Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

on his television show, ''The Porter Wagoner Show''. She became part of a well-known vocal duo with him from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Known as Mr. Grand Ole Opry, Wagoner charted 81 singles from 1954 to 1983. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002.

Biography

Early life and career

Wagoner was born in West Plains, Missouri, United States, the son of Bertha May (née Bridges) and Charles E. Wagoner, a farmer. His first band, the Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM-AM from a

butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

shop in his native West Plains, where Wagoner cut meat. In 1951, he was hired by Si Siman as a performer on KWTO in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

. This led to a contract with RCA Victor. With lagging sales, Wagoner and his trio played schoolhouses for the gate proceeds; but in 1953 his song "Trademark" became a hit for Carl Smith, followed by a few hits of his own for RCA Victor. Starting in 1955, he was a featured performer on ABC-TV's '' Ozark Jubilee'' in Springfield. He often appeared on the show as part of the Porter Wagoner Trio with Don Warden and Speedy Haworth. Warden, on steel guitar, became Wagoner's long-time

business manager The Oxford English Dictionary defines a business manager as "a person who manages the business affairs of an individual, institution, organization, or company". Compare manager. Business managers drive the work of others (if any) in order to oper ...

. In 1957, Wagoner and Warden moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, joining the '' Grand Ole Opry''.

Chart success

Wagoner's 81 charted records include " A Satisfied Mind" (No. 1, 1955), " Misery Loves Company" (No. 1, 1962), "I've Enjoyed as Much of This as I Can Stand" (No. 7, 1962–1963), "Sorrow on the Rocks" (No. 5, 1964), "

Green, Green Grass of Home "Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr., and first recorded by singer Johnny Darrell in 1965, is a country song made popular by Porter Wagoner the same year, when it reached No. 4 on the Country chart. It was also r ...

" (No. 4, 1965), "Skid Row Joe" (No. 3, 1965–1966), "The Cold Hard Facts of Life" (No. 2, 1967), and " The Carroll County Accident" (No. 2, 1968–1969). Among his hit duets with

were a remake of Tom Paxton's "

The Last Thing on My Mind "The Last Thing on My Mind" is a song written by American musician and singer-songwriter Tom Paxton in the early 1960s and recorded first by Paxton in 1964. It is based on the traditional lament song "The Leaving of Liverpool". The song was rele ...

" (1967), "We'll Get Ahead Someday" (1968), "Just Someone I Used to Know" (1969), "Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man", (1970), "Better Move it on Home" (1971), "The Right Combination" (1972), " Please Don't Stop Loving Me" (No. 1, 1974) and "Making Plans" (No. 2, 1980). He also won three

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s for gospel recordings.

Television series

His syndicated television program, ''The Porter Wagoner Show'', aired from 1960 to 1981. There were 686 30-minute episodes taped, the first 104 (1960–66) in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

and the remainder (1966–81) in color. At its peak, his show was featured in over 100 markets, with an average viewership of over three million. Reruns of the program air on the rural cable network RFD-TV and its sister channel in the UK Rural TV. The shows usually featured opening performances by Wagoner with performances by Norma Jean, or later Dolly Parton, and comedic interludes by

Speck Rhodes Gilbert Ray "Speck" Rhodes (born July 16, 1915, in West Plains, Missouri; died March 19, 2000) was a country music comedian and entertainer. Rhodes was best known for his appearances on the Porter Wagoner television show. He came from a musical fam ...

. During Parton's tenure, she and Wagoner usually sang a duet. Each episode also featured a guest who would usually perform one or two songs. A spiritual or gospel performance was almost always featured toward the end of the show, generally performed by either Wagoner or Parton or the show's guest star, or occasionally the entire cast. After Parton left the show, Porter began taping the show at Opryland USA in various locations around the park. The shows had a friendly, informal feel, with Wagoner trading jokes with band members (frequently during songs) and exchanging banter with Dolly Parton and Don Howser. In 1974, Dolly Parton's song " I Will Always Love You", written about her professional break from Wagoner, went to number one on the country music chart. Wagoner's stage alter ego was Skid Row Joe. The cast included: * Singer Norma Jean (1960–1965) * Singer

Jeannie Seely Marilyn Jeanne Seely (born July 6, 1940) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She also has several acting credits and published a book. Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning hit " Don't Touch Me" (196 ...

(1965–1966) * Singer

(1967–1974) * Singer Barbara Lea (1974–1976) * Singer Linda Carol Moore (1976–1978) * Singer

Mel Tillis Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...

(1968 regular) * Comedian/stand-up bass Curly Harris (1960–mid 1960s) * Announcer Don Howser

The Wagonmasters

1961

: Don Warden on steel guitar : "Little" Jack Little on fiddle : Benny Williams on banjo and guitar (1961) :

Comedian/stand-up bass

Mid 1960s

: Buck Trent on banjo and guitar : George McCormick on rhythm guitar : Mack Magaha on fiddle : Ray Downs on rhythm guitar and vocal : Michael Treadwell on bass guitar : Shannon Randolph Porter on lead guitar

After 1974

: Bruce Osborn on lead guitar : Fred Newell on banjo/guitar/mandolin : Dave Kirby on guitar : Stu Basore on steel guitar/dobro : Bobby Dyson on bass : Jerry Carrigan on drums : Mack Magaha on fiddle : Colene Walters on vocals/harmonica : Mike Pearson on lead guitar

Later work

Wagoner brought James Brown to the Grand Ole Opry, produced a rhythm & blues album for Joe Simon, and appeared in the Clint Eastwood film '' Honkytonk Man''. During the mid 1980s, Wagoner formed an all-girl group, The Right Combination, named after one of his hit records with Parton, and toured with them for several years. He also hosted ''Opry Backstage'' during the 1990s on

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On Septembe ...

