Artist: Eddie Dean
LP: Eddie Dean Sings
The country western section of my record collection has reached full capacity, so I've started sorting through it to see if there's anything I can get rid of to make more room. One of the gems I discovered in the process is this collection of songs by Eddie Dean, released on the Crown label—which of course means no liner notes, since they've got a bad habit of filling the entire backside of their album covers with Crown Records catalog listings.
Born in the rural Texas community of Posey in the summer of 1909, Eddie got his start performing on radio in Chicago and South Dakota with his brother Jimmy. He then moved to Hollywood and appeared in movies throughout the 1940s, where he was usually called upon to present a few numbers. "I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven" was a hit for Eddie in 1955, though the song gained even more favor with the public when Tex Ritter released his version in 1961. All ten songs on this LP are terrific, but my favorite is "Katmandu," on which the handsome Texan crooner warbles on about the exotic mysteries of far-away places, a musical sub-genre I think ought to be termed 'country eastern music.'
Eddie Dean, whom both Roy Rogers and Gene Autry named as the best cowboy singer of all time, passed away at age 89 on March 4, 1999, after which he was finally able to march forth into Hillbilly Heaven, taking his place amongst the stars. There's more to read about the life and career of Eddie Dean on Wikipedia here and I've included a clip from one of his movies below.
Born in the rural Texas community of Posey in the summer of 1909, Eddie got his start performing on radio in Chicago and South Dakota with his brother Jimmy. He then moved to Hollywood and appeared in movies throughout the 1940s, where he was usually called upon to present a few numbers. "I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven" was a hit for Eddie in 1955, though the song gained even more favor with the public when Tex Ritter released his version in 1961. All ten songs on this LP are terrific, but my favorite is "Katmandu," on which the handsome Texan crooner warbles on about the exotic mysteries of far-away places, a musical sub-genre I think ought to be termed 'country eastern music.'
Eddie Dean, whom both Roy Rogers and Gene Autry named as the best cowboy singer of all time, passed away at age 89 on March 4, 1999, after which he was finally able to march forth into Hillbilly Heaven, taking his place amongst the stars. There's more to read about the life and career of Eddie Dean on Wikipedia here and I've included a clip from one of his movies below.
[ Eddie Dean: July 7, 1909 — March 4, 1999 ]
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