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"
ReleasedSeptember 1961
RecordedAugust 18, 1961
GenreCountry, Talking blues
Length3:00
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Dean
Producer(s)Don Law
Jimmy Dean singles chronology
"Give Me Back My Heart"
(1961)
"Big Bad John"
(1961)
"Dear Ivan"
(1962)
Jimmy Dean

"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.

  1. ^ "Big Bad John / I Won't Go Huntin' with You Jake". Amazon.