Porter Wagoner celebrates golden anniversary at Grand Ole Opry
Sunday, May 20, 2007 – Country Music Hall of Famer Porter Wagoner celebrated his 50th anniversary as an Opry member during a sold-out performance Saturday. Fellow Opry members Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart, who is producing a new album on Wagoner titled "Wagonmaster," due in stores June 5, joined him on stage for a performance of the Parton penned hit "I Will Always Love You." When Parton ended her serenade to Wagoner, who was sitting on a stool during the song, she had to wipe away his tears and said, "You can get up now, I'm done hollering at you!"
Earlier in the evening Pete Fisher, general manager of the Grand Ole Opry, presented a circa 1881 gold pocket watch to Wagoner.
Wagoner has had 81 charting singles, including 29 Top 10 records and country classics such as "A Satisfied Mind," "Misery Loves Company," "The Hard Cold Facts of Life," "The Carroll County Accident" and "Green, Green Grass of Home." Wagoner also hosted the syndicated Porter Wagoner Show, which ran for 21 years and reached more than 100 TV markets. It was on this show that Wagoner introduced Parton. The pair went on to have 14 Top 10 duet hits and to win 3 consecutive CMA Awards as Duo of the Year.
More news for Porter Wagoner
- 05/19/09: Porter Wagoner fishing tourney set
- 05/07/08: Porter Wagoner, Dick Clark, Brenda Lee, Conway Twitty win ACM awards
- 11/01/07: Porter Wagoner receives musical sendoff at funeral
- 10/31/07: Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Rodney Crowell honor Porter Wagoner in musical tribute
- 10/29/07: Porter Wagoner's funeral set for Thursday
- 10/29/07: Dolly, Marty Stuart, Dierks Bentley remember Porter Wagoner
- 10/29/07: XM remembers Porter Wagoner
- 10/28/07: Porter Wagoner dies of lung cancer
CD reviews for Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner's latest is a terrific album. It's a collection that fits seamlessly into Wagoner's long and impressive body of musical work, while at the same time representing an artistic stretch on behalf of the artist and his reverential producer, Marty Stuart.
The album is bookended with "Wagonmaster 1 & 2," a quick fiddle ditty with producer Stuart introducing the artist, "Wagonmaster's comin..." and Wagonmaster's leavin'... ...
This is Porter Wagoner's second gospel collection in two years, perhaps a clear indication that he has found a comfortable home in the genre.
Wagoner contributes four of his own compositions to this set, including two recitations, "I Found A Man" and "The Bird That Never Flew." The other 14 offerings are a mix of standards such as "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" and "In The Sweet Bye and Bye" and newer material with an old time feel. His current singing partner, Pam Gold, joins him on "Ye Of Little Faith. ...
Porter Wagoner's second Shell Point album finds him in fine voice, with supple support from his regular band, The Wagonmasters, and a finely picked collection of tunes. The album title is one to take with a grain of salt, as Wagoner's never been hugely "plugged" in the first place. Still, the electric guitars give way to steel, dobro and acoustic picking, and the drums keep to a polite level. The result would sound as natural in 1962 as it does here in 2002.
The near-acoustic backing provides ...
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