Jimmy Dean Net Worth + How Get Famous - Gemtracks Beats (2024)

Date of Birth:

August 10, 1928

Zodiac:

Leo

Place of Birth:

Plainview, Texas

Gender:

Male

Height:

6 ft (183 cm)

Profession:

Actor, Singer, Television host, Businessman

Nationality:

American

Jimmy Dean was a singer who couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. To begin with, he small-talked his way onto radio programs and then television shows, and eventually onto big screens and radio speakers; even his songs began to sound more like he was speaking than singing. A disc jockey in Virginia allowed Dean to use his microphone in 1952, and within a few years, his knee-slapping radio banter earned him a regional television show. Dean died in 2005. Dean was so well-liked a decade later that he was filling in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show when Carson was unable to do so. He hosted his national variety show that alternated between morning and afternoon times on A.B.C. and C.B.S. Dean referred to his television work as "Network, Sweatwork" in his autobiography, and all of that television work did more than pay the bills; it also helped Dean build the top-hog, warm-packed sausage empire for which he is still well-known.

Early life

In 1928, Jimmy Ray Dean was born to working-class parents in the small town of Olton, in the state of Texas. Dean's Depression-era upbringing in Plainview, Texas, saw him grow up in abject poverty due to the Great Depression. In Dean's childhood, his father came and went, once slaughtering the young boy's pet goat to provide food for the family. When Dean was younger, his mother sewed clothes for him and his siblings out of old sugar sacks, which earned Dean a lot of ridicule from his peers. Dean later attributed his entrepreneurial spirit and burning desire to succeed to his upbringing in a working-class neighborhood. "I believe it was the kids at school who teased us about the clothes we wore and the house we lived in, and then my mother had to cut our hair... "I believe that was an effective motivator," Dean later stated to reporters. Each time they laughed at me, they fueled the flames, and there was only one way to put out the flames: to prove to them that I was just as good as they were.

Dean's only solace from the difficulties of his life came in the form of music. Dean's family, devout Southern Baptists, attended church every week, where Jimmy began singing in the choir at the age of five. His mother taught him how to play the piano when he was ten years old. Dean learned to play a variety of other instruments, including the accordion, guitar, and harmonica.

Dean dropped out of high school to assist his family financially. He enlisted in the Merchant Marines when he was 16 years old, and two years later, he joined the United States Air Force. Dean served in the United States Air Force during World War II, and he was stationed at Bolling Air Force Base. He also continued to perform music in nightclubs around Washington, D.C., while there. The Tennessee Haymakers were his first public performance group, and after being discharged from the military in 1948, Dean remained in the area and formed a new band, the Texas Wildcats. He eventually signed a recording contract with Four Star Records, and his first single, "Bummin' Around," peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1953. It was then his charming, down-to-earth personality and keen business sense that helped him land his radio show on WARL (Warrington, Virginia), where he performed music and conducted interviews with musical celebrities.

A career in the entertainment industry

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Dean's first hit single, "Bumming Around" was released in 1953 on the 4 Star label (written by Pete Graves, but credited to "C. Graves" on the Quality label) and became a chart-topper the following year. Dean signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1957.

"Little Sandy Sleighfoot" and "Sing Along," which was later used as the theme song for the television show Sing Along with Mitch, hosted by chorus leader Mitch Miller, were among his minor pop hits.

After hosting the famous Washington, D.C. radio program Town and Country Time on WARL-AM in 1954, Dean became well-known throughout the Mid-Atlantic region with his Texas Wildcats baseball team. Patsy Cline and Roy Clark were introduced to each other on the show. Cline and Dean became good friends, but the singer fired Clark (Dean's lead guitarist) because of what was described as his "chronic tardiness." Cline and Dean became good friends after that. Billy Grammer took Clark's place as Dean's replacement. Town and Country Time was broadcast on weekday afternoons on WMAL-TV (now WJLA-TV) beginning in 1955. Dean and the Texas Wildcats also appeared on Town and Country Jamboree on WMAL-TV on Saturdays in 1957, broadcast on a regional network that included T.V. stations in neighboring Maryland and Virginia.

While living in Arlington, Virginia, Dean also hosted Country Style on WTOP-TV, which aired during the 1957 season (now WUSA-TV). In 1957, C.B.S. broadcasted the show nationally from Washington under The Morning Show for eight months, bringing it to a wider audience. The Jimmy Dean Show was broadcast on C.B.S. on weekdays and Saturday afternoons from September 14, 1958, to June 29, 1959.

Dean is best known for his 1961 recitation song "Big Bad John," which tells the story of a heroic miner. With a recording session in Nashville, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard pop chart and became the subject of numerous parodies and imitative versions. It sold more than one million copies worldwide and was awarded a gold disc for its efforts. The single reached the top of the U.K. Singles Chart at number two. Dean was awarded the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording for his performance on the song. He went on to have several more top 40 hits, including a top 10 hit in 1962 with "PT-109," a song written in honor of President John F. Kennedy's bravery during World War II, when the Japanese sank his PT-boat in the South Pacific Ocean.

