David Cantwell writes:

Porter Wagoner died Sunday at the age of 80. Every obituary I’ve read (Peter Cooper has written not one but two excellent Wagoner pieces for the Nashville Tennessean) will prominently mention his “discovery” of Dolly Parton. His nurturing of Parton’s talent is certainly one of his key contributions to country music. But the truth is that, even without the Parton connection, Wagoner–as a singer, recitator, bandleader, songwriter, hitmaker, television host, Opry ambassador and as a country music icon–was one of the most significant figures in the history of the genre.

He was one of that history’s greatest artists, too–as great even, in his way, as Parton. The quality of his recorded output is well-deep though poorly represented on compact disc. So over the next few weeks, I’d like to take a look at that depth, sharing some of his recordings that haven’t typically joined hits like “Green, Green Grass of Home,” “Misery Loves Company,” “A Satisfied Mind,” “The Carroll County Accident,” “The Cold Hard Facts of Life” and the rest on best-of collections this last quarter century.

Let’s begin at the end, as it were, and his excellent final album, Wagonmaster. When I spoke with Wagoner earlier this year for a story in No Depression, he told me he was grateful to have had an opportunity to make the record with producer Marty Stuart and that the response it had already received in the press and with concert audiences, particularly with young people, had energized him to keep performing as long as he could when previously he’d thought about hanging it up.

What many may not know is that most of the songs on Wagonmaster were new versions of songs he’d written decades ago, in particular for an album entitled Porter Wagoner Sings His Own (RCA, 1971). All of the tracks below, except “My Many Hurried Southern Trips,” are from that album, and, except for “Lonely Coming Down,” they were all reimagined this year by Wagoner and Stuart. The new versions are fantastic, but these originals are just as good, I think, showing off Wagoner’s then state-of-the-art arrangment and production skills as well as his underrated singing voice.

“Lonely Coming Down,” which Wagoner arranged with his longtime studio session leader, bassist Bobby Dyson, is hands down my favorite deep catalogue Wagoner cut. Almost more a mood than a full-fledged song–it has no chorus–it’s as good an example of stripped-down, soulful countrypolitan as anything from its era. (How it wasn’t a hit, for Wagoner or for Parton, who included it on her 1972 lp My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner is beyond me.)

“Lonely Coming Down” and the rest of these Wagoner-penned songs show the many sides of the man’s aesthetic, from humble and religous Ozark storytelling(”Albert Erving,” “Brother Harold Dee”) to tales of the mournful and harrowing (”Late Love of Mine,” “The Agony of Waiting,” and “Be a Little Quieter”) and of combined pathos and good humor (”My Many Hurried Southern Trips”). 

More to come…

Porter Wagoner “Lonely Coming Down”

“Be a Little Quieter” (#11 country, 1971)

“Albert Erving”

“The Agony of Waiting”

“Late Love of Mine”

“Brother Harold Dee” all of the above from Porter Wagoner Sings His Own (RCA Victor, 1971) 

“My Many Hurried Southern Trips” from Simple As I Am (RCA Victor, 1971)

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