Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton

The greatest Country Duet in
Country Music History




Darrin was graduating from the Navy Boot Camp outside of Chicago, and we were going up to see him graduate. We had a new USED, Flivver - a vintage 1976 Buick Custom that had been setting in a garage for years and had low mileage, as well. Sound like a good buy? Not really. As cars set for long periods, tires get hard, hoses get hard, and seals get crispy.

We thought we had all the bugs out of the Buick, when we hit the road. We'd replaced a leaky water pump, checked the tires, and drove it far enough that it looked "good to go!" Well, it wasn't, and close to the Dolly Madison donut factory in Kansas, we had one tire lose its tread, and when he pulled in to replace it, the other was losiing tread quickly.

Now, I had found a tape of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, and we listened to it over and over all the way to Chicago. Dolly and Porter created some of the greatest, pure Country Music for years. The car had a tape player in it.

Oklahoma City was a central point of the Country Nation. The Mathis Brothers Furniture Store and Jude and Jody Furniture Stores had a music program that played on the Saturday TV times when TV time is cheaper. The brothers, both sets, sang and had visitors. Whoever showed up with their bus, found a place to shower and sleep, and even get time on the TV. This is absolutely true. The Mathis Brothers Furniture was the hub of every traveling Country Music Bus on the roads in the 50s and 60s. Didn't know that, did you, Bro Cec? In fact, the Jude and Jody Furniture store is giving away a free Vintage DVD of their old programs for anyone who stops in and buys furniture. Their kids run the stores now, and they are high volume trade stores. No music any more, just regular commercials with the two brothers, one holding a pure bred "Schnotzipoodle" - perfectly trimmed.

Judy and Jody have their commercials done, and their sons usually have a doll in their hand or a Teddy Bear to mock fun at the Mathis Brothers. Mathis probably makes a million a day, right now. They have put two awesome skateboard parks in the city.

Back in the '60s, Country stars like Porter Wagoner, Buck Owens, The Levin Brothers, made their own thirty minute shows, usually played on Saturday afternoon. Porter had lost his girl partner, who moved on, hopefully, to greener pastures. But Porter pulled an 18 year old girl with a silkish, chipmunk voice named Dolly Parton, out of the open mike restaurants and boy, did they change the industry.


Back through the years
I go wonderin’ once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags that someone gave us
And how my momma put the rags to use
There were rags of many colors
Every piece was small
And I didn’t have a coat
And it was way down in the fall
Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin’ every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of
As she sewed, she told a story
From the bible, she had read
About a coat of many colors
Joseph wore and then she said
Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn’t wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss
Chorus:

My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

So with patches on my britches
Holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colors
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

And oh I couldn’t understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told ’em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes

But they didn’t understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me


Now Bro Cecil doesn't know this, but Porter Wagoner is kin to us on the Wright side of the family, ... or our father's side. If you asked Porter, he would deny it, but his roots are firmly planted in Cook County, Tennissee where our Grandma Hill came from.

"It was odd," said my mother. "When it came time for the Porter Wagoner Show in your father's family, every one would get quiet, speaking not a word, listening to Porter." Porter Wagoner was a great song writer and had a "port-folio" filled with promising songs.

It must have been good for Dolly, because she became one of the great writers of songs, Country, soft listener, and somewhat poppish music of her time. Her song, Working 9 'til 5, became not only a hit, but a song for a series of critically released weekly, fun-loving shows by the same name that lasted several years. Dolly is now working on a Broadway production for 9-5.

I have a CD of "The Greatest Wedding Songs" on it, and there with all those others, including, "Here Comes The Bride," and Paul Stookies "The Wedding Song," was Dolly's "And I will Always Love you." She wrote the song after Parton left Wagoner, and the break-up had hurt Wagoner big time. He filed suite, and she paid him a million dollars to get out from under him. But Dolly was going no where on his program, and she wanted more than to be recognized as the girl who sings with Porter. Believe me, she did.

Dolly Parton is now recognized well beyond just a Country Singer. She has had lots of great parts in movies, and was in one that received an Oscar, ... "Steel Magnolias," about a lady who was diabetic and chose to have babies, even though she knew it could and did kill her. Dolly played, herself, of course, as the local hair dresser, who looked and dressed like the town's tramp. She owns all of her songs with copyrights on all of them, just like Ray Charles. Sharp Cookie.

Elvis wanted to sing her, "And I Will Always Love You," but his manager said that he always received 50% royalty on all songs he sings. Dolly hated it, but she said no. "I own it; it has already proven that it is a worthy song, one that I wanted Elvis to sing. But I have to turn him down."

Whitney Houston made a big hit out of "I Will Always Love You," Vince Gill and Dolly made a duet hit out of it once again. If she had gone the Elvis way, Elvis would have gotten half the millions that Dolly made on that song.

While Parton blossomed, Wagoner aged, and usually would appear at the Gaylord Country Music Park to sign autographs. Then, like Willie Nelson, Porter was hit with a 2 million dollar IRS debt. He was facing sure bankruptcy, and Dolly stepped in and bought his song collection for 2 million dollars, and sold them back to him for a dollar.

Both are doing well in Nashville now. Dolly had met a car dealership owner in Nashville and married him with no children. I figure it was Dolly's choice. Three years ago, her husband died, and Dolly went into a grieving time that lasted for three years. But she is back with a new album and tending to her "DollyWood" Amusement Park, just east of Nashville. So, the big question now is, which duo song do I like best. All of them are incredible, but one has been rated as the greatest duet in Country Music History. "Just Someone I Used To Know." But, I can't get by without, proudly displaying some of their other incredible song history. Listen to the following:"Please Don't Stop Loving Me," "Better Move It On Home," and "Is Forever Longer Than Always." Oh, yes, :"If Tear Drops Were Pennies." But, I am prejudice. I think the duo can never be unseated as the greatest Country Duo in the history of the business.

Now the strange thing is, ..., as I am writing this on my laptop, I switched to A&E Documentary on none other than the Dolly Parton was being shown. Dolly Parton, now keeps a full town in jobs with her Dollywood Attraction. I guess, we will have to go see Dollywood. So, get your teacher to get a copy of A and E's Documentary on Dolly, sit back, and have fun. Life dreams can really can true in the United States.

So, your job, if you choose to do it, is go to iTunes and do a search for all Dolly Parton songs. The one that gets the right number, gets a candied Apple with peanut butter in the middle of it.