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
Living in the past
Porter Wagoner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm crying in my sleep my dreams won't come true
I'm living in the past with mem'ries of you
You say you've found a new love and I should find one too
You tell me to forget you that's something I can't do
I'm living in the past I guess I can't learn
I'm hoping that someday my love you'll return
[ fiddle - steel ]
You tell me to forget you that's something I can't do
I'm praying night and day that you're sorry too
I'm living in the past dear what about you
Porter Wagoner's song "Living in the Past" tells the story of a man left behind by his former lover. He is lost and alone, unable to move on and forget about the deep love he once had. The lyrics are filled with raw emotion as the singer shares his pain of crying in his sleep and hoping for a chance to see his love again. He is living on memories and longing for the day when she will return.
The song captures the universal feeling of heartbreak and the struggle to let go of someone you deeply love. The singer knows that he should move on and forget about his former lover, but he simply can't. He is stuck in the past and unable to progress. The use of the fiddle and steel guitar adds a mournful tone to the song, which further emphasizes the emotional depth of the lyrics.
Overall, "Living in the Past" is a powerful song that speaks to the struggles of the human heart when it comes to love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm living in the past a life I once knew you left me behind what else can I do
I am still stuck in the life we used to have together, and even though you have moved on without me, I don't know how to do the same.
I'm crying in my sleep my dreams won't come true
I am so distraught that I cannot even find peace when I sleep, and my hopes and aspirations for the future have all died with our love.
I'm living in the past with mem'ries of you
All I have now are the memories we made together, and they are the only thing that keeps me from completely losing my mind.
You say you've found a new love and I should find one too
You have moved on and found happiness with someone else, but you want me to do the same and not hold onto hope for our past love.
You tell me to forget you that's something I can't do
You urge me to let go of my feelings for you, but my heart simply won't allow me to forget about the love we once shared.
I'm living in the past I guess I can't learn
I know that I probably should move on and learn to live without you, but I just can't seem to make that step forward.
I'm hoping that someday my love you'll return
Despite everything, what I want more than anything is for you to come back to me and for us to find our way back to love together again.
[ fiddle - steel ]
Instrumental break.
You say you've found a new love and I should find one too
You have moved on and found happiness with someone else, but you want me to do the same and not hold onto hope for our past love.
You tell me to forget you that's something I can't do
You urge me to let go of my feelings for you, but my heart simply won't allow me to forget about the love we once shared.
I'm praying night and day that you're sorry too
I spend every waking moment hoping that you feel the same way about us as I do, and that you also regret letting our love fall apart.
I'm living in the past dear what about you
I am stuck in the past with my memories of us, but I wonder if you also think back on our relationship, or if you are already fully immersed in your new life without me.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: CELIA FERGUSON, SANDRA FERGUSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind