Whatever happened to Mac Magaha of the Wagonmasters?!
Question:
Whatever happened to Mac Magaha of the Wagonmasters?
He was the animated fiddler on the Porter Wagoner Show
Answers:
Porter Wagoner (born August 12, 1927, in West Plains, Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains) is an American country music singer. Famous for his flashy Nudie suits and blonde pompadour, Wagoner introduced a young Dolly Parton to his long-running television show. Together, "Porter and Dolly" were a well-known duet team for many years. After they split, Parton wrote the song "I Will Always Love You" about him.
His first band, The Blue Ridge Boys, performed on radio station KWPM from a butcher shop in West Plains, Missouri where Wagoner cut meat. Wagoner's big break came in 1951, when he was hired as a performer by station KWTO in Springfield, Missouri. This led to a contract with RCA Records. With lagging sales, Wagoner and his trio played schoolhouses for the gate proceeds.
In 1953, his song entitled "Trademark" became a hit for Carl Smith, followed by a few hits of his own on RCA. He was a featured performer on ABC's Ozark Mountain Jubilee and moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1957.
The Porter Wagoner Show ran on syndicated television from 1960 to 1979. There were 686 thirty minute episodes filmed, the first 104 being shot in black and white, the remainder in color. At its peak, it was featured in over 100 markets, with three million-plus viewers.
[edit] The Regular Cast Included
Singer Norma Jean (Beasler) 1960-1967
Singer Dolly Parton 1967-1974
Singer Mel Tillis
Comedian Speck Rhodes
Announcer Don Howser
The house band, The Wagonmasters
Buck Trent on banjo and guitar
George McCormick on rhythm guitar
Don Warden on steel guitar
Mack Magaha on fiddle
Michael Treadwell on bass
The Best of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, RCA, 1971
[edit] Chart success
Wagoner was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. His 81 charted records include “Misery Loves Company” (#1, 1962), “I've Enjoyed As Much of This As I Can Stand” (#7, 1962–1963), “Sorrow on the Rocks” (#5, 1964), “Green, Green Grass of Home” (#4, 1965), “Skid Row Joe” (#3, 1965–1966), “The Cold Hard Facts of Life” (#2, 1967), and “The Carroll County Accident” (#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), and "Better Move it on Home" (1970). He also won three Grammy Awards for gospel recordings.
[edit] Later career
Wagoner's lastest album Wagonmaster.He has produced many records and appeared in the Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man. Wagoner's positive attitude and engaging persona have made him an ambassador for country music. He appears regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and tours actively as he approaches 80 years of age. He also made a guest appearance on the HBO comedy series "Da Ali G Show", being interviewed by the fictional character Borat in its second season. Though Parton's departure caused some animosity on both sides, the two reconciled in the late 1980s and have appeared together a number of times in the years since; Parton inducted Wagoner into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
On July 14, 2006, Wagoner was hospitalized and underwent surgery for an abdominal aneurysm.
On June 05, 2007, Wagoner released his latest album called "Wagonmaster". The album is produced by Marty Stuart for the Anti-label.