Eddy Arnold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddy Arnold
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Arnold in 1969
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Edward Arnold |
| Also known as | The Tennessee Plowboy |
| Born | May 15, 1918 Henderson, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | May 8, 2008 (aged 89) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, gospel, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, tv host, actor |
| Instruments | Guitar, banjo |
| Years active | 1937–2005 |
| Labels | RCA Victor (1944–1972; 1976–2008) MGM Records (1973–1976) |
| Associated acts | Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Patsy Cline, Stephen H. Sholes, LeAnn Rimes |
Richard Edward Arnold (born May 15, 1918 – died May 8, 2008) was a famous American country music singer. He sang for over 60 years! Eddy helped create a new style of country music called the Nashville sound. He had 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, which is a huge number! Only George Jones had more.
He sold over 85 million records, making him one of the best-selling artists ever. Eddy was a member of the Grand Ole Opry starting in 1943. He was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966. In 2003, he was named one of the "40 Greatest Men of Country Music" by Country Music Television.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Eddy Arnold was born on May 15, 1918. His family lived on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. His dad played the fiddle and his mom played guitar. When Eddy was 11, his father passed away. This meant Eddy had to leave school to help on the family farm. Because of his farm work, he later got the nickname The Tennessee Plowboy.
He went to Pinson High School and played guitar at school events. Even though he left school early to work, he kept performing. He would often ride his mule to shows with his guitar on his back. He also worked part-time at a funeral home.
Starting His Music Career
In 1934, when Eddy was 16, he first sang on the radio station WTJS-AM in Jackson, Tennessee. He started performing in local nightclubs. By 1937, WTJS hired him full-time. In 1938, he moved to WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, where he became very popular. He then worked at other radio stations in St. Louis, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1943, Eddy began performing as a solo artist on the Grand Ole Opry radio show. This was a big step for his career.
Rising to Stardom
In 1944, Eddy signed a contract with RCA Victor. He also started working with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley. Eddy's first song with RCA wasn't a big hit. But his next song, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", reached number five on the country charts in 1945.
This success began an amazing time for Eddy. His next 57 songs all made it into the top 10 on the US country charts! This included 19 songs that reached number one. In 1946, he had his first major hit with "That's How Much I Love You". By 1948, he had five hit songs on the charts at the same time. Five of his songs were number one for 40 weeks that year!
Eddy became the host of a radio show called Checkerboard Jamboree. He also had a popular CBS Radio series called Hometown Reunion. In 1949 and 1950, he appeared in the movies Feudin' Rhythm and Hoedown.
Eddy Arnold on Television
In the early 1950s, Eddy started working in television. He hosted The Eddy Arnold Show. This summer show was broadcast on all three major TV networks. He also appeared as a guest on the ABC-TV show Ozark Jubilee from 1955 to 1960. From 1955 to 1957, he starred in the TV show Eddy Arnold Time. Later, from 1960 to 1961, he hosted NBC-TV's Today on the Farm.
The Nashville Sound and New Success
In the mid-1950s, rock and roll music became very popular. This caused Eddy's record sales to slow down. However, another RCA Victor artist, Jim Reeves, found success with a new, smoother sound. Eddy decided to try something similar. He recorded with Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra in New York. Their pop-style music helped Eddy reach a wider audience. This new style, started by Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold, became known as the "Nashville sound".
In 1953, Eddy and his manager, Tom Parker, had a disagreement, and Eddy hired a new manager.
A New Chapter in His Career
Eddy began a new part of his career, bringing his music to more people. In 1965, he had his first number-one country song in 10 years, "What's He Doing in My World". Six months later, he had his most famous song, "Make the World Go Away". This song became a huge international hit. It was his only song to reach the top ten on the pop music charts.
Orchestra arrangements helped Eddy have 16 continuous hit songs in the late 1960s. He performed with symphony orchestras in big cities like New York City and Las Vegas. He even performed two concerts at Carnegie Hall. In 1966, Eddy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was the youngest performer to receive this honor. The next year, he was voted the first-ever Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year. In 1969, he released his autobiography, a book about his life, called It's A Long Way From Chester County.
After being with RCA Victor since 1944, Eddy moved to MGM Records in 1973. He recorded four albums there, which included several top-40 hits. He returned to RCA in 1976 and stayed with them for the rest of his career.
Later Years and Legacy
In the 1980s, Eddy said he was semi-retired, but he still kept recording music. In 1984, the Academy of Country Music gave him its Pioneer Award. His next album, You Don't Miss A Thing, came out in 1991. Eddy continued to tour and perform for several more years. By 1992, he had sold almost 85 million records. He also had a total of 145 weeks with number-one songs, more than any other singer at that time.
In 1996, RCA released an album of Eddy's greatest hits. Eddy, who was 78 years old, retired from regular singing. However, he still performed sometimes. On May 16, 1998, the day after his 80th birthday, he announced his final retirement at a concert in Las Vegas. That same year, his song "Make The World Go Away" was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2000, he received the National Medal of Arts. In 2005, Eddy received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. Later that year, he released his final album for RCA, called After All These Years.
Eddy Arnold passed away from natural causes on May 8, 2008. This was just one week before his 90th birthday. His wife of 66 years, Sally Gayhart Arnold, had passed away two months before him. They had two children, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
On May 31, 2008, RCA released "To Life" as a single from his last album. It reached number 49 on the Hot Country Songs charts. This was Eddy's first song on the charts in 25 years! It also set a record for the longest time between a first and last chart single: 62 years and 11 months. This showed that Eddy Arnold's career spanned seven decades.
Images for kids
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Downtown Henderson, Tennessee, the city near which Arnold was born
See also
In Spanish: Eddy Arnold para niños
