No More Wagonmaster

When I was growing up in Mississippi, we had several country music-themed TV shows that we watched every week: Hee Haw (did you miss the part where I said I was growing up in Mississippi?), Live from the Grand Ole Opry, and the Porter Wagoner Show. Porter's passing was announced today, and almost all of the obituaries mentioned him as being the man who "discovered" Dolly Parton. I certainly remember watching Dolly on the show each week--she was a marvel to behold even then--but Porter deserves some attention in his own right. He was a masterful songwriter and a gifted singer. I had the privilege of seeing him perform live at the Grand Ole Opry several times, and I can also say that he was a remarkable showman. Those suits certainly drew a lot of attention his way, but he had the musical talent to back it up. I can still remember the first time I realized that "The Carroll County Accident" was about adultery; it was quite a shock to the young boy that I was then. And no one ever sang "The Green Green Grass of Home" as well as Porter did, in my opinion. So many of the people I grew up listening to are gone now. Porter's death is just another reminder of the tremendous gift we lose when someone devoted to the craft of music passes away. I'm going to listen to the songs of his that I have downloaded on my iPod and remember fondly those Saturday afternoons in Mississippi when we would all be sitting in the living room of my Grandmother's house watching him sing and talking about what stunning outfit (always with matching sequined boots) he had on that week.