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 travelled 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!"
Dickens in 1955.
In 1950 Dickens 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 scored his first top-10 country hit since 1954 with "The Violet and the Rose".
In 1964 Dickens became the first country artist to circle the globe while on tour, and also made numerous TV appearances including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In 1965 he released his biggest hit, "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 15 on the pop chart.
In the late 1960s Dickens 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.
Dickens joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Jingle Bells" 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 became the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 90. He still makes regular appearances as a host at the Opry, often with the self-deprecating joke that he is also known as "Willie Nelson after taxes." At the 2011 CMA Awards, Jimmy was dressed up as Justin Bieber, and made fun of Bieber's recent paternity scandal.
John Henry
Little Jimmy Dickens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel
This hammer'd be a death of me
Lord, Lord, this hammer'd be a death of me
John Henry was a little bitty boy, no bigger than a palm of your hand
When his mommy looked at him proudly and said
"My Johnny'll be a steal drivin' man"
John Henry was a steel drivin' man, drove steel all through the land
Before he would let that steam drill beat him down
He'd die with the hammer in his hand
Lord, Lord, he'd die with the hammer in his hand
John Henry went to the tunnel drive, steam drill was by his side
Before he would let that steam drill beat him down
He laid down his hammer and he cried
Lord, Lord, he laid down his hammer and he cried
John Henry went up on the mountain and he looked down on the other side
And the last words I heard poor old John Henry said
"A cool drink of water before I die"
Lord, Lord, cool drink of water before I die
John Henry had a little woman and her name was Polly Ann
And the last words I heard poor old John Henry said
"Polly drive that steel like a man"
Lord, Lord, Polly drive that steel like a man
The song "John Henry" by Little Jimmy Dickens tells a story about a man named John Henry who becomes a steel-driving man. The first verse describes how John Henry learned how to use a hammer from a young age, and how he realized that it could also be the cause of his ultimate demise. The second verse explains how John Henry's mom saw potential in him since he was a little boy and how she knew that he had what it takes to become a steel-driving man. The third verse describes how John Henry became a skilled steel-driver, and how he refused to let the steam drill defeat him.
The fourth verse relates how John Henry went to the tunnel drive, where the steam drill was present, and how he refused to give in. The fifth verse tells how John Henry went up the mountain, only to stop and proclaim that he wanted "a cool drink of water before I die." The last verse reveals how John Henry had a wife named Polly Ann, who was also a steel-driving person, and he entrusts her with the task to continue driving the steel in his absence.
Overall, the song highlights the resilience and determination of John Henry, who refused to give up even in the face of tough circumstances, while also offering a glimpse into the hard lives of steel-driving men during that time.
Line by Line Meaning
John Henry was a little bitty boy sittin' on his mommy's knee
John Henry was just a small child sitting on his mother's lap
When he picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel
He grabbed a hammer and a small piece of steel
This hammer'd be a death of me
This heavy hammer could kill me
John Henry was a little bitty boy, no bigger than a palm of your hand
John Henry was tiny as a baby
When his mommy looked at him proudly and said
His mother looked at him approvingly and declared
"My Johnny'll be a steal drivin' man"
"My John will grow up to be a steel-driving worker"
John Henry was a steel drivin' man, drove steel all through the land
John became a skilled worker that drove steel all around the country
Before he would let that steam drill beat him down
He would not let the steam drill defeat him
He'd die with the hammer in his hand
He preferred to die with his hammer in his hand
John Henry went to the tunnel drive, steam drill was by his side
John went to work on a tunnel project with a steam drill by his side
Before he would let that steam drill beat him down
He refused to let the steam drill overwhelm him
He laid down his hammer and he cried
He gave up and cried
John Henry went up on the mountain and he looked down on the other side
John climbed up a mountain and gazed into the distance
And the last words I heard poor old John Henry said
The final words that poor John Henry spoke were
"A cool drink of water before I die"
"I want to drink some water before I die"
John Henry had a little woman and her name was Polly Ann
John Henry had a significant other named Polly Ann
And the last words I heard poor old John Henry said
The last words that poor John Henry spoke were
"Polly drive that steel like a man"
"Polly, work just as hard as a man when you drive steel"
Lord, Lord, Polly drive that steel like a man
A plea to Polly to work just as hard as a man when it comes to driving steel
Contributed by Julian S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@LyonsArcade
Less than 5 feet tall but the only man I've ever seen have a band with 3 guitars, 2 bass, two pedal steels, a piano player and two drum sets :)
@kadecox7591
It was most likely the studio band and his band. The studio band probably turned down all they’re instruments and acted like they were playing long. Otherwise you’d hear the other bass, piano, electric and steel guitar
@soniaregina1663
LOVELY song 😻 ! PS: no lyrics... so sad 😔 ! GREETINGS FROM BRAZIL nas TKANS for sharing ✌ !
@missbritt288
Little man .... with a very big guitar
@Josephs-Rocknroll-Adventures
🎵🎙
@chelseaschultz8936
John Henry was my grandpa name I just had a son 1/6/2020 I named him John Henry after my dad and grandpa. 😪
@Damaged.Films91
Those shoes are everything
@SuperOlds88
Who is playing steel? I wonder how old Paul is in this thing?
@benjaminarmstrong7047
Git it Tater!
@TheRacboys
Tv and little Jimmy same size lol