SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 850
In Memory
of
Jimmy Dean
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas honors and
commemorates the life of Jimmy Dean, who died June 13, 2010, at
the age of 81; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Dean overcame childhood poverty and a lack
of formal education to become one of the most recognized faces in
the country as an iconic country singer and entertainer and as
spokesman for the successful sausage company that bore his name;
and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Dean was born August 10, 1928, and grew up
in Plainview; his mother taught him to play piano and he went on
to pick up guitar, harmonica, and accordion; he dropped out of
school after the ninth grade to join the United States Merchant
Marine, where he spent two years before enlisting in the United
States Air Force; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Dean began his musical career while serving at
Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, sitting in at a local bar
for a fiddler who had called in sick; by the early 1950s, he was
the frontman for the Texas Wildcats, playing on the radio and at
county and state fairs; and
WHEREAS, He recorded his first hit song in 1953 and in 1961
recorded "Big Bad John," a song about a miner who died saving his
fellow workers in a mine collapse that spent five weeks at number
one on the Billboard charts; he hosted a variety show on the ABC
television network from 1963 until 1966 and appeared in several
television series and films, including the James Bond thriller
Diamonds Are Forever; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Dean headlined at venues like Carnegie Hall
and the Hollywood Bowl and was the first country star to play on
the Las Vegas strip; he was the first guest host on The Tonight
Show and recorded several more hit songs, including "P.T. 109,"
"Sam Hill," and "I.O.U.," a spoken-word song dedicated to his
mother; he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010;
and
WHEREAS, He created the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in
Plainview in 1969 and for more than three decades served as its
spokesman on television, representing its products with his
Texas charm; and
WHEREAS, A man of honor, strength, and determination, he
will long be remembered for his generous spirit and his many
accomplishments, which have enriched the culture of our state and
nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life and legacy of Jimmy
Dean; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in
memory of this hometown Texas icon, and that when the Senate
adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Jimmy Dean.
Duncan
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 3, 2011, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate