Little Jimmy Dempsey launched his professional singing career at age five, performing on Atlanta radio stations in his hometown, which opened doors to national airwaves alongside stars such as Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor and Phil Harris. Between 1946 and 1948 he hosted his personal radio program in Atlanta. During the 1950s he served as lead guitarist for the Longhorn Ranch Boys, a well-liked Atlanta bar band, before taking charge of the Cherokee Country Boys in 1958—the ensemble on which he cut his first recordings. He departed the band in 1962 to form his own trio. His most familiar singles included “Bop Hop” and “Rhode Island Red,” along with comic originals like “Bessie Was a Good Old Cow” and “Betcha Can’t Eat Just One.” From the late 1950s into the early 1960s he performed on the Ernest Tubb Radio Program and also appeared on the German television program American Music. In 1968 he presented his own syndicated television series, after which he withdrew entirely from the music and entertainment world.
