My feelings about Jimmy Dickens come from my personal experience of our band in Honolulu in 1961-62 backing him for his tour of the several Military clubs there. We thoroughly enjoyed playing for him as much as his fans enjoyed his persona of making every last one of them feel like he was an old friend. He ended every show with an announcement that if they were ever in Nashville & he was at home, they were welcome to stop by. My wife & I saw him about twenty years later at a personal appearance in Niles California, where he remembered us, by name,as well as the other band members who had worked with Ferlin Husky for several years following our playing for him in Hawaii as we had for Jimmy earlier in 1962. R.I.P. "Not so Little" Jimmy Dickens.
Makes perfect sense as I was a kid about 5- 7 yrs old when he attended George Washington HS in Danville VA, I went to the stage got his autograph, handshake and by the age of 9 was singing in the church choir at the age 9 for Riverview Baptist in Danville VA
My personal memory of Little Jimmy Dickens. The first time I played on the Grand Ole Opry, the band I was with shared the dressing room with Jimmy. I know I was just one of thousands of musicians that have crossed that stage, but it was a very special moment for me. I only got to do one song that night, so my time was very brief. As I went back to the dressing room, Jimmy said " it goes quick doesn't it?" I said, much too quick.. Thanks for the memory Little Jimmy Dickens...
My sister worked at the casinos in tunica Mississippi and told me he was one of the nicest men she had ever met. He would tip her $100 before he even played . I only wish I could have met him but I was always performing somewhere else. Great tribute video here, thank you.
I am a fiddle player and was lucky enough to have met Dickens in 1982 as he was doing a show in Proser, WA. I had a booking agent that got me a spot to open for him. He sat with my family and watched me play and gave me a standing ovation when I played Orange Blossom Special. Before he ended his show he asked me to come back on stage with him and I backed him up on two of his numbers. After the show he hugged me and told me how much he liked the fact that we were them same height. A picture of me and him will always sit on my piano. He truly was a wonderful man.
Thank you, I enjoyed reading your experience. I enjoy my videos of the "grand ole opry". Jimmy hosted one of the episodes, He was great and no doubt loved every moment of his life. I'm glad to just catch a glimpse of him on TV. Lots of heartwarming memories, Thanks for sharing!
I grew up near Prosser, Wa. If I'd known Jimmy Dickens was there I would have been in the front row giving him a standing ovation. I just loved him, he was awesome!
Cynthia, Glad Jimmy gave you a little what we call good ole WV Hospitality no matter where we may find ourselves at. I live maybe 30 mins from Bolt WV. I wish I had $1 every time I been to or through Bolt WV. That come from I think families helping each other through some very tough times together. WV sure had there fair share of them.
Great tribute. My dad's college roommate Hank Tomson played on the road with JD. Got to meet him in the Wisconsin Dell's when he played there. A swell guy and a smile bigger than his hat. Rest in Peace a big big man.
I was visiting the rynman when I heard a huge laughter coming from the dressing room area, I went there and it was Jimmy telling life stories to the visiting fans! What a huge man he was, with an even bigger heart!
My grandfather played with another band on same stage/ night as JD at a local dance hall. This formed a beautiful memory for my grandmother all her days. Nothing but good words from her lips for JD.
I met little Jimmy Dickens in prairieville, Michigan the year I was inducted into Michigan country hall of fame. 1997. It was the best moment of my life. Miss you forever Jimmy. Billie Dalton of the Dalton Gang music festival awards.
I wish more Movie Academy Award actors could learn to give a recognition speech like Jimmy gives starting at the 6:10 mark. Sincere, humble, to the point.
I am a British singer and worked on a show with Jimmy Dickens at an American Air Force Base in England in the Sixties, a little man with a big voice and someone who knew how to please an audience.
You know, I just thought of something. You can be any age to enjoy the sweet sounds of Country Music. Well, any music for that matter (mostly)! For example, I may be only 13 about to be 14 in 9 days but I was exposed to old music at a very young age. You see, I had a lot of surgeries in my life & in some of the earliest ones as a baby I always got fitty afterwards so (& I dunno how she managed to do it) but my mom always used to play Conway Twitty & Charley Pride which I always calmed down & fell asleep to
I happen to go on the opry cruise and ended behind Jimmy Dickens in the buffet line. A true genially kind man, it was like we were best friends for years
Aww, this was so sweet , but sad . I remember my husband and I got to see him on the Grand Ole Opry just one time , back in Feb. 18 , 1989 . Lori Morgan was singing that night too .
