18 Years Ago Today, Country Music Said Goodbye to the “Tennessee Plowboy” Just One Week Shy of His 90th Birthday

With a career spanning from the Great Depression to post-Y2K, Eddy Arnold spent more weeks at the top of the charts than any other country music artist of the 20th century. He racked up an astounding 147 songs on the Billboard country charts, second only to George Jones.

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Eddy Arnold left us 18 years ago today (May 8, 2008). He died in a Nashville care facility just one week shy of his 90th birthday, and two months after losing his wife of 66 years, Sally Gayhart Arnold. Today, we’re reflecting on his incredible legacy, selling 85 million records and scoring 28 chart-toppers.

Eddy Arnold Was Just a Farm Boy With a Dream

Richard Edward “Eddy” Arnold was born on May 15, 1918, on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. Growing up on the music of Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, and Jimmie Rodgers, Arnold’s mother taught him to play guitar when he was 7.

His father died when the singer was just 11 years old. Eleven months later, creditors foreclosed on the family farm, forcing him to quit school and join his family as sharecroppers.

He continued performing during this time, often arriving on a mule with his guitar slung across his back. This is where he earned his stage name, the “Tennessee Plowboy.”

At 16, Arnold began performing on a Jackson, Tennessee radio station, leading to a permanent gig several years later. After multiple radio stints in Memphis and St. Louis, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1943.

A year later, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor Records and Col. Tom Parker, who famously managed Elvis Presley. He landed his first Top 5 hit with 1945’s “Each Minute Seems a Million Years”.

From 1945 to 1954, Arnold sent 57 straight singles to the Top 10, including 19 No. 1s. Elvis Presley, who patterned his crooner style after Arnold, later recorded two of those chart-toppers: “I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)” and “I Wanna Play House with You”.

[RELATED: 3 Country Ballads From 1965 That Remain Timeless Tearjerkers]

A Career Resurgence

As rock and roll’s popularity rose in the mid-1950s, Eddy Arnold saw his record sales decline. Briefly considering retirement, the Country Music Hall of Famer swapped his plowboy image for a more debonair look, donning a tuxedo and performing with a string section. In 1965, he scored his only top 10 pop hit with “Make the World Go Away”.

“I’ve always picked good songs. Even though they were considered country, I always picked a good lyric, and that gave me a wider audience than just the country buyers,” Arnold said in a 1997 biography. “I did that on purpose. I just wanted a good song. I never was political about songwriters. I still believe that if you always record good songs, you can have a good career.”

Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images