Eddy Arnold

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Eddy Arnold was the best friend a song could ever have. He had a timeless voice and a love of romantic songs.

Richard Edward Arnold was born May 15, 1918 in Henderson, Tenn. He was the youngest of 16 children from a blended family. His father died on his 11th birthday and the farm his father owned was auctioned off about a year later. From that point on, he lived with his mother and two brothers, working on the farm until he dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began singing locally. Jackson, Tenn. where he performed with a group that included fiddler Speedy McNatt; the two then went to St. Louis where they appeared on radio until they both joined Pee Wee King’s Golden West Cowboys in 1930. King’s group was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and appeared on shows on WSM; the group moved to Louisville in 1940 and returned to Nashville in the summer of 1941. The group toured military bases all over the United States and into Latin America for a year. When the group returned to Nashville, Arnold began his solo career with shows on WSM and as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Arnold‘s first recording session was in December, 1944 and his first record was released on RCA in early 1945; in 1946 he had his first big hit, “That’s How Much I Love You,” followed by a string of hits. During the period November, 1947 to November, 1948 Arnold held the number one spot on the country charts for 60 straight weeks. He became a popular concert attraction and had his own network TV show during the 1950s, as well as appearing on numerous other TV shows. Arnold had country and pop hits with the Nashville Sound; his recording of “Make the World Go Away” was an international pop hit as well as a country hit. He continued touring into the 1990s and performed his last concert on May 14, 1999. After his retirement he remained active in community affairs and with his real estate business. May 8, 2008.