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Porter Wagoner walked a very strange line. In the spirit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Wagoner's music had a crazy duality. He could play heartfelt country songs with soulful grit one moment, and then instantly and effortlessly deliver an unintentionally campy, overly maudlin, sappy narrative. He was one of the first country music artists to utilize television in the 1950s, donning flashy rodeo tailored suits and a cheesy but loveable stage persona. Wagoner formed his skilled and tasteful backing group the Wagonmasters in 1957 when he moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry. In 1967, a young and relatively unknown Dolly Parton was hired to accompany Wagoner on the show, and the following year, the two cut a hit duet with "The Last Thing on My Mind." This chart-topper inspired a string of hits for the two until the mid-'70s when Parton perused a solo career against Wagoner's wishes. Wagoner retired from recording in the early 1980s and seldom performs.
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