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
God
Porter Wagoner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And bravely she red from the Bible and begged them to turn from the sins
Oh come into Jesus she pleaded he'll be your step in the rock
When one of the drinkers said to her (why I don't believe in your God)
The silence that followed was awful the others just stood there in fear
But the drunk just kept laughin' and sayin' why doesn't your Jesus appear
Then one of the others who stood there said that's enough of that now
Why you're only a bum and a drunker and nothin' that you can say
Would reach up to God in heaven ans make him go out of his way
And then came the voice of a starnger who stood just outside at the door
The stranger who simply was passing by for no one had seen him before
Oh listen to me all you people the place lit up as he smiled
Our Lord marks the fall of a sparrow and every man is his child
There's none so great or so lowly that God's sweet mercy denies
And even the ones who denounce him will never be lost in his eyes
And then he lifted his right hand and smiled up on everyone
And the last words he said were like music I know because I am his son
Now each who was there will remember those words to his very last day
When Jesus appeared in a barroom and told the God's wonderful way
The song "God's Wonderful Way" by Porter Wagoner tells the story of a gospel singer who walks into a barroom on a Saturday night and tries to persuade the drinkers to turn from their sins and come to Jesus. The singer pleads with the drinkers to accept Jesus as their rock, but one of them, a drunken man, mocks her and declares that he doesn't believe in God. The other drinkers stand silent, unsure of how to react to the man's mockery. But then a stranger appears at the door, and the mood in the bar changes. The stranger tells the drinkers that no one is too great or too lowly to receive God's mercy, and that even those who denounce him will never be lost in his eyes. The stranger lifts his hand and smiles upon everyone, saying that he knows God's wonderful way because he is God's son.
The song "God's Wonderful Way" is a poignant reminder that God's love and mercy are available to everyone, no matter how lost or broken they may be. It also emphasizes the importance of sharing the gospel message with others, even in unlikely places like a barroom. This song is a powerful testament to the transformative power of faith, and it shows that even those who may seem far from God's grace can be reached and redeemed through His love.
Line by Line Meaning
One Saturday night in a barroom a gospel singer walked in
On a Saturday night in a barroom, a gospel singer arrived.
And bravely she red from the Bible and begged them to turn from the sins
The gospel singer boldly read from the Bible and urged them to repent of their sins.
Oh come into Jesus she pleaded he'll be your step in the rock
She implored them to come to Jesus, who would be their rock and support.
When one of the drinkers said to her (why I don't believe in your God)
One of the drinkers expressed disbelief in her God.
The silence that followed was awful the others just stood there in fear
The silence that followed was tense, and the others were afraid.
But the drunk just kept laughin' and sayin' why doesn't your Jesus appear
The drunk continued to laugh and asked why Jesus doesn't appear.
Then one of the others who stood there said that's enough of that now
Another person intervened and said that it was enough.
What lead you to think that Lord Jesus would bother with you anyhow
They asked why Jesus would even bother with someone like him.
Why you're only a bum and a drunker and nothin' that you can say
They pointed out that he was just a drunkard and had nothing valuable to say.
Would reach up to God in heaven ans make him go out of his way
They believed that nothing he said would be worthy of God's attention.
And then came the voice of a starnger who stood just outside at the door
A stranger's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
The stranger who simply was passing by for no one had seen him before
He was a stranger who had not been seen there before and was just passing by.
Oh listen to me all you people the place lit up as he smiled
The stranger addressed everyone, and his smile lit up the room.
Our Lord marks the fall of a sparrow and every man is his child
He explained that the Lord watches even a sparrow's fall and that everyone is his child.
There's none so great or so lowly that God's sweet mercy denies
He asserted that God's mercy is available to everyone, regardless of their status.
And even the ones who denounce him will never be lost in his eyes
Even those who reject him will never be lost to him.
And then he lifted his right hand and smiled up on everyone
He raised his right hand and smiled at everyone.
And the last words he said were like music I know because I am his son
His final words were beautiful, and he identified himself as God's son.
Now each who was there will remember those words to his very last day
Those who were there will remember his words forever.
When Jesus appeared in a barroom and told the God's wonderful way
It felt like Jesus had appeared in the barroom and explained God's amazing plan.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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