“Get the skillet and go with it.”
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
“Quality brought us here and we’re gonna stick with that forever.”
But to understand how Jimmy Dean the brand came to be, we’ll have to rewind even further…
Breakfast also changed in a big way 50 years ago when entertainer and entrepreneur Jimmy Dean founded his namesake empire that would bring decades of joyful breakfast to America.
Four hundred thousand hippies jammed at a music festival. American astronauts stepped foot on the moon. An iconic family sitcom debuted, and bell-bottom jeans were all the rage.
It changed america and breakfast forever
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PLAINVIEW, TX
Jimmy Dean was born in Plainview, Texas on August 10 on a dusty farm in Depression-era poverty. No one could have guessed this baby boy would become a successful Grammy-winning country musician, actor, and television host.
1928
Jimmy’s musical talents were founded and nurtured. His mother taught him piano at the age of 10, and he went on to master the guitar, harmonica and accordion.
1930-'40
Jimmy’s father left the farm, leaving him man of the house. Along with his mother Ruth and brother Don, Jimmy maintained the farm, raised pigs and chickens and picked cotton in the fields. He even started cutting hair on the side to help provide for his family.
1939
At age 22, Jimmy Dean started his professional entertaining career as the front man of the band Jimmy Dean and the Texas Wildcats.
1950
Jimmy Dean released his first #1 hit “Big Bad John,” earning him the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording and a nomination for Song of the Year.
1961
Hello, silver screen! “The Jimmy Dean Show,” a televised variety show hosted by Jimmy, premiered featuring live pop and country performances bringing country music into the mainstream. The show included an ongoing skit with Rowlf the dog – the first Muppet by Jim Henson to garner national fame.
1963
The brand introduced its first new product since the sausage roll: a refrigerated sausage biscuit breakfast sandwich. To this day, the breakfast sandwich remains one of the most popular products from the Jimmy Dean brand.
1980
2019
With 50 years of success and innovation under its belt, the Jimmy Dean brand continues to reinvent breakfast and provide Americans with a satisfying and optimistic way to start their day. From fresh, to frozen, to refrigerated, the Jimmy Dean brand has over 170 products that are ready to eat on-the-go or sit around the table and enjoy.
The Jimmy Dean brand portfolio rapidly expanded with the addition of now beloved frozen breakfast products like Breakfast Bowls, Breakfast Sandwiches, Frittatas, and Pancakes & Sausage On a Stick.
2000
By its two year anniversary, the Jimmy Dean Meat Company had become the number one seller of breakfast sausage in America.
1971
During the height of his entertainment career, Jimmy Dean decided to put his entrepreneurial skills to the test – with one prospect presented during a fateful breakfast at a local diner.
As legend has it, Jimmy Dean was at a diner having sausage and eggs when he bit into an unappealing piece of gristle and said, “You know, there’s got to be room in this country for a good quality sausage.”
On May 25, the Jimmy Dean Meat Company officially opened its doors in Plainview, Texas. With 60 employees and one- and two-pound sausage packages on sale, the brand and its signature gold packaging were born.
1969
Jimmy Dean starred in the commercials for his own products. His down-home, ad-libbed conversational style proved to be a hit with consumers.
1977
for, my world is you.
I guess mine is too.
Your world's a dream world.
"My World Is You" by Jimmy Dean and the Texas Wildcats
Visit JimmyDean.com for product information and recipe ideas.
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