In the early 1960s, he served as a guest host on The Tonight Show (he hosted the first episode of the show during Johnny Carson's tenure on January 14, 1963). He introduced country singer Roy Clark on one occasion, with whom he had maintained a friendly relationship. With his series The Jimmy Dean Show, Dean played a key role in bringing country music into the mid-1960s. It featured country music entertainers such as Roger Miller, George Jones, Charlie Rich, Buck Owens, and others (such as Joe Maphis) who were not typically featured on television networks. Hank Williams Jr. made his first television appearance in 1964, when he was 14 years old, as a guest host on his show. He performed several songs that were associated with his father, Hank Williams. Dean's sketches with Jim Henson's Muppet Rowlf were also included in the program, including comedy and a variety of popular music artists. To express his gratitude, Henson extended Dean an offer to purchase a 40 percent stake in his production company, which Dean declined because he had done nothing to earn it and that Henson deserved all of the rewards for his efforts. Dean made it clear throughout the rest of his life that he had no regrets about making this choice.

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When Dean was in his twenties, he appeared on several television talk shows and game shows. He performed on a variety of shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and The Hollywood Palace. After his television series ended in 1966, Dean pursued a career in acting. One of his most well-known roles was a reclusive Las Vegas billionaire named Willard Whyte, who Howard Hughes inspired in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (1971). In addition, he appeared in 14 episodes of Daniel Boone (1967-70) in three different roles (one episode as "Delo Jones," two episodes as "Jeremiah," and eleven episodes as "Josh Clements"); as Charlie Rowlands in two episodes of Fantasy Island (1981-82).

"The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night)" was Dean's second number one country hit, and he also had a top 40 hit with "Harvest of Sunshine" in 1965. Dean's singing career continued to be successful into the mid-1960s; in 1965, he had a second number one country hit with "The First Thing Ev'ry Morning (And the Last Thing Ev'ry Night), and he also Dean signed a recording contract with R.C.A. Victor in 1966, and his first single, "Stand Beside Me," reached the top ten. "Sweet Misery" (1967) as well as "A Thing Called Love" (1968) were two of his other major hits during this period (1968). As a result of his major hits, such as "Slowly" (1971), a duet with Dottie West, and a hit with "The One You Say Good Morning To," he remained on the charts into the early 1970s (1972).

In 1976, Dean achieved another million-seller with a recitation song called "I.O.U.," written as a tribute to his mum and all mothers worldwide. After being released a few weeks before Mother's Day, the song immediately became a top 10 country hit, which was his first top 10 country hit in ten years, and a top 40 pop hit, which was his first top 40 pop hit in fourteen years. The song was re-released three more times, in 1977, 1983, and 1984, each time to only moderate success.

On Elvis Presley's birthday in January 1978, Dean hosted an all-star tribute to the late singer titled Nashville Remembers Elvis on His Birthday, during which he recalled his friendship with the recently deceased singer and performed his hits "Big Bad John" and "Peace in the Valley," among other songs.

A career in the business world

The Jimmy Dean Sausage Company, which he co-founded with his brother Don, was established in 1969. A large part of Dean's success can be attributed to his own spontaneous and humorous commercials.

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Following the company's success, it was purchased by Consolidated Foods in 1984, which was later renamed the Sara Lee Corporation after its founder Sara Lee. Dean remained involved as a spokesman for the company, but the new corporate parent began phasing him out of any management responsibilities as soon as the transition was complete. As of January 2004, Dean claimed that Sara Lee had fired him as a spokesperson for the sausage brand because he was considered too old for the position. By the end of March 2004, Dean had revealed that he had sold all but one of his Sara Lee stock holdings. A few years after Dean's death, the sausage company began re-airing some of his classic commercials, which featured the voice of Dean introducing himself and extolling the virtues of the sausage.

His net worth

When he died in 2010, Jimmy Dean's net worth was estimated to be $50 million. Jimmy Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor, and businessman who had a net worth of $50 million. Jimmy Dean's net worth was accumulated through his films, musical career, and various business ventures. On June 13, 2010, he passed away. He played a major role in the popularization of country music.

Who inherited his properties?

Jimmy Dean was one of the most well-known figures in country music. He was a Grammy-winning musician best known for his hit song "Big Bad John," Today, food products bearing his name can be found in the kitchens of millions of people across the United States.

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Jimmy Dean entered the world of business in the late 1960s when he established the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in New York City. It was a resounding success, with Dean earning millions and establishing himself as a sausage king. Even though he sold his company in 1984, he continued to serve as its spokesperson until 2003. According to Rolling Stone, Dean died on June 13, 2010, at the age of 81, due to natural causes.

At his death, Jimmy Dean was married to Donna Meade Dean, who would become his second and final wife. Neither Dean nor his second wife, Mary Sue Wittnauer, had children, but Dean did have three children with his first wife, Mary Sue Wittauer: two sons, Robert and Garry, and one daughter, Connie. When he died, he was survived by all of his children and his wife.

Dean was a well-known figure in the entertainment and business industries, as well as in the news. He was frequently in the news for his financial and legal woes and regularly sued. It's worth noting that Dean has been sued by people as diverse as his brother and ex-wife, as well as his divorce lawyer. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Dean was worth $50 million at his death. A year after the death of his first wife, his remarried widow revealed that she was still investing in the home they shared. According to her husband's widow, since Dean's death, his widow has spent $1 million on a home renovation (via the Richmond Times-Dispatch). The house had been destroyed by fire just over a month before he died, and it had been rebuilt shortly after.

In Dean's case, most of his money was distributed to his widow, Donna Meade. She resides on their Virginia estate, where Dean is also buried (via C.M.T.). Among her responsibilities is the administration of the Dean Family Estate (via Find a Grave). "I promised Jimmy that I would keep it looking like it belonged to him and that no amount of money would be able to purchase it from me. She explained that she was the property's steward.

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