Porter Wagoner was a fascinating character that's for sure. A star of the Grand Olé Opry, famous for wearing a range of garish rhinestone Nudie and Manuel suits, but unafraid to explore the darker side of life. 'The Rubber Room', a fabulous compilation from 2006, pulls together the bleaker and stranger strands of his long recording career. For bleak try 'The Party', a 1968 duet with Dolly Parton. And strange? They don't come much stranger than the 1972 title track.
Porter Wagoner - The Rubber Room
Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton - The Party
5 comments:
A fascinating character is right. Friends with James Brown and producer of an album by Joe Simon, saying he didn't see much difference between "black music and country music". And he always looked great in a Nudie Cohen suit!
A real one off, old Porter. Close to the bone. I actually can't bring myself to listen to 'The Party' right now having encountered it before.
I love his version of Johnny Cash's Committed to Parkview
I was feeling kind of lowdown this morning, and along came your post to set things right again. By the time Porter's voice hit maximum reverb on "Rubber Room" I was back on top of the world. . . . Then the guilt ridden Southern gothic of P & D's "The Party." My day is made . . . !
Oh my - Strange indeed and as for The Party, I had a suspicion it would end that way half way through. How to end a Friday night!
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