. Though Parton's departure was difficult for both, the two reconciled in the late 1980s and appeared together a number of times in the following years. Parton inducted Wagoner into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. Wagoner made a guest appearance on the HBO comedy series ''

Da Ali G Show ''Da Ali G Show'' is a British satirical television series created by and starring English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, ...

'' in 2004, its second season, interviewed by

Borat Sagdiyev Borat Margaret Sagdiyev ( kk, Борат Маргарет Сағдиев) is a satirical fictional character created and performed by Sacha Baron Cohen. He is supposedly a Kazakh television journalist and is the main protagonist of the mockument ...

. Wagoner was honored on August 12, 2007, his 80th birthday, at the Grand Ole Opry for his 50 years of membership. It was telecast on GAC's ''Grand Ole Opry Live'' that day with artists including Parton, Marty Stuart and

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

. ''Grand Ole Opry Live'' host Nan Kelley was part of the birthday celebration. On June 5, 2007, Wagoner released his final album, called '' Wagonmaster''. Produced by Stuart for the Anti- label, the album received the best reviews of Wagoner's career and briefly appeared on the country chart. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was also produced of one of the tracks, a cover of Johnny Cash's "Committed to Parkview". He toured during the summer of 2007 to promote the album, including a late-July appearance on '' Late Show with David Letterman''. One of these performances was to open for the rock group

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...

at a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Personal life

Wagoner was married twice, to Velma Johnson for less than a year in 1943, and Ruth Olive Williams from 1946 to 1986, though they separated 20 years before the divorce. He was survived by his three children, Richard, Denise and Debra. Wagoner died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

in Nashville on October 28, 2007, with his family and Dolly Parton at his side. Wagoner's funeral was held November 1, 2007, at the Grand Ole Opry House. He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.

Legacy

performed a concert at her theme park

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...

in Wagoner's memory after his death. Porter Wagoner Boulevard in his native West Plains, Missouri, is named in his honor. In 2013, the television show '' Drunk History'' presented a brief summary of Wagoner's relationship with Parton. Dan Cooper at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

noted, "As for his music, after signing with RCA in 1952 he produced a wealth of superb hard country, and just as much of the most wretchedly oversentimentalized tripe you'll ever want to hear. The latter, of course, is half the reason he's loved".

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Satisfied Mind'' (1957) *''A Slice of Life: Songs Happy 'n' Sad'' (1962) *''Porter Wagoner and Skeeter Davis Sing Duets'' (1962) *''Y'all Come'' (1963) *''The Bluegrass Story'' (1964) *''The Thin Man from West Plains'' (1965) *''The Grand Ole Gospel'' (1966) *''Confessions of a Broken Man'' (1966) *''Soul of a Convict and More Great Prison Songs'' (1967) *''More Grand Ole Gospel'' (1967) *'' The Cold Hard Facts of Life'' (1967) *'' Just Between You and Me'' (1968) *''The Bottom of the Bottle'' (1968) *''

Just the Two of Us Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...

'' (1968) *''In Gospel Country'' (1968) *''The Carroll County Accident'' (1969) *'' Always, Always'' (1969) *''Me and My Boys'' (1969) *''You Got-ta Have a License'' (1970) *'' Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca'' (1970) *'' Once More'' (1970) *''Skid Row Joe Down in the Alley'' (1970) *'' Two of a Kind'' (1971) *''Simple as I Am'' (1971) *''Porter Wagoner Sings His Own'' (1971) *'' The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil'' (1972) *''What Ain't to Be, Just Might Happen'' (1972) *''Ballads of Love'' (1972) *'' Together Always'' (1972) *''Experience'' (1972) *'' We Found It'' (1973) *'' Love and Music'' (1973) *''I'll Keep on Lovin' You'' (1973) *''The Farmer'' (1973) *''Tore Down'' (1974) *'' Porter 'n' Dolly'' (1974) *''Highway Headin' South'' (1974) *''Sing Some Love Songs, Porter Wagoner'' (1975) *'' Say Forever You'll Be Mine'' (1975) *''Porter'' (1977) *''Today'' (1979) *''When I Sing for Him'' (1979) *'' Porter & Dolly'' (1980) *''Porter Wagoner's Greatest'' (1981) *''Natural Wonder'' (1982) *''Viva'' (1983) *''Porter Wagoner'' (1986) *''The Best I've Ever Been'' (2000) *''Unplugged'' (2002) *''22 Grand Ole Gospel 2004 (2003) *''Something to Brag About'' (2004) *''18 Grand Ole Gospel 2005'' (2005) *''Gospel 2006'' (2006) *''The Versatile Porter Wagoner'' (2006) *''Wagonmaster'' (2007) *''Best of Grand Ole Gospel 2008'' (2007)

Awards

References

External links

Porter Wagoner at the Country Music Hall of Fame

in ''The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagoner, Porter 1927 births 2007 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Country musicians from Missouri Deaths from lung cancer Grammy Award winners Grand Ole Opry members Members of the Country Music Association People from West Plains, Missouri RCA Records Nashville artists Singer-songwriters from Missouri 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Anti- (record label) artists