Tater is gone

[VERO1]

Little Jimmy Dickens has passed away at age 94. Ellie Mae (Donna Douglas) also passed away. Kind of scary when people I grew up watching pass away, it always used to be people my parents grew up with passing away.

[rugerla1]

RIP Jimmy! Got to meet him once at a country music video i danced in. Met him, the Hagar twins, Heath from Richochet, and Carrie Folks (Former Miss TN), and the Indian guy who is in so many country music videos (One with Billy Ray, can't remember the name off top of my head). Fun video and Lil Jimmy was very nice! Edited January 3, 2015 by rugerla1

[seez52]

Many many moons ago I worked in the sporting goods dept at Kmart. One night a really short guy came in, nicely dressed wearing a fairly large cowboy hat. He strolled up to the counter and asked if we had any 45 ACP ammo. My first thought was that's a lot of gun for such a small fellow, then it hit me that he was Little Jimmy Dickens. Seemed like a nice guy. RIP. 

[Fourtyfive]

Now that's sad , but he was old when I was young ; guess I'm next in line ....big gun sale soon !

Just looking for some sunlight in all the clouds .... Edited January 3, 2015 by Fourtyfive

[Steelharp]

I had the opportunity to work with Tater last year. What a wonderful, funny, no nonsense man. It was an outdoor festival in eastern TN. There were a lot of young performers, the crowd was full of oddly colored hair and tattoos and piercings... NOT a Little Jimmy crowd. When he came out... all those youngsters ran to get as close as they could, and every song he sang, they knew every word and sang along. It was amazing. He looked over at me with a look of, "What the hell?" :rofl:

 

We were talking backstage at the Opry one night, and I had mentioned I wasn't sure that I was gonna get there earlier that night, because I'd had car trouble. He looked at me and said, "Son, if it's got tits or a motor, it's gonna give you trouble."

 

I will miss him greatly. Godspeed, Jimmy. You were the last of the breed.

[hipower]

Little Jimmy Dickens was one of my fathers favorite singers as I was growing up. And like most of us here, at that time in my life I just could not stand to hear "that Opry stuff." Dad and I argued often over our musical differences.

 

And Little Jimmy was one of the bigger ones we disagreed over. I just absolutely hated his voice and style. But that was a long time ago. Shows how much I knew didn't it?

 

Dad and Mom knew one of the stage musicians on the Opry and got to go behind the curtain so to speak several times. So one Saturday morning they woke me up early to tell of having walked around with Wayne Rodgers, a stage guitarist, and meeting several people. One of whom was Little Jimmy Dickens.

 

They both raved about how nice he was to them. Took time to talk and asked about them as well. It really impressed them that he spent probably 20 minutes with them.

 

Of course, the fact that Wayne was president of Texas Boot Company at that time, and Dad ran the maintenance/repair divison for them, did help.

 

Wayne had met several of the big name stars at that time and had gotten western boots for many of them. That's how he got to play onstage. lol

 

Anyway, sorry I'm longwinded tonight, Tater asked Wayne for a pair of boots. Wayne told Jimmy that he needed to ask my dad about it as he actually did make the boots for Wayne's little bribery scheme.

 

The short of the tale is that dad got a kick out of making a pair for Tater and then got to go back and give them to him.

 

Little Jimmy Dickens gave them and many, many others enjoyment for a long, long time. He will be missed.

 

And like the Possum sang "...who's gonna fill their shoes"

 

In this case it will take an awful big man to fill Little Jimmy Dickens' shoes.

Edited January 3, 2015 by hipower

[Mike.357]

 

 "if it's got tits or a motor, it's gonna give you trouble."

 

 

I am so stealing that line.

 

Rip 

[Ugly]

I am so stealing that line.

Rip

Helmet stickers are sold with this saying :)

RIP Good Sir

[gregintenn]

The Opry will never be the same. I'm not sure I've ever been there when he wasn't.

 

I liked the one he told about mowing his yard. He said a well to do lady stopped and asked how much he was charging to mow the lawn he was mowing. He told her the lady in this house lets me sleep with her! :rofl:

[tnhawk]

I had the opportunity to work with Tater last year. What a wonderful, funny, no nonsense man. It was an outdoor festival in eastern TN. There were a lot of young performers, the crowd was full of oddly colored hair and tattoos and piercings... NOT a Little Jimmy crowd. When he came out... all those youngsters ran to get as close as they could, and every song he sang, they knew every word and sang along. It was amazing. He looked over at me with a look of, "What the hell?" :rofl:

 

We were talking backstage at the Opry one night, and I had mentioned I wasn't sure that I was gonna get there earlier that night, because I'd had car trouble. He looked at me and said, "Son, if it's got tits or a motor, it's gonna give you trouble."

 

I will miss him greatly. Godspeed, Jimmy. You were the last of the breed.

While on a dive trip in the Bahamas, the version I saw on the ceiling of a resturant said, "If it's got wings, tits or wheels, It's gonna give you trouble."