Dolly Parton leads tributes at Porter Wagoner funeral By Pat Harris NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - Dolly Parton led Grand Ole Opry members in a rousing farewell to country singer Porter Wagoner Thursday, but some of his 400 mostly elderly fans who gathered to say goodbye could hardly see her perform.
Wagoner died Sunday at age 80 from lung cancer, ending a long career in country music during which he helped put Parton on the road to stardom when the two sang duets on his TV show. Parton concluded the hour-long tribute held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville by leading her fellow Opry members in "I Saw the Light." But many of Wagoner's fans -- some negotiating stairs with walkers or in wheelchairs -- were relegated to balcony seats on the darkened, uppermost tier of the 4,400-seat auditorium. Only Wagoner's family, friends, and Grand Ole Opry members were permitted on the main floor. "There were plenty of seats," complained 76-year-old Betty Barnett, who came with her husband, Aubrey, from Anderson, South Carolina, to the funeral that was billed as a "celebration of life." "They even took my camera away from me although I told them I would never take photos during anybody's funeral. We weren't even allowed to go inside to take a picture ahead of time which would have been nice to show the folks back home," she said. Twice a year for the past 30 years Barnett has attended the weekly Opry shows. "Who made the Opry? We did, and they treat us like this. I'll bet Porter wouldn't have liked this," she said. Most funerals of country music stars are held in churches, with few restrictions for fans, or at the old Ryman Auditorium downtown, site of the Grand Ole Opry for years. The tribute featured Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs singing Gill's "Go Rest High on That Mountain." Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys delivered "When I Sing for Him" with the Carol Lee Singers, while Marty Stuart performed "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." Recordings and videos filled the remainder of the event, including a recording of the late Roy Acuff performing "Lord, Build Me a Cabin in Gloryland." Kay --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
