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
I'll Go Down Swinging
Porter Wagoner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All she does is put me on and put me down
Tonight, she's with a stranger at a party in her home
And I'm here at the tavern, gettin' stoned
'Cause if I gotta go, I'll go down swinging
Where there's lights and laughter
Booze and blondes and lots of sad, sad singing
At least I'll go down swinging, what a swinging way to go
I'll dance with all the girls and buy the wine
Play the jukebox 'til I'm down to my last dime
She thinks she made a fool of me by loving someone else
She should see me make a fool out of myself
'Cause if I gotta go, I'll go down swingin'
Where there's lights and laughter
Booze and blondes and lots of sad, sad singing
I'll sober up tomorrow and cry all day I know
At least I'll go down swinging, what a swinging way to go
In Porter Wagoner's song, "I'll Go Down Swinging," the singer is lamenting about his unrequited love. The person he loves wants nothing to do with him and he's feeling quite down about it. As he wallows in self-pity, he learns that she's at a party with a stranger, which only amplifies his pain. In response, he decides to go out to a tavern to drown his sorrows. Despite his sadness, he resolves to go down "swinging" and have a good time in the process. He'll dance with all the girls, buy the wine, and play the jukebox until he's down to his last dime. The singer admits that he knows he'll feel terrible the next day when he sobers up, but at least he'll have gone down swinging – a "swinging" way to go.
Overall, the song portrays the dichotomy of heartbreak and resilience. The singer is quite heartbroken over his unrequited love, yet he doesn't let that stop him from enjoying himself. The song is almost like a self-empowerment anthem, telling the singer to live in the moment and not wallow in heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
The one I love don't want me hangin' 'round
My significant other does not want me to be around them.
All she does is put me on and put me down
She constantly alternates between liking and disliking me.
Tonight, she's with a stranger at a party in her home
My significant other is currently with someone else at a party happening in their house.
And I'm here at the tavern, gettin' stoned
I am at a pub, getting high from smoking a substance.
'Cause if I gotta go, I'll go down swinging
If I have to leave this world, I will leave on my own terms and fighting until the end.
Where there's lights and laughter
I'll die in a place that is full of happiness and joy.
Booze and blondes and lots of sad, sad singing
There will be alcohol, women with blonde hair and lots of depressing music playing.
I'll sober up tomorrow and cry all day I know
Even though I will try to sober up the next day, I will be filled with regret and sadness.
At least I'll go down swinging, what a swinging way to go
At least I won't go down without a fight, and it will be a memorable way to die.
I'll dance with all the girls and buy the wine
I will dance with all the women I can and buy drinks for everyone.
Play the jukebox 'til I'm down to my last dime
I will play the jukebox songs until I have no money left.
She thinks she made a fool of me by loving someone else
My significant other believes that they have humiliated me by falling in love with another person.
She should see me make a fool out of myself
I will show my significant other that they did not make a fool out of me, as I am willing to embarrass myself in front of everyone.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bill Anderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben Giarraputo
Love it!!!!! Now that's country music!!❤❤☺☺
Rhoda wurgler
Porter could sing anything and I would love it. This is one of my favorites. Classic. Miss you Porter
Ben Giarraputo
Im totally addicted to this style of music. I can't get enough...
MsBeaver2011
LOVE this kind of music!
earl slot
so do i . thank god for youtube
Brian Charette
That Buck Trent unique banjo was what really made Porter's songs so fantastic!
Sonny Dave
Buck's banjo is in a class with the pedal steel.
Ethereal Catholic
+Sonny Dave I wish modern country singers would record on 16 track mono with reverb and lots of steel guitar.
Will Wipf
This is such a good country song ,he was a great artist
Appletree
Loved this kind of music!!!