I had never heard of Little Jimmy Dickens until a few months ago. I clicked a video of him singing, "When Your House Is Not A Home." I've been a fan every since. In that one song, I was teary eyed and happy at the same time. I wish I could have seen him perform live. Thank you for posting this video about this remarkable man.
I met Jimmy Dickens thur friendship with Guitarist Bob Saxon who was my friend & band member fom Jaxn,Miss. Dickens was very friendly & most everyone liked him.
You did a great job again. Little Jimmy Dickens was a very nice man. I only got to meet him once and he was very kind to me, he like the fact that I sing heavy metal music. He lays at rest within 50 feet of my brother and grand parents.
I saw him at the Grand old Opry in 2004. The MC was Porter Wagoner. This was not the the Ryman Auditorium but the new one. He was wearing a suit covered in dazzling sequins He said, when I need this outfit cleaned, he's send it to General Electric for a service.
That last montage nearly made me tear up. Amazing Grace added volumes to it. Brad Paisely's speech at his funeral, and what he said about him, really hit hard.
I met Jimmy back in 1982. Our band opened for his show in a place called Pequea Silver Mines In south central PA. Great guy! He stopped to talk to me in between shows. It's one of my best memories of those times in our band.
I never quite understand why some videos get thumbs-down ratings by some people. This is a short biography of a great country artist that offers some insight into a person you may or may not know much of. If he isn't what you like, then just move on. But to thumbs-down? That's just plain odd to me (and sad).
These Alpha11 entries are getting better all the time. I wasn't expecting Little Jimmy, but I've always loved his music. I was friends with a rockabilly outfit from Toronto called the Razorbacks in the late-80s. They had a spot on the Tommy Hunter Show for a season, and Little Jimmy joined them on an episode. He was hilarious and still as hot as ever.
What an awesome man, I got to see and talk to him at the South East Old Thrashers Reunion in Denton NC, around 1989 or 1990 I think, He was a genuine nice person.
LOL! Look at the size of that guitar compared to him at 2:32! Got the chance to see him at the Oprey back in 2008. He was so funny. He says, "Well, here's a song from my latest album....released in 1964." LOL!!
Let me share a little story with you all. I was in Baileyton Tenn. helping a friend of mine build a campground now known as Baileyton KOA. One day my friend said lets quit early because I have some friends coming by to pick and play some music. So I figured that they were just some locals from around Baileyton. Well about 6:30pm a big old bus pulled in and several cars. Well my friend didn't tell me that it was Little Jimmy Dickens, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Johnny Cash and several others. When they got setup on a makeshift stage in a hayfield they begin to warmup and tune-up. After about 30 minutes they began. I was sitting beside the stage and Little Jimmy got on the microphone and said, "We are here tonight to wish a fan and friend a very happy birthday." Then he called my friend to the stage and he got the microphone and said " Dave Happy Birthday Buddy" WOW I had forgotten that it was my birthday. They sung Happy Birthday to me and I was so excited that these guys came over to do this. I will never forget that as log as I live..
I got to see Jimmy at the Opry, 4 months before he died, I heard his last performance on WSM at the Opry, I knew that night it was going to be his last performance.
Saw and met him at Ramstein AB, Germany in the late 1960s, What a performance at the Airmen's club in his skin tight, Candy cane striped pants and fringed shirt...and quite a personality he was too.
I was at an estate sale in Portland Oregon and they had a poster of Jimmy from a performance at the division street corral... also- located in Portland....
My dad and mom always talked about how humorous Little Jimmy was. They really loved to be around him and my dad talks about how they would go to the bars and play shuffle board (don't know exactly what that is). Jimmy was never able to over come the grief when his wife and young daughter died in that auto accident. They said, he was never the same afterwards and didn't joke around like he had before.
I was only able to see him perform live once. It was memorable. He put on a great show. He was a larger than life personality and entertainer. He’s missed. Peace. Out.
Oh yes I have actually been watching some of Little Jimmy D on Country Road TV here on RU-vid. I always wanted to know more about him, since he had a really great presence on the Country Family Reunion shows, and always looked like he had a great time with his friends and fans. Top notch Job Alpha for a top notch entertainer!
