The depraved inhabitants of a tavern, from a nineteenth century temperance play.

The town drunk (also called a tavern fool) is a stock character, almost always male, who is drunk more often than sober.

The town drunk typically dwells in a small enough town that he is the only conspicuous alcoholic. Larger cities may have more than one, but this term appears to come from around the 17th century; in the stereotype, when a city grows large enough to house a sufficient mass of town drunks, the area where they congregate becomes known as Skid Row.

Uses in fiction[link]

In fiction, the town drunk character serves a number of functions.

• The town drunk may serve merely as a moral example and object lesson on the evils of drunkenness. This approach to the character is associated with the "temperance" movement, and peaked at the start of the twentieth century. The notorious Prohibition play Ten Nights in a Barroom portrays the inevitable fall into destitute drunkenness of a person who dared to take that "Fatal Glass of Beer", the title of another period drama working this vein. A town drunk who appears in Our Town by Thornton Wilder is perhaps the most often seen example of this version of the character.^[1] Pap Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is another famous example. In modern fiction, which tends to reflect the contemporary influences of the sobriety movement, the town drunk may get sober and set about revitalizing his life.^[2]
• The town drunk may play the role of the fool as a source of comic relief.^[3] "Otis" from The Andy Griffith Show is this type of town drunk, as shown in the character of Bobby Singer in the CW series Supernatural, and as are many of the denizens of Moe's Tavern from The Simpsons such as Barney Gumble.^[4] In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the Porter who appears in Act II, Scene 3, is also a type of "comic relief" drunk who serves to temporarily lighten the mood of the play right after a heinous regicide has taken place.
• In a similar vein, the town drunk may serve as a semi-comic proxy for the Wise Old Man. He may disrupt public meetings, either for comic effect, or by dispensing what proves to be wisdom in a garbled and comic form. Or, in this incarnation, the character may introduce the hero to some of the worldlier sorts of wisdom, as well as forming a contrast to his truly heroic character. One prototype for this version of the town drunk is supplied by Shakespeare's Falstaff, who appears in both parts of Henry IV and in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Another would be the drunk who appears in Team America: World Police at the low point of the film, where his drunken ramblings inspire the hero to save the world.

Antecedents[link]

Because the town drunk is notable only for drinking heavily, there are relatively few historical figures who inform the stereotype of the town drunk. However, Mad Jack Mytton and his antics would appear to be a historical example. Mytton is an example of one variation on the character, the drunken aristocrat; another example, more frequently found in British humour than American, is the drunken clergyman. American humor, by contrast, is likely to produce a drunken politician, from a local mayor to a Senator – as in, for example, the ending of National Lampoon's Animal House, revealing the future "Senator and Mrs. Blutarksi". A number of writers and artists have gained some notoriety from eccentric public performances while intoxicated; Brendan Behan and Dylan Thomas are particularly notorious in this respect. The comedian W. C. Fields and his movie performances are often classic examples of the character.

The rake is another stock character associated with heavy drinking. However, the rake is invariably much younger than the town drunk, and the designation casts attention on sexual excess and spending money more than on strong drink.

References[link]

1. ^ Walter J. Engler, "A Project on Our Town for Communication Classes", College English, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Dec., 1952), pp. 150–156
2. ^ John E. Richters and Dante Cicchetti, "Mark Twain Meets DSM-III-R: Conduct Disorder, Development, and the Concept of Harmful Dysfunction", in Development and Psychopathology 5 (Cambridge, 1993), pp. 5–29
3. ^ P. F. Murphy, "Living by His Wits: The Buffoon and Male Survival", in Signs 2006 vol 31, num. 4, pp. 1125–1142.
4. ^ B. Wills, T. Erickson, "Drug- and Toxin-Associated Seizures", in Medical Clinics of North America, vol. 89, no. 6, Pages 1297–1321.

Porter Wagoner
Wagoner at the Grand Ole Opry in 1999
Background information
Birth name	Porter Wayne Wagoner
Also known as	Mr. Grand Ole Opry
Born	(1927-08-12)August 12, 1927 West Plains, Missouri, USA
Died	October 28, 2007(2007-10-28) (aged 80) Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Genres	country music, gospel
Occupations	country music singer and songwriter
Instruments	acoustic guitar
Years active	1951–2007
Labels	RCA Victor (1951 – 1980) Shell Point (2000 – 2002) TeeVee (2003 – 2006) Anti (2007)
Associated acts	Norma Jean Dolly Parton
Website	porterwagoner.com

Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced a then little known Dolly Parton on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Known as Mr. Grand Ole Opry, Wagoner charted 81 singles from 1954–1983. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early life and career[link]

Wagoner was born in West Plains, Missouri, the son of Bertha May (née Bridges) and Charles E. Wagoner, a farmer.^[1] His first band, The Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM-AM from a butcher shop in his native West Plains, Missouri where Wagoner cut meat. In 1951, he was hired by Si Siman as a performer on KWTO-AM in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] This led to a contract with RCA Victor.

With lagging sales, Wagoner and his trio played schoolhouses for the gate proceeds; but in 1953, his song "Trademark" became a hit for Carl Smith, followed by a few hits of his own on RCA. Starting in 1955, he was a featured performer on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri. He often appeared on the show as part of the Porter Wagoner Trio with Don Warden and Speedy Haworth. Warden, on steel guitar, became Wagoner's long-time business manager. In 1957, Wagoner and Warden moved to Nashville, Tennessee, joining the Grand Ole Opry.^[2]

Like many of his contemporaries in country music, Wagoner toured and performed outdoors for fans at American Legion houses in rural towns. Fans sat on wooden benches facing what was often a makeshift stage. Wagoner would mingle with the audience during performance breaks and usually remembered the names of the towns he visited.

