Jimmy Ray Dean was born on August 10, 1928 near Seth Ward, Texas, and grew up in
nearby Plainview, where he learned piano from his mother at age ten; after
leaving high school he served in the U.S. Air Force before launching a singing
career that blended country and rockabilly. Dean's first chart entry, "Bumming
Around", appeared in 1953 on the 4 Star label, and by 1957 he had signed with
Columbia Records, producing minor pop hits such as "Little Sandy Sleighfoot" and
"Sing Along" – the latter later adopted as the theme for Sing Along with Mitch.
His early radio work on Town and ...