Hall Of Famer Eddy Arnold Dies

Country Music Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold.

May 8, 2008 — Eddy Arnold, whose graceful style as a balladeer made him one of the most successful artists in country music history, died this morning at a Nashville-area care facility, according to the Associated Press.

Nicknamed the Tennessee Plowboy in his earliest national incarnation, Eddy reshaped his career during the 1950s and ‘60s by donning tuxedos for his live performances and recording his songs with a string section, while dropping the genre’s traditional steel guitar and fiddle. Working primarily with producer Chet Atkins, he scored a new round of successes with such titles as "Turn The World Around," "Make The World Go Away" and "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye," becoming one of the most prominent beneficiaries of the so-called Nashville Sound.

Joel Whitburn’s Top Country Songs 1944-2005, a reference book that chronicles the Billboard charts, ranks him as the No. 1-charting artist in the genre. His chart history began with the 1945 hit "Each Minute Seems A Million Years" and extends to a 1999 duet with LeAnn Rimes on a remake of his classic "Cattle Call." The latter single, which debuted on a sales chart during the last week of '99, also appeared on the first chart in the year 2000, giving Eddy some presence on a national list in seven different decades.

A native of Henderson, Tenn., he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966, preceded by only six other members. The following year, he won Entertainer of the Year when the Country Music Association handed out its very first awards.

Eddy’s wife of 66 years, Sally Arnold, died in a Williamson County hospital in March. He was unable to be by her side; he was recovering in a different hospital from hip-replacement surgery. Eddy would have turned 90 next Thursday.