On Tuesday 19 December 2023, Gene Watson remembered country music legend, Little Jimmy Dickens, on what would have been his 103rd birthday.
‘Remembering country music legend, Little Jimmy Dickens (Sunday 19 December 1920 – Friday 2 January 2015), who was born on this day in 1920, and passed at age 94 on Friday 2 January 2015.
He was a Grand Ole Opry member for 60 years, a Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum inductee, and was always ready to pass along a joke he’d heard.
He was one of the greats’
Source
Gene Watson on Facebook
Little Jimmy Dickens was the first artist to record Lawton Williams‘ ‘Farewell Party’; the track, which was the âBâ side of Little Jimmy Dickensâ âTalking To The Wallâ single on Columbia Records (catalogue number: 4-42013), with Walter Haynes (Friday 14 December 1928 – Thursday 1 January 2009) on steel guitar, was recorded on Thursday 2 February 1961 at Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville.
Little Jimmy Dickensâ recording of âFarewell Partyâ was subsequently included on âOut Behind The Barnâ (Bear Family Records, 1998).
Gene Watson recorded ‘Farewell Party’, which was written by Lawton Williams (Monday 24 July 1922 – Thursday 26 July 2007), and included the track on ‘Reflections‘ (Capitol Records, 1978); Gene Watson’s version of the track reached No.5 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1979, and No.9 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart in 1979.