his brother Don in the late 1960s. Jimmy Dean was the iconic spokesperson until 2003. In 2004, Dean published his autobiography, 30 Years of Sausage, 50 Years of Ham. In 2010, Dean was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame shortly before his passing in June 2010.
Jimmy Dean was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in 1984.”
