Eddy Arnold Dies At 89—GAC Honors Him Tonight

Country Legend Eddy Arnold Dies At 89
Eddy Arnold, who known as the “Tennessee Plowboy,” moved Country music forward with elegance, sophistication to millions of fans to Country music. Eddy Arnold, who is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, passed away at 4:40 a.m. today (5/8) at NHC Place in Cool Springs at the age of 89.

Arnold’s hits include “Make The World Go Away,” “I Want To Go With You,” “Turn The World Around,” “I Really Don’t Want To Know” and “You Don’t Know Me.” These songs an others helped to move Country music forward into the mass market.

Arnold sold more than 85 million records, with 37 singles charting on the pop charts and many more impacting the Country charts. He ranks as Billboard magazine’s single most popular Country artist of all time. He was a star of stage and screen, and the Nashville music scene for decades. However, his music was not often embraced by traditionalists; Arnold was one of the leaders of Nashville music. His songs always told a story.

Arnold began in the business poor and somewhat backward, however he ended up a multi-millionaire who loved to spend time with friends 8th Avenue South in Nashville. He became a real estate magnate who loved green spaces and fresh air. He was proud to be that Country boy who struggled to make southern music touch the urban centers of America.

He was born Richard Edward Arnold on May 15, 1918, on a farm in Chester County, Tennessee, about 20 miles south of Jackson. His father died when he was 11. Arnold’s teenage time was hard times. Living through the Great Depression, he never forgot those hard days. After he became wealthy, he was still always known as a frugal man.

Arnold started his singing career in Jackson on the radio while still a teenager. He was known as “Smiling Eddy Arnold.” He left the farm, drove a hearse, slept at a funeral home until January 1938, when he and another performer, Speedy McNatt headed to St. Louis and began doing radio and clubs gigs.

In 1940, Arnold got an audition at WSM and he became a member of Pee Wee King’s Golden West Cowboys. A job that allowed him to tour, impress audiences with his smooth voice of sincerity. Working with King helped him grow in popularity around the Grand Ole Opry. In 1942 he decided to pursue a solo career.

Arnold married the former Sally Gayhart on Nov. 28, 1941 and then in Nashville around 1943, he formed a band, The Tennessee Plowboys, and got a manager , Colonel Tom Parker, who managed Elvis Presley’s career later.

In 1944, he signed with RCA. Then in December of 1944, Arnold entered WSM’s Studio B and recorded a four-song session that included “Cattle Call,” a song that would become one of Mr. Arnold’s signatures. That was the first major label recording session in Nashville.

During the late 1940s, he dominated Country music charts and then in the 1950s, he began to reach-out beyond Country. He began appearing on television shows including Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts and The Perry Como Show, and found that thousands of people who didn’t otherwise care for “western music” would sit and smile at his performances. He split with his manager Col. Parker over personality conflicts.

Music historian and WSM-AM air personality Eddie Stubbs said, “He brought country uptown.” 1965, the lush “What’s He Doing In My World” was a smash hit, and he followed that with the classic “Make The World Go Away.” Arnold told a UPI reporter, “I wanted to broaden my appeal, I never wanted to desert the Country field, and I will not. I wanted my style and my image to be enjoyed and accepted by a broader segment of the people.” His 1960s’ successes, which continued unabated until the decade’s end, kept most of his Country-loving fans while bring along the suburban crowd. In 1966, he played Carnegie Hall and was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The following year, he was named the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year. He was touring with orchestral accompaniment, and he was a regular on national programs such as The Tonight Show.

Throughout the 80s and ’90s, Arnold would remain a popular concert draw and a regular guest on television shows. He continued to record as well. His 100th album, After All This Time, was released in 2005 on RCA.

He was preceded in death by his wife Sally Gayhart Arnold, who died March 11, 2008. He is survived by their children, Richard Edward Jr., of Nashville, and Jo Ann Pollard, of Brentwood, Tenn. He is also survived by two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.