Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold
Birth name	Richard Edward Arnold
Also known as	Tennessee Plowboy
Born	May 15 1918(1918-05-15)
Origin	Henderson, Tennessee, USA
Died	May 8 2008
Genre(s)	Country Music Pop Music
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Guitar
Years active	1946 – Present
Label(s)	RCA Records MGM Records
Website	www.eddyarnold.com

Eddy Arnold (May 15, 1918 - May 8, 2008) is an American country music singer who is second to George Jones in the number of individual hits on the country charts but, according to a formula derived by Joel Whitburn, is the all-time leader in an overall ranking for hits and their time on the charts. From 1945 through 1983 he had 145 charted songs, including 28 number-one hits.

The smooth crooner of such classics as "Make The World Go Away" and "What's He Doing In My World," Arnold was the epitome of country-politan sophistication. One might think that calling him "The Tennessee Plowboy" was just a marketing gimmick. But the Tennessee-born Arnold not only plowed behind a mule on the family farm, he rode the mule to his first singing engagements. Arnold had to watch the family farm sold at auction after his father died on his eleventh birth. He never forgot it.

Besides singing anywhere he could, the young Arnold worked (and slept) in a funeral parlor. Then, in 1940, he finally got a break. Pee Wee King gave him a job with the Golden West Cowboys, which meant that Arnold appeared regularly on the Grand Ole Opry, besides regularly having something to eat. In 1943, he struck out on his own with his own radio program on WSM. Soon he had a recording contract in his own right and a regular hosting spot on the Grand Ole Opry with "Cattle Call" as his theme song. An early manager was Tom Parker — as in Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' eventual manager.

A parade of hits followed, and he found himself the hottest thing in country music. From November 1947 through January 1949, Arnold had six songs at No. 1 on the country charts, with only one other artist reaching No. 1 during that period. In late 1948, Arnold had an amazing six songs in the Top 10 at once. Sometimes called the Country Perry Como, he was also a hit on mainstream shows like Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan.

In the mid-1960s, as his chart success started to cool, Arnold turned to lush, heavily orchestrated recordings that revitalized his career, winning a whole new audience for country music. He continued to record and look after his myriad business interests. On May 8, 2008, Arnold died in Nashville.

Early years

Born Richard Edward Arnold in Henderson, Tennessee, he made his first radio appearance in 1936. During his childhood, he lost both his father and the family farm. When he turned 18 he left home to try to make his mark in the music world.

Arnold's formative musical years included early struggles to gain recognition until he landed a job as the lead male vocalist for the Pee Wee King band. By 1943, Arnold had become a solo star on the Grand Ole Opry. He was then signed by RCA Victor. In December of 1944, he cut his first record. Although all of his early records sold well, his initial big hit did not come until 1946 with "That's How Much I Love You." In common with many other country and western singers of the time, he had a folksy nickname: "The Tennessee Plowboy."

Managed by Col. Tom Parker (who later went on to control the career of Elvis Presley), Arnold began to dominate country music. In 1947-1948 he had 13 of the top 20 songs. He successfully made the transition from radio to television, appearing frequently in the new medium. In 1955, he upset many in the country-music establishment by going to New York to record with the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra. The pop-oriented arrangements of "Cattle Call" and "The Richest Man (In the World)," however, helped to expand his appeal beyond its country base.

With the advent of rock and roll, Arnold's record sales dipped in the late 1950s. Along with RCA Victor label-mate Jim Reeves, he continued to try to court a wider audience by using pop-sounding, string-laced arrangements, a style that would come to be known as the Nashville sound.

Second career

File:Eddy Connie.jpg

An Eddy Arnold album entitled "The Tip of My Fingers".

After Jerry Purcell became his manager in 1964, Arnold embarked on a "second career" that surpassed the success of the first one. In the process, he succeeded in his ambition of carrying his music to a more diverse audience. Already recorded by several other artists, "Make The World Go Away" was just another song until recorded by Arnold. Under the direction of producer Chet Atkins, and showcased by Bill Walker's arrangement and the talents of the Anita Kerr Singers and pianist Floyd Cramer, Arnold's rendition of "Make the World Go Away" became an international hit.

Bill Russell's precise, intricate arrangements provided the lush background for 16 straight Arnold hits through the late 1960s. Arnold started performing with symphony orchestras in virtually every major city. New Yorkers jammed prestigious Carnegie Hall for two concerts. Arnold appeared before the Hollywood crowd at the Coconut Grove and had long, sold-out engagements in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.

