Porter Wagoner

Early life and career Wagoner was born in West Plains, Missouri, United States, His first band, the Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM-AM from a butcher shop in his native West Plains, where Wagoner cut meat. This led to a contract with RCA Victor. He also won three Grammy Awards for gospel recordings. Television series His syndicated television program, The Porter Wagoner Show, aired from 1960 to 1981, 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, 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, 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, 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 (1965–1966) • Singer Dolly Parton (1967–1974) • Singer Barbara Lea (1974–1976) • Singer Linda Carol Moore (1976–1978) • Singer Mel Tillis (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) : Speck Rhodes 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 and 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. 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 in 2004, its second season, interviewed by Borat Sagdiyev. 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. 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 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 at a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. ==Personal life and death==

Wagoner was married twice, to Velma Johnson for less than a year in 1943 and to Ruth Olive Williams from 1946 to 1986, though they separated 20 years before the divorce. He fathered three children, Richard, Denise, and Debra. Wagoner, a heavy smoker, died from lung cancer in Nashville on October 28, 2007, with his family and Dolly Parton at his side. His funeral was held November 1, 2007, at the Grand Ole Opry House. He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville. ==Legacy==

Dolly Parton performed a concert at her theme park Dollywood in Wagoner's memory after his death. Porter Wagoner Boulevard, a road 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 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) • The Cold Hard Facts of Life (1967) • More Grand Ole Gospel (1967) • Just Between You and Me (1968) • The Bottom of the Bottle (1968) • Just the Two of Us (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 ==