Arnold was born on May 15, 1918 on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. His father, a sharecropper, played the fiddle, while his mother played guitar. As a boy Arnold helped on the farm, which later gained him his nickname—the Tennessee Plowboy. Arnold attended Pinson High School in Pinson, Tennessee, where he played guitar for school functions and events. He quit before graduation to help with the farm work, but continued performing, often arriving on a mule with his guitar hung on his back. Arnold also worked part-time as an assistant at a mortuary.
In 1934, at age 16, Arnold debuted musically on WTJS-AM in Jackson, Tennessee and obtained a job there during 1937. He performed at local nightclubs and was a permanent performer for the station. During 1938, he was hired by WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was one of its most popular performers. He soon quit for KWK-AM in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a brief stint at WHAS-AM in Louisville, Kentucky.
He performed for WSM-AM on the Grand Ole Opry during 1943 as a solo artist. In 1944, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor, with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley. Arnold's first single was little noticed, but the next, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", scored No. 5 on the country charts during 1945. Its success began a decade of unprecedented chart performance; Arnold's next 57 singles all scored the Top Ten, including 19 number one scoring successes.
In 1946, Arnold scored his first major success with "That's How Much I Love You". In 1948, he had five successful songs on the charts simultaneously. That year he had nine songs score the top 10; five of these scored No. 1 and scored No. 1 for 40 of the year's 52 weeks. With Parker's management, Arnold continued to dominate, with 13 of the 20 best-scoring country music songs of 1947–1948. He became the host of Mutual Radio's Purina-sponsored segment of the Opry and of Mutual’s Checkerboard Jamboree, a midday program shared with Ernest Tubb that was broadcast from a Nashville theater. Recorded radio programs increased Arnold’s popularity, as did the CBS Radio series Hometown Reunion with the Duke of Paducah. Arnold quit the Opry during 1948, and his Hometown Reunion briefly broadcasted in competition with the Opry on Saturday nights. In 1949 and 1950, he performed in the Columbia movies Feudin’ Rhythm and Hoedown.
Arnold began working for television in the early 1950s, hosting The Eddy Arnold Show. The summer program was broadcast successively by all three television networks, replacing the Perry Como and Dinah Shore programs. He also performed as a guest and a guest host on the ABC-TV show Ozark Jubilee from 1955–60. Arnold featured in the syndicated Eddy Arnold Time from 1955 to 1957. From 1960 to 1961, he hosted NBC-TV's Today on the Farm.
With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, Arnold's record sales declined, though he and fellow RCA Victor recording artist Jim Reeves had a greater audience with popular-sounding string-laced arrangements. Arnold annoyed many people of the country music establishment by recording with the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra at RCA's studios in New York. The pop-oriented arrangements of "The Cattle Call" and "The Richest Man (in the World)", however, helped to expand his appeal beyond its country music base. This style, pioneered by Reeves and Arnold, became known as the "Nashville Sound". During 1953, Arnold and Tom Parker had a dispute, and Arnold dismissed him. From 1954 to 1963, Arnold's performances were managed by Joe Csida; during 1964 Csida was replaced by Jerry Purcell.
Arnold embarked on a second career that brought his music to a more diverse audience. In the summer of 1965, he had his first Number One country song in ten years, What's He Doing in My World and struck gold again six months later with the song that would become his most well-known Make the World Go Away accompanied by pianist Floyd Cramer on piano and featuring the Anita Kerr Singers. As a result, Arnold's rendition became an international success.
Bill Walker's orchestra arrangements provided the lush background for 16 continuous successes sung by Arnold in the late 1960s. Arnold performed with symphony orchestras in New York City, Las Vegas and Hollywood. He performed in Carnegie Hall for two concerts, and in the Coconut Grove in Las Vegas.[9] During 1966, Arnold was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the youngest performer to receive the honor. The following year Arnold was voted the first-ever awarded Country Music Association's Entertainer Of The Year. Two years later, Arnold released an autobiography named It's A Long Way From Chester County.
Having been with RCA Victor since his debut during 1944, Arnold left the company in 1973 for MGM Records, for which he recorded four albums, which included several top 40 successes. He returned to RCA in 1976.
During the 1980s, Arnold declared himself semi-retired; however, he continued recording. In 1984, the Academy of Country Music awarded Arnold its Pioneer Award. His next album, You Don't Miss A Thing wasn't released until 1991. Arnold performed road tours for several more years. By 1992, he had sold nearly 85 million records, and had a total of 145 weeks of No. 1 songs, more than any other singer.
