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Appreciation: What Eddy Arnold has done in our world
By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY
He was one of country's first crossover stars, but it's likely that none who follow Eddy Arnold will match his longevity.
Arnold brought an urbane approach to country music during an era dominated by folksy sounds. In the '40s, he adapted the pop crooning of Bing Crosby and Perry Como for country audiences. In the '60s, he helped usher in "countrypolitan." He reached unprecedented career heights for a country act of his day, appearing in films, hosting TV shows and headlining Vegas.
In 1948, six Arnold singles spent 49 of the year's 52 weeks atop at least one of Billboard's country charts. "For a few weeks, I also had the top five (singles)," he told USA TODAY in 2002. "I can't tell you why. I guess I just came along at the right time."
Like many country artists, his hits slowed during rock 'n' roll's formative years. But Arnold came back strong in the mid-'60s, when he added string sections to records like What's He Doing in My World.
"I had the radio on," he recalled, "and I was thinking, 'Heck, why don't I just add violins to my records and do pretty much the same kind of song? Do love songs, not morbid country songs.' Pretty much the same kind of songs I was singing."
That simple adjustment gave Arnold a second career. What's He Doing topped the country charts, as did three other singles in 1965 and 1966. Four Arnold records crossed over to the pop top 40.
"The violins just made my following much broader," Arnold said. Some in Nashville's conservative country industry griped about his sound, "but in a year, they were trying to do the same thing."
The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 1966. The following year, the Country Music Association chose him as its first entertainer of the year, making him the only artist to win that award after becoming a Hall of Famer.
Arnold had more top 10 hits (92) and spent more weeks at No. 1 (145) than any other country act. He is the only country singer to have charted in every decade from the 1940s to the 2000s.
He invested his money in real estate and bought hundreds of acres near his home in south Nashville. "There was always something in the back of my mind, if I ever got a chance to earn any money, I wanted to wind up with some of it," he said. "When I had enough money, I put it to work."
He helped start a water company in Brentwood, just outside Nashville. Today, it's one of Tennessee's richest towns. "We started a little development, and it just kind of grew after that."
But if Arnold was a master showman, he was rarely showy. Even as he grew immensely wealthy, he quietly kept a small office in a nondescript Brentwood building.
He officially retired from performing in 1999, at 81. "I wanted to give my wife the rest of my life," he said in 2002.
A remake of Cattle Call, sung as a duet with LeAnn Rimes, provided Arnold with a final hit. He briefly emerged from retirement in 2005 to record one last album.
"I hope that what I have done will be pleasing to your ear," he wrote, in typically understated fashion, inside the CD jacket.
By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY
He was one of country's first crossover stars, but it's likely that none who follow Eddy Arnold will match his longevity.
Arnold brought an urbane approach to country music during an era dominated by folksy sounds. In the '40s, he adapted the pop crooning of Bing Crosby and Perry Como for country audiences. In the '60s, he helped usher in "countrypolitan." He reached unprecedented career heights for a country act of his day, appearing in films, hosting TV shows and headlining Vegas.
In 1948, six Arnold singles spent 49 of the year's 52 weeks atop at least one of Billboard's country charts. "For a few weeks, I also had the top five (singles)," he told USA TODAY in 2002. "I can't tell you why. I guess I just came along at the right time."
Like many country artists, his hits slowed during rock 'n' roll's formative years. But Arnold came back strong in the mid-'60s, when he added string sections to records like What's He Doing in My World.
"I had the radio on," he recalled, "and I was thinking, 'Heck, why don't I just add violins to my records and do pretty much the same kind of song? Do love songs, not morbid country songs.' Pretty much the same kind of songs I was singing."
That simple adjustment gave Arnold a second career. What's He Doing topped the country charts, as did three other singles in 1965 and 1966. Four Arnold records crossed over to the pop top 40.
"The violins just made my following much broader," Arnold said. Some in Nashville's conservative country industry griped about his sound, "but in a year, they were trying to do the same thing."
The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 1966. The following year, the Country Music Association chose him as its first entertainer of the year, making him the only artist to win that award after becoming a Hall of Famer.
Arnold had more top 10 hits (92) and spent more weeks at No. 1 (145) than any other country act. He is the only country singer to have charted in every decade from the 1940s to the 2000s.
He invested his money in real estate and bought hundreds of acres near his home in south Nashville. "There was always something in the back of my mind, if I ever got a chance to earn any money, I wanted to wind up with some of it," he said. "When I had enough money, I put it to work."
He helped start a water company in Brentwood, just outside Nashville. Today, it's one of Tennessee's richest towns. "We started a little development, and it just kind of grew after that."
But if Arnold was a master showman, he was rarely showy. Even as he grew immensely wealthy, he quietly kept a small office in a nondescript Brentwood building.
He officially retired from performing in 1999, at 81. "I wanted to give my wife the rest of my life," he said in 2002.
A remake of Cattle Call, sung as a duet with LeAnn Rimes, provided Arnold with a final hit. He briefly emerged from retirement in 2005 to record one last album.
"I hope that what I have done will be pleasing to your ear," he wrote, in typically understated fashion, inside the CD jacket.
