Porter Wagoner - The Carroll County Accident

In this week's episode we're featuring an album from Porter Wagoner put out at the peak of his powers: "The Carroll County Accident" (1969). His syndicated TV show was in it's eighth year of production, Dolly Parton was building up a real head of steam as a solo and a duet act and Wagoner was an established hitmaker. Our feature album has typically solid instrumental support from The Wagonmasters: Buck Trent on his iconic electric banjo, Don Warden on steel guitar and Mack Magaha on fiddle - but in this reviewer's opinion, this album is the sum of it's songwriters. Mel Tillis leant his lyrical talent in "Your Mother's Eyes"; Wagoner's penchant and admiration for bluegrass shone through on Don Reno's "Barefoot Nellie"; Arkansas' Jimmy Driftwood scored a cut with "Black Jack's Bar" and two tracks were credited to some fellow by the name of Louis M. Jones. Dolly Parton, Hank Cochran, Merle Haggard and Joyce McCord (the sister to Wagoner favourite Damon Black) are all in the mix - but one cannot forget the title track. Written by the RCA producer on this album Bob Ferguson ("Wings Of A Dove"), "The Carroll County Accident" supposedly came about between the Carroll counties in both Tennessee and Mississippi (of the thirteen nationwide) and remained one of Porter Wagoner's greatest hits, fitting snugly into his wheelhouse for slightly creepy story songs. An excellent album all around.