His first band, The Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM from a butcher shop in his native West Plains, Missouri where Wagoner cut meat. Wagoner's big break came in 1951, when he was hired as a performer by station KWTO in Springfield, Missouri. This led to a contract with RCA Records. With lagging sales, Wagoner and his trio played schoolhouses for the gate proceeds.
In 1953, his song entitled "Trademark" became a hit for Carl Smith, followed by a few hits of his own on RCA. He was a featured performer on ABC's Ozark Jubilee and moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1957.
Wagoner was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. His 81 charted records include "Satisfied Mind" (#1, 1955), “Misery Loves Company” (#1, 1962), “I've Enjoyed As Much of This As I Can Stand” (#7, 1962–1963), “Sorrow on the Rocks” (#5, 1964), “Green, Green Grass of Home” (#4, 1965), “Skid Row Joe” (#3, 1965–1966), “The Cold Hard Facts of Life” (#2, 1967), and “The Carroll County Accident” (#2, 1968–1969). Among his hit duets with Dolly Parton were a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" (1967), "We'll Get Ahead Someday" (1968), "Just Someone I Used To Know" (1969), "Better Move it on Home" (1971), "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" (#1, 1974) and "Making Plans" (#2, 1980). He also won three Grammy Awards for gospel recordings.
The Porter Wagoner Show ran on syndicated television from 1960 to 1981. There were 686 thirty minute episodes filmed, the first 104 being shot in black and white, the remainder in color. At its peak, it was featured in over 100 markets, with an average viewership of over three million. Reruns of the program currently air on the rural cable network RFD-TV.
Wagoner brought James Brown to the Grand Ole Opry, produced a rhythm & blues album for Joe Simon, and appeared in the Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man. [1] During the mid 1980s, Wagoner formed an all girl group called The Right Combination which was named after one of Porter and Dolly Parton's hit records. He also hosted "Opry Backstage" during the 1990s on The Nashville Network where he interviewed guests. Though Parton's departure caused some animosity on both sides, the two reconciled in the late 1980s and have appeared together a number of times in the years since; Parton inducted Wagoner into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
Wagoner made a guest appearance on the HBO comedy series Da Ali G Show, being interviewed by the fictional character Borat, in its second season.
On July 14, 2006, Wagoner was hospitalized and underwent surgery for an abdominal aneurysm.
Wagoner was honored on May 19, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry for both his fifty years of membership and his 80th birthday. This was telecast on GAC's Grand Ole Opry Live that day with artists such as Stuart, Parton, and Patty Loveless. Grand Ole Opry Live host Nan Kelley was part of the birthday celebration as well.
On June 05, 2007, Wagoner released his final album called Wagonmaster. The album was produced by Marty Stuart for the Anti-label. This album received the best reviews ever in Porter's career and briefly charted on the country charts.
Wagoner also toured during the summer of 2007 to promote the album. One of these was opening for the rock group The White Stripes at a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Wagoner's publicist Darlene Bieber announced on October 19, 2007 that the singer had been hospitalized and was in very serious condition. WSMV-TV reported that Wagoner was admitted earlier that week for observation from an illness. Bieber gave no further information but said that the country star was asking for prayers from his family and fans.
On October 21, 2007, his publicist confirmed that Wagoner had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
On October 26, 2007, Porter was released into hospice care. He died two days later in Nashville, Tennessee. Wagoner's funeral was held on November 1, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry House followed by interrment at the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.
Up until his illness and death, he appeared regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and toured actively.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frosty The Snowman
Porter Wagoner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the Snowman was a fairy tale they say,
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found,
He began to dance around.
Oh, Frosty the Snowman was alive as he could be;
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me.
Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,
Look at Frosty go; Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump
Over the hills of snow.
Oh, Frosty the Snowman knew the sun was hot that day,
So he said, Let's run, and we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away.
Down to the village with a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all around the square,
Saying catch me if you can. He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop, And he only paused a moment, when
He heard him holler, Stop!
So Frosty the Snowman had to hurry on his way; But he waved good-bye, saying, Don't you cry, I'll be back again someday. Thumpety thump, thump...
The lyrics to the song 'Frosty the Snowman' describe the character as a jolly and happy soul made out of snow. The description of his corncob pipe, a button nose and two eyes made out of coal add some physical features which are usually associated with snowmen. However, the song also calls Frosty a fairytale, suggesting it is just a make-believe character, but the children know how he came to life one day. The song suggests that Frosty came to life due to some magic in an old silk hat they found. Once the hat is put on his head, Frosty starts to dance around, alive as he could be. In a way, the song is a heartwarming tale of a make-believe character coming to life and playing with the children before he melts away.
The song brings out a desirable element of childhood fantasies and imagination, where a snowman could come to life and play with children. The descriptive language used in the song, (Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump over the hills of snow) adds to the joyful and playful nature of Frosty. Additionally, the fact that Frosty knew he was not to last long due to the hot sun makes him cherish the moment and enjoy himself more. Ultimately, the song portrays the idea that moments shared and cherished even once can stay in our hearts and inspire our imaginations and joy for a lifetime.
Line by Line Meaning
Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul,
Frosty the Snowman was a merry, joyous person,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
He had a corncob pipe and a nose made of a button,
And two eyes made out of coal.
Also, his eyes were fashioned from coal.
Frosty the Snowman was a fairy tale they say,
People consider Frosty a folktale,
He was made of snow, but the children know
Although he was made of snow, kids know what happened next,
How he came to life one day.
How he was brought to life one day.
There must have been some magic
Maybe there was some enchantment,
In that old silk hat they found,
In the old hat they located,
For when they put it on his head
When they placed the hat on his head,
He began to dance around.
He started to dance happily.
Oh, Frosty the Snowman was alive as he could be;
Frosty the Snowman was as lively as he could be.
And the children say he could laugh and play
And children claimed that he could laugh and enjoy himself
Just the same as you and me.
Just like you and me.
Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,
Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,
Look at Frosty go;
Observe Frosty's movement;
Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump
Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump
Over the hills of snow.
Across the snowy hills.
Oh, Frosty the Snowman knew the sun was hot that day,
Frosty the Snowman knew the sun was hot that particular day,
So he said, Let's run, and we'll have some fun
So he said, 'Let's run and have a good time before I melt away.'
Now before I melt away.
Before I dissolve away.
Down to the village with a broomstick in his hand,
He went down to the village with a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all around the square,
Running back and forth throughout the plaza,
Saying catch me if you can.
And saying, 'Try to catch me if you can.'
He led them down the streets of town
He guided them along the city's streets
Right to the traffic cop,
Straight to the traffic police officer,
And he only paused a moment, when
Where he briefly paused before
He heard him holler, Stop!
Hearing the cop shout, 'Stop!'
So Frosty the Snowman had to hurry on his way;
So Frosty had to rapidly continue his journey.
But he waved good-bye, saying, Don't you cry,
But he bade farewell, saying, 'Don't worry,'
I'll be back again someday.
I'll return someday.
Thumpety thump, thump...
Thumpety thump, thump...
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jack Rollins, Steve Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind