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The year was 1949. Harry Truman was in the White House and Jimmy Dean was in the Air Force.
And it was in that period that Jimmy Dean began to gain attention as an entertainer - attention that eventually would make him as widely known across the country as Harry Truman.
Dean was a Texas native. His mother had taught him to play chords on the piano, and he also had learned to play the accordion. But he had no plans for a musical career. Instead, as soon as he was old enough, he joined the Air Force.
It was while he was stationed at Bolling Air Base, near Washington, D.C., that a musical quartet made up of servicemen asked him to fill in for an ailing fiddler. Dean played the accordion with the group at a Washington night spot, earned $4 and was on his way.
After completing his Air Force service, he remained in Washington and played at clubs in the area for another 10 years. As his popularity grew, he began appearing with increasing frequency on Washington radio and television stations. He appeared on a daytime TV variety show for CBS in 1957.
But it was in 1961 that he wrote and recorded a song that got him his biggest break. Big Bad John sold more than 6-million copies and gained him a permanent spot in musical history. It also was to open more doors to him - not only in this country, but around the world.
Dean soon was appearing as a guest on talk and variety shows. Before long he was sitting in as a guest host for Johnny Carson. He went to London to appear on Sunday Night at...