Porter Wagoner RIP

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 28 Oct 2007 7:27 pm

It's nice that he got some of the attention and respect he deserved in the past year (while he was around to enjoy it). Thanks to Marty Stuart for that...

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 1/71028028

John P. Phillips · Post by **John P. Phillips** » 28 Oct 2007 7:55 pm

Sad news indeed ! Another icon gone home.
THOSE SHOES WILL NEVER BE FILLED ! R.I.P. Porter !

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 28 Oct 2007 7:57 pm

Oh, man, I'm sorry to hear this. I know this has been expected, but I still have trouble imagining country music or the Opry without Porter. He has always epitomized the best aspects of Nashville to me. Yes, many thanks to Marty for his work in the last year. RIP, Porter.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 28 Oct 2007 9:07 pm

He is one of the legends of country music history. There's not many left.

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 28 Oct 2007 9:24 pm

RIP Mr.Wagoner & God Bless you.Our prayers are with the Wagoner Family from us Eiffert's here in California.Mr. Wagoner was always kind to me in Nashville when I would see him and talk. Please send my love to his family L.D.(Rick). Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 28 Oct 2007 10:19 pm

sad news indeed, and something of a shock to me. especially after this big comeback he seemed to be making. he was the real deal, and just seemed like such a nice down-to-earth guy.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 28 Oct 2007 11:27 pm

Your right Pete,I'm so glad he got some of the reconition he deserved while he was still with us.

Bobby Caldwell · Post by **Bobby Caldwell** » 29 Oct 2007 6:38 am

Thanks to Marty his life ended on a high note. May he rest in peace. Bobby

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 29 Oct 2007 8:10 am

Porter will be missed. As many of you know, RFD Network had been replaying his old show's including the one's in Black & White. It's been fun to watch them now as an adult and as a musician. I remember seeing them as a kid when they were current on the weekends.

What a real legend - a term that perhaps, sometimes gets tossed around a little too much.

Gary C. Dygert · Post by **Gary C. Dygert** » 29 Oct 2007 9:05 am

Marlin, I watched those shows too in my younger days, with Norma Jean and then Dolly. The old-timers are all going away. I feel old.

Mark Lind-Hanson · Post by **Mark Lind-Hanson** » 29 Oct 2007 9:36 am

Well, I am sure others will argue the point on its merits but for myself, Porter represented Bakersfield country as much as Buck Owens- I used to watch the TV show he used to put out of Bakersfield in the late sixties-early seventies w/ Dolly Parton (usally) as his foil, Saturday afternoons with my folks-anyway, I have that perspective on him. It's sad but it's like everything- we all go sometime, and so it oughtn't be something to be afraid of. There won't be another quite like him, true enough.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 29 Oct 2007 10:57 am

Bakersfield? Porter's syndicated shows were made at the WSM-TV studios in Nashville.

Mark Lind-Hanson · Post by **Mark Lind-Hanson** » 29 Oct 2007 12:06 pm

Is that so? OK, I admit I am wrong, but rememebr you are talking about someone that was not quite yet a teenager when that was on.

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 29 Oct 2007 1:37 pm

Hello Mr.Jack Stoner,Now you see why it is so important to educate these young forum brothers & sister about the History of Country Artists & the Music Business of all our backyards in this Country.When they pick Bakersfield & Nashville as the Heart of Country Music,that's like the ACM & CMA being the Mother & Father of The Home Depot for Country Music or was it Walmart,Best buy! Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.& Pigeons with Clip Wings.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 Oct 2007 3:34 pm

Porter did some great stuff years ago. I wish someone would post the steel ride from Porter's "Howdy Neighbor, Howdy". I believe Weldon did the steel honors on that one, and that is still (to me) one of the best steel rides ever recorded.

I also heard some of my first (country) pedal steel on one of Porter's songs called "I Should Be With You". On it, Don Warden was playing the first Sho~Bud ever built, and that might have even been the first cut he ever used it on!

Whenever my old band gets together, we always play a couple of Porter's songs, they're classics!

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 29 Oct 2007 5:25 pm

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Buck Owens Show... showcasing that Bakersfield sound... was actually taped/filmed in Oklahoma City with help from the Mathis Brothers furniture company...

