Jimmy Ray Dean, born August 10, 1928, passed away this weekend at the age of 81, leaving behind an incredible legacy, some amazing breakfast eats and appearances in more than a few hit mass media productions.
The Texas native, Dean, rose to fame singin’ a little country-western music, and topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. with his 1961 hit, “Big Bad John.” A rambling raconteur of sorts, Jimmy Dean captured the attention of audiences who were more into mainstream music, and opened the genre to the masses.
His body of work puts him in categories with music icons such as Roger Miller and Johnny Cash. He never achieved the long-lasting success of either gent, but was still inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Some of his hits included, “Little Black Book” and “P.T. 109.”
What Jimmy Dean is most known for to this day and forever more, is his premium breakfast sausage. The company he founded in 1969 was eventually purchased by Consolidated Foods/Sara Lee Corp. in 1984, but the sausage and the line of breakfast foods that were born of the initial push, still bear the name and are synonymous with the disarming grin of good ole Jimmy Dean.
Jimmy Dean ventured outside of music and food to also enjoy prominent roles in TV and film, his first coming in the James Bond series, Diamonds are Forever, playing the role of Willard Whyte. In both the 1970s and 1980s he enjoyed principal roles on two series, Daniel Boone, playing Josh Clements, and the show J.J. Starbuck, playing Charlie Bulletts.
Dean died of natural causes on Sunday, in his Varina, Virginia home, with his wife Donna by his side.
(Image via: Today’s Musings)
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