Little Jimmy Dickens | Complete Bio

From his very humble beginnings in the tiny community of Bolt, West Virginia, came a man who has risen to the greatest heights in country music.  He's known the world over as Little Jimmy Dickens.  At just 4' 11" tall, he is considered to be country music's foremost entertainers. 

Jimmy, the oldest of thirteen children, made his radio debut at WJLS in Beckley, West Virginia at the tender age of 18, while still in high school.  After excelling in 4 years of dramatics in high school, Jimmy received a scholarship to attend West Virginia State University.  He opted to begin his pursuit for a career in country music.

After winning local acclaim, he moved to other places such as WIBC in Indianapolis and WLW in Cincinnati.  With the help of Roy Acuff, Jimmy was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1948 and has been in Nashville ever since.

Jimmy recorded with Columbia records for nineteen years and has recorded over 200 songs.  From the start with light-hearted, up-tempos songs like "Take An Old Cold Tater and Wait", (which earned him his nickname of "Tater" from Hank Williams, Sr.), to other hits that followed including "Country Boy" and "A Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed", the sound of Little Jimmy Dickens really caught on and he went on to become a household name.

A timeless road warrior who, for decades, performed 300 nights a year, Little Jimmy Dickens was the first country music entertainer to completely circle the globe on a world tour in 1964.  That same year, after many years of world-wide popularity in the country music field, he won a place in the pop music spotlight with his recording of "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose".  At that point in his career, he found himself on all national network shows.

In 1983, Little Jimmy Dickens' greatest moment came at the Country Music Awards show when he was elected into the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame. 

After more than sixty years in the music business, complete retirement is not in Little Jimmy Dickens' vocabulary.  Most weekends you'll find him at the Grand Ole Opry, when he's not out making limited personal appearances.  The rest of his time, he and his wife, Mona, enjoy the quiet life in their Brentwood home, just south of Nashville.

In recent years you might have seen Jimmy on CMT and GAC as a frequent "guest" in Brad Paisley's videos.  Their friendship needs no words.  They are like father and son.  Although the smallest star at the Opry, his peers refer to Jimmy as "Tater, The Littlest, But Biggest Star At The Opry".