The Porter Wagoner Show
| Porter Wagoner | |
|---|---|
Wagoner at the Grand Ole Opry in 1999
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Porter Wayne Wagoner |
| Also known as | Mr. Grand Ole Opry |
| Born |
August 12, 1927 West Plains, Missouri, USA |
| Died | October 28, 2007 (aged 80) Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| Genres | Country music, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Country music singer and songwriter |
| Instruments | Acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1951–2007 |
| Labels |
RCA Victor (1951–1980) Shell Point (2000–2002) TeeVee (2003–2006) Anti (2007) |
| Associated acts |
Dolly Parton Norma Jean Mel Tillis Marty Stuart |
| Website | Porterwagoner.com |
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 then-obscure singer Dolly Parton on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known vocal duo 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 in 2002.
Wagoner was born in West Plains, Missouri, 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 shop in his native West Plains, Missouri, where Wagoner cut meat. In 1951, he was hired by Si Siman as a performer on KWTO in Springfield, Missouri. 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, 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.
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