Country singer, Porter Wagoner died Sunday of lung cancer in Nashville at the ripe old age of 80. Wagoner had been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1957 and had just released the album Wagonmaster in June.
Elvis would have never have been able to don the outlandish costumes of his later career without Wagoner. The singer met their creator, tailor Nudie Cohen at the beginning of his career and Wagoner was one of the first to sport Nudie'''s flashy rhinestone affairs.
He recorded 14 Top 10 hits as part of a duo with Dolly Parton and solo hits included, ''"Company'''s Comin'''''" and ''"Green, Green Grass of Home.''" Wagoner was known also for attempting to bridge the gap between country and soul music and his efforts''inviting James Brown to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and producing an album by Joe Simon''were met with criticism.
