Eddy Arnold

May 12 2008 by Emma Pinch, Liverpool Daily Post

BORN on a cotton farm in the sultry American south, Eddy Arnold’s background couldn’t have been much further from his legions of listeners in gritty post-war Liverpool.

But millions were captivated by the smooth country and western baritone, singing intimately of love and longing, which oozed from pub jukeboxes and radios and he remained popular even in latter years.

Arnold, who has died, aged 90, sold an estimated 85m records and had more than 140 US hits from 1945 onwards, and remained active on the country scene until the 90s.

When Arnold was elected to the Country and Western Hall of Fame in 1966, his plaque noted his “powerful influence in setting musical tastes” which he achieved thanks to his effortless charm, reassuring audiences that not all country singers were backward hillbillies.

Eddy Arnold was born on a west Tennessee farm in 1918. His mother taught him the guitar at an early age. At 11, he quit school and took over the reins – quite literally – of the family mule. During World War II, he toured military bases with Pee Wee King’s Golden West Cowboys, then moved on to King’s band becoming its featured vocalist and in 1942, a member of the Grand Old Opry.

He was signed to RCA in 1944 and his second single Each Minute Seems a Million Years, released a year later, went top five. Chart classics soon after included Chained to a Memory (1946), I’ll Hold You In My Arms (1947), and Bouquet of Roses, which spent 19 years at the top. His manager at the time was a pre-Elvis “Colonel” Tom Parker.

In 1951, he enjoyed success with Bill Monroe’s Kentucky Waltz and I Wanna Play House With You. He revived in 1955 Tex Owen’s Cattle Call, with its prominent use of a chorus anticipating the slick Nashville Sound, Music City’s response to rock and roll.

In the mid-60s, he started adapting his songs to the narrowing difference between music genres by adding a full symphonic backing, which saw him enter the mainstream pop charts, too. Hits included Make The World Go Away (1965) and Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye (1968). He became a popular host on American TV and in 1976 celebrated his 100th hit, Cowboy.

In 1996, he made a guest appearance on LeAnne Rimes’s album, Blue. In 2005, he released his 100th album, After All These Years.

Richard Edward Arnold, singer; born May 15, 1918, died May 8, 2008.