Porter Wagoner, known as the Thin Man from the West Plains, embodied an artist whose innovations often outpaced his era even as his image remained rooted in an earlier age. Recognition as one of country music’s most distinctive personalities stemmed largely from his early embrace of television and glittering stage attire two decades before music videos emerged. Though history frequently casts him as the figure who resisted Dolly Parton’s crossover ambitions, he also played a pivotal role in elevating her to a platform where those ambitions could take shape. Following his 1952 signing with RCA, his catalog mixed exemplary hard-country performances with some of the most maudlin material ever committed to record, a duality that itself accounts for much of his enduring appeal.
Born in West Plains, Missouri, Wagoner absorbed country sounds broadcast on radio during his youth and taught himself guitar to accompany the songs. As a teenager he worked at a local market, singing during slow periods until the proprietor, convinced the performances enhanced the store’s standing, sponsored a radio program featuring the aspiring performer. By the late 1940s he was appearing regularly on the West Plains station; in 1951 KWTO in Springfield offered him a show. Around that time Red Foley launched the Ozark Jamboree, carried on KWTO and national television, and invited Wagoner to perform, an opportunity that secured a contract with RCA Records. His ninth single, “Company’s Comin’,” reached the Top Ten in 1954. The following spring “A Satisfied Mind” held the number-four position for four weeks, and late in 1955 he issued “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry (Tomorrow You’ll Cry),” which rose to number three early the next year. He joined the Grand Ole Opry and relocated to Nashville in 1957, assembling the Wagonmasters as his regular band.
Throughout the remainder of the decade Wagoner continued releasing records without returning to the Top Ten until another television venture revived his chart fortunes. In 1961 he began hosting a syndicated program produced in Nashville that became the decade’s leading country series, expanding from eighteen stations to more than one hundred by the early 1970s. Norma Jean, the female vocalist he introduced to audiences, frequently joined him on the broadcasts. Although the program shaped much of the nation’s perception of country music, its musical content stayed firmly traditional. After Norma Jean departed in 1967, Dolly Parton, then relatively unknown, took her place. The exposure accelerated Parton’s rise and simultaneously renewed interest in Wagoner’s own career. Their initial duet, “The Last Thing on My Mind,” climbed to number seven in early 1968 and initiated a near-continuous run of Top Ten singles that lasted until the pair ceased collaborating in 1975. The Country Music Association honored them as Vocal Group of the Year in 1968 and as Vocal Duo of the Year in both 1970 and 1971.
Despite commercial success, the partnership was not without friction. Wagoner maintained solo chart entries through the late 1960s and early 1970s, yet none matched the scale of the duets. He grew resentful of Parton’s independent aspirations, while she felt creatively constrained. The strains peaked in late 1974 when she ended the association. RCA nevertheless issued two further joint singles—“Say Forever You’ll Be Mine” in 1975 and “Is Forever Longer Than Always” in 1976—both of which reached the Top Ten. Occasional reunions continued over the next decade, most notably the 1980 number-two hit “Making Plans.” After the 1975 split Wagoner kept filming his program and charting modest solo singles; he retired from touring in 1976 to focus on production at his Fireside studio. A 1979 lawsuit against Parton over contractual matters was resolved the following year. Several minor hits appeared early in the 1980s before he ceased recording in 1983.
Wagoner and RCA Victor ended their nearly thirty-year relationship in 1981, and the television series concluded the same year. A modest resurgence occurred in 1982 when he appeared in Clint Eastwood’s film Honkytonk Man and issued the album Viva Porter Wagoner on Eastwood’s Viva imprint at Warner Bros. Records; the set entered the country charts and yielded a pair of minor singles. Subsequent recordings were limited to occasional releases on independent labels. For several years he toured with the all-female group the Right Combination. During the late 1980s and early 1990s his presence on The Nashville Network increased, culminating in his designation as Opryland’s Goodwill Ambassador and regular hosting duties on Grand Ole Opry radio and television broadcasts. In July 2000 he returned with the album The Best I’ve Ever Been, his first new collection in years. In 2007, marking his eightieth birthday and fifty-five years since his debut recording, the Marty Stuart-produced Wagonmaster appeared on Anti Records and became his first Billboard-charting album since 1983, reaching number 63. Shortly after its June release, Wagoner died of lung cancer at his Nashville home on October 28, 2007.
