This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2011) |
"Big Bad John" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jimmy Dean | ||||
from the album Big Bad John and Other Fabulous Songs and Tales | ||||
B-side | "I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake" | |||
Released | September 1961 | |||
Recorded | August 18, 1961 | |||
Genre | Country, talking blues | |||
Length | 3:00 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Dean | |||
Producer(s) | Don Law | |||
Jimmy Dean singles chronology | ||||
|
"Big Bad John" is a country song originally performed by Jimmy Dean, who wrote and composed it.[1] It was released in September 1961 and by the beginning of November it had gone to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
The song and its sequels tell a story typical of American folklore, reminiscent of Paul Bunyan or John Henry. Big Bad John was also the title of a 1990 television movie starring Dean.