Chart success[link]

Wagoner's 81 charted records include "A Satisfied Mind" (No. 1, 1955), “Misery Loves Company” (No. 1, 1962), “I've Enjoyed as Much of This as I Can Stand” (No. 7, 1962–1963), “Sorrow on the Rocks” (No. 5, 1964), “Green, Green Grass of Home” (No. 4, 1965), “Skid Row Joe” (No. 3, 1965–1966), “The Cold Hard Facts of Life” (No. 2, 1967), and “The Carroll County Accident” (No. 2, 1968–1969).

Among his hit duets with Dolly Parton were a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" (1967), "We'll Get Ahead Someday" (1968), "Just Someone I Used to Know" (1969), "Better Move it on Home" (1971), "The Right Combination" (1972), "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" (No. 1, 1974) and "Making Plans" (No. 2, 1980). He also won three Grammy Awards for gospel recordings.

Television series[link]

His syndicated television program, The Porter Wagoner Show, aired from 1960 to 1981. There were 686 30-minute episodes taped; the first 104 (1960–66) in black-and-white and the remainder (1966–81) in color. At its peak, his show was featured in over 100 markets, with an average viewership of over three million.^{[citation needed]} Reruns of the program air on the rural cable network RFD-TV and its sister channel in the UK Rural TV.

The shows usually featured opening performances by Wagoner with performances by Norma Jean, or later Parton, and comedic interludes by Rhodes. During Parton's tenure, she and Wagoner usually sang a duet (Wagoner did not perform any duets with Norma Jean).^{[citation needed]} Each episode also featured a guest who would usually perform one or two songs. A spiritual or gospel performance was almost always featured toward the end of the show; generally performed by either Wagoner or Parton, or the show's guest star, or occasionally the entire cast.

The shows had a friendly, informal feel, with Wagoner trading jokes with band members (frequently during songs) and exchanging banter with Parton and Howser. Parton wrote the song "I Will Always Love You" after Wagoner suggested she shift from story songs to focus on love songs.^[3]

Wagoner's stage alter ego was Skid Row Joe. The cast included:

• Singer Norma Jean (1960–1965)
• Singer Jeannie Seely (1965–1966)
• Singer Dolly Parton (1966–1974)
• Singer Barbara Lea (1974–1976)
• Singer Linda Carol Moore (1976–1981)
• Singer Colene Walters (1994–1995)
• Singer Mel Tillis (regular guest)
• Comedian/stand-up bass Curly Harris (1960–mid-60s)
• Comedian/stand-up bass Speck Rhodes (mid-1960s onward)
• Announcer Don Howser
• The house band, The Wagonmasters:

Benny Williams on guitar

Buck Trent on banjo and guitar

George McCormick on rhythm guitar

Don Warden on steel guitar

"Little" Jack Little on drums

Mack Magaha on fiddle

Ray Downs on rhythm guitar and vocal

Michael Treadwell on bass guitar

After 1974:

Fred Newell on banjo/guitar/mandolin

Dave Kirby on guitar

Stu Basor on steel guitar/dobro

Bobby Dyson on bass

Jerry Carey on drums

Mack Magaha on fiddle

Later work[link]

Wagoner brought James Brown to the Grand Ole Opry, produced a rhythm & blues album for Joe Simon, and appeared in the Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man.^[4] During the mid-1980s, Wagoner formed an all-girl group, The Right Combination, named after one of his hit records with Parton. He also hosted Opry Backstage during the 1990s on The Nashville Network. Though Parton's departure caused some animosity on both sides, the two reconciled in the late 1980s and appeared together a number of times in the following years; Parton inducted Wagoner into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002.

Wagoner made a guest appearance on the HBO comedy series Da Ali G Show in 2004, its second season, interviewed by Borat Sagdiyev.

On July 14, 2006, he underwent surgery for an abdominal aneurysm.^{[citation needed]}

Wagoner was honored on May 19, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry for both his 50 years of membership and his 80th birthday. It was telecast on GAC's Grand Ole Opry Live that day with artists such as Parton, Stuart and Patty Loveless. Grand Ole Opry Live host Nan Kelley was part of the birthday celebration as well.

On June 5, 2007, Wagoner released his final album called Wagonmaster. The album was produced by Marty Stuart for the Anti- label. The album received the best reviews of Wagoner's career and briefly charted on the country charts. He also toured during the summer of 2007 to promote the album. One of these was to open for the rock group The White Stripes at a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Family[link]

Wagoner was married twice, to Velma Johnson for less than a year in 1943; and then to Ruth Olive Williams from 1946 to 1986, though they separated 20 years before the divorce. He was survived by his three children, Richard, Denise and Debra.^[5]

Death[link]

Until his illness and death, Wagoner appeared regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and toured actively. He died from lung cancer^[6] in Nashville on October 28, 2007.^[7] Wagoner's funeral was held November 1, 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry House. He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville.

Dolly Parton performed a concert at her Tennessee theme park, Dollywood, in his memory after his death.

Porter Wagoner Boulevard in his native West Plains, Missouri is named in his honor.

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wagoner albums and photos
• Porter Wagoner MySpace page
• Porter Wagoner at the Country Music Hall of Fame
• Porter Wagoner obituary
• Porter Wagoner obituary in The New York Times