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
The Power of Love
Porter Wagoner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love can make you cry like a little bitty child
Oh the power of love can make you sad and lonely
Or want to kick up your heels and face the world with a smile
Love has the power of a giant with a touch like a feather
Love can make your sky turn blue when it's stormy weather
Love can make you feel so cold or burn a hole right through your soul
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
Love can make your whole world shake like a large explosion
Or love can leave you quiet and still if it takes a notion
Love can take you way up high and make you jump thinkin' you can fly
It's a powerful powerful thing the power of love
Oh the power of love...
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
"The Power of Love" by Porter Wagoner is a heartfelt exploration of the immense impact love can have on our emotions and outlook on life. The lyrics suggest that love possesses a power so profound that it can elevate us to great heights or reduce us to vulnerable and childlike states. Love is depicted as a force that has the ability to both bring joy and happiness, as well as sadness and loneliness.
The song acknowledges the duality of love, highlighting its contradictory nature. On one hand, love is described as gentle and soft, like a feather's touch, capable of turning a stormy sky to blue. On the other hand, love can be intense and overwhelming, capable of chilling our hearts or burning through our very souls. Love is portrayed as the most powerful force in the world, capable of evoking a wide range of emotions and affecting us profoundly.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the power of love can make you leap tall buildings
Love has the ability to give you the strength and courage to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Love can make you cry like a little bitty child
Love has the power to evoke profound emotions, bringing tears even to the strongest of individuals.
Oh the power of love can make you sad and lonely
Love can sometimes bring feelings of sadness and loneliness, reminding us of the vulnerability and fragility of our hearts.
Or want to kick up your heels and face the world with a smile
Love can also inspire joy and a zest for life, encouraging us to face challenges with a positive attitude.
Love has the power of a giant with a touch like a feather
Love is both strong and delicate, capable of exerting a tremendous influence while still being gentle and tender.
Love can make your sky turn blue when it's stormy weather
Love can bring a sense of calm and happiness even during difficult times, transforming the gloomiest situations into moments of clarity and beauty.
Love can make you feel so cold or burn a hole right through your soul
Love can evoke extreme emotions, ranging from a sense of emotional distance and detachment to a deep, penetrating connection that profoundly impacts one's core being.
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
Love is regarded as the ultimate force, possessing immense strength and influence over our lives and the world around us.
Oh the power of love...
Continuing to emphasize and marvel at the extraordinary power and impact of love.
Love can make your whole world shake like a large explosion
Love has the potential to disrupt and transform our lives entirely, like a powerful explosion that shakes everything we once knew.
Or love can leave you quiet and still if it takes a notion
Love can also bring a sense of calmness and tranquility, leaving us in a peaceful state of mind and stillness.
Love can take you way up high and make you jump thinkin' you can fly
Love can elevate us to great heights, filling us with a sense of euphoria and empowering us to believe that we can achieve the impossible.
It's a powerful powerful thing the power of love
Undoubtedly, the power of love is an extraordinary and formidable force that holds immense significance and influence.
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
Reiterating the notion that love is the strongest and most influential entity in existence.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON COOK, GARY NICHOLSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind