Real name: Thomas Dean

Effective period / Period of releases: 1956

Thomas Dean was born in Franklin, Louisiana, on September 6, 1909. The son of Berry Dean (born in 1875) and Armintie Ryan Dean (born 1880, known as "Ara" or "Arie"), he had two older sisters, Florence and Eveline. During his childhood, the Dean family moved to Beaumont, Texas, where they were recorded in the 1920 and 1930 census; in the 1930 enumeration, his occupation was already listed as "musician." Although he spent some time in Lake Charles, Louisiana, during his teens, Beaumont would remain Dean's home base until he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in his late 20s.