Grand
Ole Opry star 'Little Jimmy' Dickens dies at 94
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[January 03, 2015]
By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Grand
Ole Opry star "Little Jimmy" Dickens, the
longest-running cast member of country music's most
venerable venue, died on Friday at the age of 94, the
Opry said.
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Dickens, a pint-sized comical performer measuring just
4-foot-11 inches, died of cardiac arrest in a Nashville area
hospital after he suffered a stroke on Christmas Day.
He joined the Opry in 1948 and last performed on its stage on
Dec. 20, the day after his 94th birthday, according to Opry
spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt.
Even in his nineties, Dickens remained committed to his duties
at the Nashville institution, where his big voice and
larger-than-life personality made him a fan favorite.
"I look forward from one weekend to another to get back out on
the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and try to entertain people who
have come from miles and miles and state to state to be
entertained with country music," he said recently, according to
the Opry.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983 and
inspired some of today's prominent country stars, such as Brad
Paisley and Carrie Underwood.
Friends including Hank Williams knew him as "Tater" – a nickname
that came from early hit "Take An Old Cold Tater (and Wait)."
Among Dickens's other classics are "Country Boy," "Out Behind
the Barn," and "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose."
In addition to being a country star, he also took a shot at
rockabilly when that genre began in the 1950s, singing songs
such as "Salty Boogie," "Blackeyed Joe's," and "(I Got) A Hole
in My Pocket."
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Dickens began his career on the radio, first appearing on the air in
his home state of West Virginia, and then hosting radio shows in
diverse locales, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The late Roy Acuff, one of the biggest-ever stars of the Opry, first
heard Dickens in 1947 in Cincinnati, and brought him to the
attention of the Grand Ole Opry and Columbia Records.
Dickens was best-known for the novelty songs, which largely
overshadowed his skills as a country balladeer on such songs as
"I’ve Just Got to See You Once More" and "My Heart’s Bouquet."
He is survived by wife Mona Dickens and two daughters. Funeral
arrangements were incomplete, but the Opry said there will be both a
public visitation and public service.
(Editing by Mary Milliken and Ken Wills)
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