Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Right Combination


OK, now I've been thinkin' about The Porter Wagoner Show all night. And it occurs to me that the hokey down-home trappings and its popularity with Southern working-class folk like my parents obscured some cultural treasures.

You look at the show in all its 1960-1980 Nashville glory, and what meets the eye is pickup trucks and Red Man. But from 1967-74 -- the tenure of the young Dolly Parton -- what you had was a pairing of a country-music legend and a country-music legend to be.

What you also had was, in Dolly Parton, one of the best songwriters ever. And a parade of guest stars encompassing the golden era of country music.

Sponsored by Black Draught laxative. That's so whack . . . it's cool.

So sit right back, friends and neighbors, and watch this great duet by Porter and Dolly, "The Last Thing On My Mind."

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