[msb-alumni] Re: Country Legend Little Jimmy Dickens Dies at 94
- From: "Larry D Keeler" <lkeeler@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:18:22 -0500
BlankFor the longest time, i only thaught he did the bird of paradise and that
was it. I have sence found a lot more of his stuff and it is great!
----- Original Message -----
From: Fred Wurtzel
To: msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2015 2:14 PM
Subject: [msb-alumni] Re: Country Legend Little Jimmy Dickens Dies at 94
Hi,
I saw him perform at the new Grand Ole Opry several years ago when Mary,
Carol Curneal and a bunch of us went to Nashville for a BLAST conference. he
was great.
Warmest Regards,
Fred
From: msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2015 3:04 PM
To: msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [msb-alumni] Country Legend Little Jimmy Dickens Dies at 94
Country great "Little" Jimmy Dickens dies at 94 "Little" Jimmy Dickens, a
country singer who recorded such novelty hits as I'm Little but I'm Loud and
May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose , died Friday afternoon at a
Nashville-area hospital. He was 94 and the last member of the Grand Ole Opry
actually older than the radio show itself. He had been hospitalized since
suffering a stroke on Christmas. The cause of death was cardiac arrest,
according to a news release from the Grand Ole Opry. Dickens was a longtime
fixture of the Opry and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in
1983. He also was known for his comedic routines in which the 4-foot-11
entertainer referred to himself as "Mighty Mouse in pajamas" and "Willie Nelson
after taxes. When the Opry, then called the WSM Barn Dance , first broadcast on
Nashville's WSM-AM in November 1925, Dickens was a 4-year-old in southern West
Virginia, the oldest of 13 children. He joined the Opry cast in 1948, the same
year he signed with Columbia Records. He had his first hit in 1949 with Take an
Old Cold 'Tater (And Wait) , the song from which fellow Opry member Hank
Williams drew the nickname that stuck with Dickens for decades "Tater. Dickens
also had hits with 1949's Country Boy , 1950's A-Sleeping at the Foot of the
Bed and 1954's Out Behind the Barn . His sole No. 1 record came in 1965 with
May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose , a song inspired by Johnny Carson's
"Carnac the Magnificent" sketches on The Tonight Show . "The Grand Ole Opry did
not have a better friend than Little Jimmy Dickens," Opry vice president and
general manager Pete Fisher said in a statement. "He loved the audience and his
Opry family, and all of us loved him back. He was a one-of-kind entertainer and
a great soul whose spirit will live on for years to come. In later years,
Dickens befriended many of the Opry's younger members, welcoming groups Diamond
Rio and Little Big Town into the fold and climbing a stepladder to invited
6-foot-6 singer Trace Adkins to join the cast in 2003. Brad Paisley, in
particular, bonded with the older singer, featuring Dickens in comedic cameos
in several of his music videos, including I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)
and Celebrity . Paisley tweeted condolences Friday night: It is with a heavy
heart that I say goodbye to my hero and friend today. I loved you Jimmy.
Paisley also wrote a longer tribute to Dickens, saying in part, "I think he
loved everyone he ever met, and if not, he never let it be known. More
importantly, I think everyone who ever met him loved him instantly...and
forever. ... I can honestly say he was the best friend any human being could
ask for. Bar none. Dickens made his last appearance on the Opry on Dec. 20, one
day after his 94th birthday. Dickens is survived by his wife of 43 years, Mona,
and two daughters, Pamela Detert and Lisa King.
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