He became the host of the popular Washington D.C. TV program Town and Country Time and, with his Texas Wildcats, became regional favorites. Both Patsy Cline and Roy Clark got their starts with Dean, who eventually fired Clark, his lead guitarist, for chronic tardiness. Patsy Cline and Dean were good friends during the run of the TV run of Town and Country Time in the mid-50s. He had his first hit, "Bummin' Around," in 1953 on the 4-Star label, which went Top 5, Country.
By 1958 he was recording for Columbia for whom he had a Pop (non-Country) hit with "Little Sandy Sleightfoot", a Christmas novelty number. Dean moved to New York in the 1950s where he hosted another TV variety show for CBS. He became best known internationally for his 1961 song "Big Bad John," recorded in Nashville, that went to No.1 on the Billboard charts and was a pop hit in the UK.. The song won Dean the 1962 Grammy for Best Country & Western Recording. He had several more Top 40 songs including a Top 10 in 1962 with "PT-109", a song in honor of PT-109 and John F. Kennedy. He followed that up with "Dear Ivan" which he wrote. It hit #9 Country and was also a Top 20 crossover success.
In 1959, he'd become the regular host of the CBS morning program. In the early 1960s he also hosted the Tonight Show on occasion and one night introduced Roy Clark, with whom he'd remained friendly, to a wider audience, helping advance Clark's career. In 1962 Dean also had a double sided hit with the recitation "To A Sleeping Beauty" coupled with "The Cajun Queen", harking back to "Big Bad John".
His mid-1960s ABC TV variety show was one of the first to present country artists with some dignity and class. Roger Miller, George Jones, Charlie Rich, Buck Owens and some like Joe Maphis, who seldom got any network TV exposure. He's also best remembered for his regular sketches with one of Jim Henson's long running muppets, Rowlf the Dog. Many guests, not remotely related to country music appeared on the show, as it was considered a solid entertainment program, and it offered the priceless "exposure" that is the food and drink to performers.
When the show ended, he began to dabble in acting in the late 1960s, with his best-known role being that of millionaire Willard Whyte in the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. He also performed around the country. He was mentioned in the Madonna song "Vogue" and in the 2006 Def Leppard song "Rock On".
Jimmy Dean passed away on Sunday June 13th 2010 at home on the banks of the James River near Richmond, Virginia following a lengthy illness which had left him wheelchair bound. He was 81 years old. He is survived by his widow, Donna, and two granddaughters, Caroline and Brianna.
Freight Train Blues
Jimmy Dean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
The humming of the drivers was my lullaby
And a freight train whistle taught me how to cry
I got the freight train blues lawdy lawdy lawdy
Got them in the bottom of my ramblin' shoes
And when the whistle blows I gotta go
[ guitar - fiddle - steel ]
Now my pappy was a fireman and my mammy dear
Was the only daughter of an engineer
My sweetie is a brakeman and it ain't no joke
It's a shame the way she keeps a good man broke
I got the freight train blues...
The song “Freight Train Blues” by Jimmy Dean tells the story of his humble beginnings in a small shack located by the railroad track. He describes the sound of the trains as his lullaby and how the whistle taught him how to cry. Dean reminisces about his family, his father a fireman, and his mother the daughter of an engineer. He also mentions his sweetheart who is a brakeman, but he laments about how she keeps him “broke."
The refrain of “I got the freight train blues, lawdy lawdy lawdy” laments Dean’s struggles with rambling and being perpetually broke. He blames his desire to leave for his troubles, earning him the freight train blues which remind him of what he left behind. In a sense, the song alludes to the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side, and that one should be careful not to abandon their roots in search of something better.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in Dixie in a boomer shack
I was born in the Southern United States in a small, poorly-built house.
Just a little shanty by the railroad track
My house was located close to the railroad.
The humming of the drivers was my lullaby
I fell asleep to the sound of trains passing by.
And a freight train whistle taught me how to cry
The sound of the train whistle made me feel emotional and cry.
I got the freight train blues lawdy lawdy lawdy
I am feeling down and depressed because of my constant travel by train.
Got them in the bottom of my ramblin' shoes
My blues are so deep-seated, they're in the very soles of my shoes.
And when the whistle blows I gotta go
Whenever the train whistle blows, it's time for me to continue my journey.
Oh lawdy I guess I'm never gonna lose the freight train blues
I feel like I'll always be feeling these blues, and will never escape them.
[ guitar - fiddle - steel ]
Musical interlude - no lyrics.
Now my pappy was a fireman and my mammy dear
My father worked as a fireman and my mother was the daughter of an engineer.
Was the only daughter of an engineer
My mother was an only child, and her father worked as an engineer.
My sweetie is a brakeman and it ain't no joke
My girlfriend works as a brakeman, and it's a tough job.
It's a shame the way she keeps a good man broke
It's unfortunate that her job doesn't pay enough to support me.
I got the freight train blues...
Repeats the refrain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HELEN CHEATHAM, JAMES RAY DEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
aus Blue
nice one thanks