Monday, September 29, 2008 9:33 PM CDT
BOOK REVIEW: 'Eddy Arnold: Pioneer of The Nashville Sound' By Michael Streissguth
Review by Jerry W. Ellis
Information about the life of Eddy Arnold can be found on several Web sites but that presented in this book is much more extensive.
Richard Edward Arnold, born May 15, 1918, near Henderson, Tenn., had 10 half-siblings, four full siblings. As was common then, times were hard and those experiences, including losing the family farm, led Eddy to wonder about alternative careers to farming.
As a youngster, he began to sing at the typical gatherings and, after dropping out of high school in his sophomore year, eventually made his way to area radio stations and then to KMOX in St. Louis.
Eddy’s first real break came when Pee Wee King hired him. Pee Wee is perhaps best know as the co-writer of the “Tennessee Waltz.”
Eddy eventually made his way in May 1943 to radio station WSM in Nashville, Tenn., and the Grand Ole Opry. During the following summer he created his own band that included 16-year-old “Little Roy Wiggins.”
With his sights set on making music with a much broader appeal, Eddy left the “Opry” in September 1948, maybe the only person to ever do so. He actually appeared in two movies starting in 1949, “Feudin’ Rhythm” and “Hoedown.”
By that time, Eddy had a string of recorded hits and several recorded radio shows. When the WSM boss was confronted with the prospect of one of Eddy’s recorded shows being aired on Friday nights on a competing Nashville station he created the “Friday Night Frolics,” later known as the “Friday Night Opry.”
The successes of Hank Williams and Elvis Presley took the wind from his sails and it took several years to recover. His desire to shed the country-bumpkin image led Eddy to record in New York City with new arrangers, producers and a full orchestra to give a more pop sound.
Thus, he rebounded in the 1960s with a number of hits and many appearances on national TV programs.
His participation in the pop music field contributed to the efforts of Chet Atkins to switch country music to the “Nashville Sound.” Eddy and Chet Atkins both had long standing recording contracts with RCA, and because Chet headed the Nashville office of RCA, they worked together extensively.
Eddy was lucky to work with a string of recording and music professionals in NYC and Nashville, and they helped him make transitions along the way to maintain his career through recordings and public appearances.
His exceptional voice quality brought Eddy “twenty-eight number one country hits, acceptance in the pop markets and record sales that are approaching 90 million in 1997.”
This book includes an Index and an apparently complete Sessionography of all his recordings at least through 1997. A number of photos are included as well, including one with the caption: “Eddy in the 1990s, his seventh decade in the music business.”
Eddy was a much-loved and kind individual, and although he dropped Little Roy Wiggins before going pop, he apparently provided Little Roy a lifelong income. Eddy lived in Nashville all of his established career and made some profitable business and real estate investments during all those years.
Eddy married Sally Gayhart on Nov. 28, 1941, and they had two children. She passed away in March 2008, followed by Eddy on May 8, 2008, just a few days short of his 90th birthday.
This book was written in 1997, so the dates of his and Sally’s deaths were found in the following Web site: http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/arnold_eddy/bio.jhtml.
Many more details on Eddy’s career and his interactions with many other musicians and stars can be found in this informative book.
Ellis is a retired professor of chemistry from Eastern Illinois University.
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