One of my co-workers sidled up to me today and said, “You know a lot about music. Was Porter Wagoner a big deal?”

Jesus Christ, did I feel old. Yes, Porter Wagoner was a big deal. I always thought of him and Buck Owens as the Bakersfield Sound Guys, with that snapping, twangy guitar that Dwight Yoakam — and rockers like Dave Alvin and even John Fogerty — channel so well today.

He was always on TV when I was a kid, hosting his own show or the Opry, wearing those Nudie’s of Hollywood suits and — for years — singing with Dolly Parton. She wrote “I Will Always Love You” for him.

Wagoner’s music is a long way removed from what passes for country today, which is really just mid-70s southern rock with a little more treble. He was a big influence on a whole generation of artists, and guys like him just don’t seem to be coming around any more.