After having recorded for RCA Victor since the 1940s, Arnold left the label to record four albums for MGM Records in the 1970s, posting one hit ("If The Whole World Stopped Lovin' "). He then successfully returned to RCA Victor with both the album Eddy, and the hit single "Cowboy," which evoked stylistic memories of his classic "Cattle Call." After a few more RCA releases, he retired from active singing; however, he did release a new RCA album, After All These Years in 2005 at the age of 87.

Reasons for success

There were several reasons for Arnold's great success. From the beginning, he stood out from his contemporaries in the world of country singers. He never wore gaudy, glittering outfits. He sang from his diaphragm, not through his nose. He avoided the standard honky-tonk themes, preferring instead to sing songs that explored the intricacies of love.

Arnold also benefitted from his association with excellent musicians. The distinctive steel guitar of the late Roy Wiggins highlighted early recordings. Charles Grean, once employed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, played bass and wrote early arrangements, adding violins for the first time in 1956. Chet Atkins played on many of Arnold's records, even after he started serving as producer.

Bassist, Bob Moore, the most recorded musician in history, first performed on the road with Eddie Arnold on the 1954 RCA Caravan and later performed on 75 percent of Mr. Arnold's hit recordings. Arnold also benefited from the management of Col. Parker, who guided his first career, and Jerry Purcell, who masterminded the second.

The most important factor for his success, however, was his voice. Steve Sholes, who produced all of his early hits, called Arnold a natural singer, comparing him to the likes of Bing Crosby and Enrico Caruso. Arnold worked hard perfecting his natural ability. A review of his musical career shows his progression from fledgling singer to polished performer.

Arnold's longevity was exceptional. For more than 50 years, he transcended changing musical tastes. His later concerts attracted three generations of fans. To some, he also served as a role model; in a field often awash with alcohol and drugs, he remained temperate. He and wife Sally Gayhart Arnold were married from 1941 until her death on March 11, 2008. Eddy Arnold died in Nashville on May 8, 2008.

Legacy

While Arnold's later style of country music was sometimes criticized by the more traditional performers, there is no arguing with the fact Arnold helped introduce Nashville and country music to the world. Over his career, Arnold sold over 85 million records and had 147 songs on the charts, including 28 Number-one hits on Billboard's "Country Singles" chart. Among his recordings are songs for mothers and children, hymns, show tunes, and novelty numbers. Probably, however, Arnold is best known for his way with a love song.

He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966. In 2003, Arnold ranked #22 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music The same year, he donated hundreds of his career-related items to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum which placed them on a special exhibit.

Discography

Hit Singles

Single	Year	U.S. Country	U.S. Billboard Hot 100/Pop
"Each Minute Seems a Million Years"	1945	5	-
"Cattle Call"	1955	1	69
"Just Call Me Lonesome"	1955	1	—
"Gonna Find Me a Bluebird"	1957	12	51
"Tennessee Stud"	1959	5	48
"After Loving You"	1962	7	—
"Molly	1964	5	—
"What's He Doing In My World?"	1965	1	60
"Make the World Go Away"	1965	1	6
"I Want to Go With You"	1966	1	36
"Last Word in Lonesome Is Me"	1966	2	40
"Tip of My Fingers"	1966	3	43
"Somebody Like Me"	1966	1	53
"Lonely Again"	1967	1	87
"Misty Blue	1967	3	57
"Turn the World Around"	1967	1	66
"Here Comes Heaven	1967	2	91
"Here Comes the Rain, Baby"	1968	4	74
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"	1968	1	84
"A Man's Kind of Woman"	1970	28	—
"Let's Get It While the Gettin's Good"	1980	6	—

Selected Albums

Album	Year "One More Time" 1962
Cattle Call	1963
My World	1965
I Want to Go With You	1966
Lonely Again	1967
The Everlovin' World of Eddy Arnold	1968
Songs of the Young World	1969
Love and Guitars	1970
Portrait of My Woman	1971
Lonely People	1972
Eddy	1976
A Legend and His Lady	1980

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Arnold, Eddy. It's A Long Way From Chester County. Old Tappan, N.J. Hewitt House. OCLC 13352
• Cusic, Don. Eddy Arnold: I'll Hold You in My Heart. Nashville, Tenn.: Rutledge Hall Press, 1997. ISBN 978-1558534926
• Rumble, John. "Eddy Arnold." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0195116717
• Streissquth, Michael. Eddy Arnold: Pioneer of the Nashville Sound. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0028647197

External links

• Official Website

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