Chris L. Christensen · Post by **Chris L. Christensen** » 29 Oct 2007 7:35 pm

Another one of the great country music pioneers is gone. I loved Porter's 1960s television show. Even though I think Dolly P is great his original singing sweetheart Pretty Miss Norma Jean will always be the first lady of his show. Porter even remarked that the ratings on the show were higher when Norma Jean was on the show. Porter had some great songs and I thought as good as he was he was underrated. I wasn't crazy about his over the top rhinestone suit phase, I liked his early to mid 1960s image with a little more reserved flash better. I have some of his 1960s albums and they are terrific and timeless. Porter Wagoner was an original, something that no contemporary act in Nashville can claim to be. Rest in Peace, Porter, and now we know you have a "Satisfied Mind"!

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 30 Oct 2007 9:27 am

Porter had a SATISFIED MIND. Joe

Mark Lind-Hanson · Post by **Mark Lind-Hanson** » 1 Nov 2007 7:52 am

Has anyone registered any comments from Dolly on Porter's passing?

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 1 Nov 2007 7:58 am

From the L.A. Times:

Reflections on the life of longtime Grand Ole Opry star Porter Wagoner from a few of his peers and admirers following his death on Sunday at age 80 in Nashville:

Dolly Parton: "I went over on Sunday and spent his last few hours with Porter and his family, so I was able to say goodbye. I sang for him and prayed with him. It felt good that I had the opportunity to say goodbye properly. His family is very grateful to everyone for all their help."

Merle Haggard: "He was one of the real faces on Rushmore when it comes to Nashville, Tenn., and the Grand Ole Opry. He was a lifer. He spent his entire life living up to being Porter Wagoner on the Grand Ole Opry. He was serious about that, and he did a very good job of it.

"I had the pleasure of being close friends with him, fished with him. We cut a lot of our records in the late '70s at his Fireside Studios in Nashville. We cut hits like 'Ramblin' Fever,' things like that. I was real close to him and to Dolly.

"I think the old man upstairs was giving him a full dose, letting him go right up to the last. We were talking about doing a show together [in] January in Portland. We were both real happy about that because we haven't worked together in a while.

"It's a great shock and it's a great loss. I hope the country gives him the sendoff he deserves. . . . He was a great American."

George Jones: "I was sad to hear of Porter's passing. He was a hero and a great gentleman for country music and the Grand Ole Opry. I first became a fan when he had 'A Satisfied Mind' out. We always had a good time sharing jokes backstage at the Opry or whatever stage we might be sharing. His television show was a big boost for country performers. Country music lost a bit of sparkle with the passing of Porter Wagoner."

Jack White: "Porter was a wonderful man. Well-versed, and well-dressed. Not only was he a great singer, but a great presenter of so many other important country artists. The song he wrote, 'The Rubber Room,' is one that I will love for the rest of my life. I wish I could've spent more time with him and learned more from him. I'm glad that we were able to share a bill together. It was an honor."

Marty Stuart: "Losing Porter is going to take a whole lot of getting used to as he's been a part of my life for so long. I grew up watching his television show in Mississippi and it was as if he were a member of our family. After I got to know him, he was. He was a masterful showman, who understood the art of the final act. He left the world on top.

Some of the things that soften the blow of his passing are all the memories from the past year. We made a wonderful record together that got him lots of acclaim, he celebrated his 50th anniversary with the Grand Ole Opry, he had a new generation of kids in love with him and his music, the awards were coming, the Martin Guitar Company had named a guitar in his honor and he was asked to light the nation's Christmas tree at the Pageant of Peace celebration in Washington, DC next month.

One of the last things he said to me was, "You're gonna' have to call the President and tell him I won't be able to sing him any Christmas songs this year. Maybe next year."

Dwight Yoakam: "I was deeply saddened and filled with a sense of loss and grief to learn the news of the passing of Porter Wagoner, the latest to depart this life of the few princes from Country Music's Golden Era that remain. His legacy and charismatic influence is legendary and remained dynamically palpable and present until his death.

That historic presence was exemplified on his last album release, Wagonmaster, and was in clear abundant evidence from the moment he took the stage and throughout his performance in early 2007 at the Music Box Theater in Hollywood, where I had the extreme privilege to make one of the most cherished memories of my musical life, accompanying him playing bass as an honorary Wagoneer.

Although he will be enormously missed by musicians and listeners who had the pleasure of hearing his music or watching him perform during his lifetime, without a doubt, it's my opinion that through his recorded work on records and in television, Porter Wagoner will continue to have a resounding influence on country music for generations to come."

Patty Loveless: "Porter was my mentor in the early years of my musical journey and over the years became like family to me. He encouraged me and helped me to fulfill my dreams and was truly and inspiration. I love him and I miss him already."