Big Bad John
| "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 | ||||
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"Big Bad John" is a country song written and originally performed by Jimmy Dean. 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.