Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean

Album : Big Bad John & Other Fabulous Songs & Tales

Artist : Jimmy Dean

Release Year : 1961

Genre : Country & Western

Overall Rating : 8*/10

. Jimmy Dean passed away earlier this year (13 June), and I probably should've done a RIP posting on him. I remember hearing the hit, Big Bad John, as a kid; but I couldn't have told you any other songs by him. When I saw this LP in the freebie bin at my local used-record shop, I snagged it and converted it. . Nor surprising for a freebie, the vinyl was a holy mess. A zillion major scratches and a gazillion minor ones. I took the big ones out, but left the little ones, so there's a lot of "static" to put up with. Thankfully, the disc wasn't warped and there were no skips. . Jimmy Dean is first and foremost a story-teller. His singing voice is okay, and his supporting band is adequate, but you play his albums mostly to sing along. Big Bad John was a crossover hit, topping both the Pop and Country Charts. It even hit #2 in the UK. . I was surprised how many other of the tracks on this LP I had heard before. I don't think my dad had any Jimmy Dean records, and I'm certain none of my college roommates did. It was a laborious convert, but it's an album I'll enjoy, as long as I don't play it on a good stereo system. . Complete track listing (my favorites in pink) :

01.) Big Bad John (3:00)

02.) Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette (2:45)

03.) Sixteen Tons (2:40)

04.) Make The Waterwheel Roll (1:55)

05.) Gotta Travel On (2:17)

06.) Oklahoma Bill (3:42)

07.) Night Train To Memphis (2:28)

08.) Grasshopper Mac Clain (3:14)

09.) I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake (2:49)

10.) To A Sleeping Beauty (5:16)