Porter Wagoner~ "Daddy And The Wine"

Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.

In 1967, he introduced a then little known Dolly Parton on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Known as Mr. Grand Ole Opry, Wagoner charted 81 singles from 1954–1983. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early life and career

Wagoner was born in West Plains, Missouri, the son of Bertha May (née Bridges) and Charles E. Wagoner, a farmer.^[1]

His first band, The Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM-AM from a butcher shop in his native West Plains, Missouri where Wagoner cut meat.

In 1951, he was hired by Si Siman as a performer on KWTO-AM in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] 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 on RCA.

Starting in 1955, he was a featured performer on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri.

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.

In 1957, Wagoner and Warden moved to Nashville, Tennessee, joining the Grand Ole Opry.^[2]

Like many of his contemporaries in country music, Wagoner toured and performed outdoors for fans at American Legion houses in rural towns.

Fans sat on wooden benches facing what was often a makeshift stage. Wagoner would mingle with the audience during performance breaks and usually remembered the names of the towns he visited.

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” (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 Dolly Parton were a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" (1967), "We'll Get Ahead Someday" (1968), "Just Someone I Used to Know" (1969), "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 Awards 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 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.^{[citation needed]} 

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 Parton, and comedic interludes by Rhodes.

During Parton's tenure, she and Wagoner usually sang a duet (Wagoner did not perform any duets with Norma Jean).^{[citation needed]}

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.

The shows had a friendly, informal feel, with Wagoner trading jokes with band members (frequently during songs) and exchanging banter with Parton and Howser.

Parton wrote the song "I Will Always Love You" after Wagoner suggested she shift from story songs to focus on love songs.^[3]

^{Source: Wikipedia.org}

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