In 1996, RCA issued an album of Arnold's main successes since 1944 as part of its 'Essential' series. Arnold, then 76 years old, retired from active singing, though he still performed occasionally. On May 16, 1999, the day after his 81st birthday, he announced his final retirement during a concert at the Hotel Orleans in Las Vegas. That same year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted the recording of "Make The World Go Away" into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2005, Arnold received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and later that year, released a final album for RCA entitled After All These Years.
Eddy Arnold died from natural causes at 5:00 a.m. Central Time on May 8, 2008 in a nursing home in Nashville, exactly one week before his 90th birthday. His wife of 66 years, Sally Gayhart Arnold, had preceded him in death by two months. They were survived by two children (Richard E. Arnold, Jr., and JoAnn Arnold Pollard), two grandchildren (K. Michelle Pollard and R. Shannon Pollard, Jr.), and four great-grandchildren (Katie E. Pollard, Sophie Pollard, Rowan Pollard and Ben Johns).
On May 31, 2008, RCA released "To Life", as a single from the album After All These Years. It debuted at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs charts, Arnold's first entry in 25 years and the recording by the oldest person to chart in Billboard magazine. It set the record for the longest span between a first chart single and a last: 62 years and 11 months ("Each Minute Seems Like a Million Years" debuted on June 30, 1945), and extended Arnold's career chart history to seven decades.
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'd be getting lots of toys that day
I learned a whole lot different when mother set me down
And taught me to spell Christmas this way
C is for the Christ Child born upon this day
H is for Herald Angels in the night
R means our redeemer I means Israel
T is for three wise men they who travelled far
M is for the manger where he lay
A's for all he stands for S means shepherds came
And that's why there's a Christmas Day
And that's why there's a Christmas Day
The lyrics to Eddy Arnold's song "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-a-S" are a reflection on how the meaning of Christmas changes as we grow older. As a child, Christmas was all about receiving toys and gifts. However, as the singer grew older, his understanding of Christmas transformed. His mother taught him to spell Christmas using each letter to represent an aspect of Christmas. C stands for the Christ Child, who was born on this day. H is for the Herald Angels who announced his birth in the night. R means Redeemer, I means Israel, and S is for the star that shone so bright. T is for the three wise men who traveled afar to visit the newborn king. M stands for the manger where he lay, A is for all he stands for, and S stands for the shepherds who came to witness this miraculous event.
Through this song, Eddy Arnold highlights the true meaning of Christmas. It's not about the presents and the toys; instead, it's about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The song reminds us that there's more to Christmas than just festivities and revelries. It's a time to reflect on the reason for the season, to cherish our friends and family, and to spread joy and cheer wherever we go. The song encourages us to embrace the true spirit of Christmas and celebrate it with love, kindness, and compassion.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was but a youngster Christmas meant one thing
When I was young, Christmas only meant one thing - getting lots of toys.
That I'd be getting lots of toys that day
It was all about getting presents.
I learned a whole lot different when mother set me down
My perspective changed when my mother taught me about the true meaning of Christmas.
And taught me to spell Christmas this way
She taught me to associate letters with aspects of the Christian story of Christmas.
C is for the Christ Child born upon this day
C represents the Christ Child who was born on Christmas Day.
H is for Herald Angels in the night
H represents the Herald Angels who appeared at night to announce the birth of Christ.
R means our redeemer I means Israel
R represents our Redeemer, while I stands for Israel.
S is for the star that shone so bright
S represents the star that shone so brightly to guide the Wise Men to the manger.
T is for three wise men they who travelled far
T stands for the three wise men who traveled far to bring gifts to the baby Jesus.
M is for the manger where he lay
M represents the manger where the baby Jesus was born and laid.
A's for all he stands for S means shepherds came
A represents all that Jesus stands for, while S represents the shepherds who came to see him.
And that's why there's a Christmas Day
This is the reason why we celebrate Christmas.
And that's why there's a Christmas Day
This line reinforces the message that Christmas has a deeper meaning than just presents and toys.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORI E CARSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Geoffrey Parker
One of my all time favourite Christmas albums. Thanks.
Linda Heath
I grew up listening to this album
Mark Schulz
I love it that album. I missed him.
Ronny Miller
This one and Elvis Christmas album was my daddys favorite albums he died when I was 12
Mr. News
Same here Ronny, Brings back some good memories
Darin Cates
WHO UPLOADED THIS PIECED TOGETHER SKIPPING, PARTS MISSING CRAP? LOL
The listed track titles are even wrong. Wow