Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918–May 8, 2008), known professionally as
Eddy Arnold, was an
American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called
Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the
Billboard country music charts, second only to
George Jones. He sold more than 85 million records. A member of the
Grand Ole Opry (beginning 1943) and the
Country Music Hall of Fame (beginning 1966), Arnold ranked 22nd on
Country Music Television's 2003 list of "The 40 Greatest Men of Country Music."
Biography
Early years
Arnold was born on May 15, 1918 on a farm near
Henderson, Tennessee. His father, a sharecropper, played the
fiddle, while his mother played
guitar. As a boy Arnold helped on the farm, which later gained him his nickname—the
Tennessee Plowboy. Arnold attended
Pinson High School in
Pinson, Tennessee, where he played guitar for school functions and events. He quit before graduation to help with the farm work, but continued performing, often arriving on a
mule with his guitar hung on his back. Arnold also worked part time as an assistant at a
mortuary.
During 1934, at age 16, Arnold debuted musically on WTJS-AM in
Jackson, Tennessee and obtained a job there during 1937. He performed at local nightclubs and was a permanent performer for the station. During 1938, he was hired by WMPS-AM in
Memphis, Tennessee, where he...
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