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.
Jesse James
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They robbed the Glendale train
And the people they did say for many miles away
Twas the outlaws Frank and Jesse James
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
Their children they are brave
Twas a dirty little coward that shot Mr Howard
It was Robert Ford the dirty little coward
I wonder how he does feel
For he ate of Jesse's bread and he slept in Jesse's bed
Then he laid Jesse James in his grave
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
It was his brother Frank that robbed the Gallatin bank
And carried the money from the town
It was in this very place that they had a little race
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground
Jesse was a man a friend to the poor
He never would see a man suffer pain
And with his brother Frank he robbed the Chicago bank
And stopped the Glendale train
It was his brother Frank that robbed the Gallatin bank
And carried the money from the town
It was in this very place that they had a little race
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
They went to the crossing not very far from there
And there they did the same
And the agent on his knees he delivered up the keys
To the outlaws Frank and Jesse James
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
It was on a Saturday night Jesse was at home
Talking to his family brave
When the thief and the coward a little Robert Ford
Laid Jesse James in his grave
How people held their breath when they heard of Jesse's death
And wondered how he ever came to die
Twas one of the gang dirty Robert Ford
That shot poor Jesse on the sly
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her
Jesse went to rest with his hand on his breast
The devil will be upon his knee
He was born one day in the county of Clay
And came from the solitary race
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
They laid Jesse James in his grave
The song "Jesse James" by Eddy Arnold is a ballad that tells the story of infamous American outlaw Jesse James and his brother Frank. The first verse sets the scene of their robbery of the Glendale train and how people believed it was Frank and Jesse who were responsible. The second verse mourns Jesse's death at the hands of Robert Ford, who had eaten and slept in Jesse's home before betraying him. The third verse talks about Frank and his robbery of the Gallatin bank, where their actions led to the shooting of Captain Sheets. The final verse talks about how Jesse's death shocked many people, and the song ends with Jesse being laid to rest.
The lyrics of "Jesse James" paint a picture of a life of crime and betrayal. The song explores Jesse James as a tragic figure whose bravery and friendship for the poor is offset by the treachery of those he trusted. The line "Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life" highlights the lasting impact of his death on the people who loved him. The overall message is that the life of an outlaw ends in tragedy, and their legacy is often complicated and difficult to reconcile.
Line by Line Meaning
It was on a Wednesday night the moon was shining bright
This song starts with the mention of a Wednesday night with a bright moon shining in the sky.
They robbed the Glendale train
On that eventful Wednesday night, the outlaws Frank and Jesse James, robbed the Glendale train.
And the people they did say for many miles away
Twas the outlaws Frank and Jesse James
The robbery by Frank and Jesse James became known to many, miles away from the actual site of the incident.
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
Their children they are brave
Jesse James had a wife who had to live a life of mourning and his children were known to be brave.
Twas a dirty little coward that shot Mr Howard
They laid Jesse James in his grave
Jesse James was shot by a coward named Robert Ford, and this led to his death, after which he was buried.
It was Robert Ford the dirty little coward
I wonder how he does feel
For he ate of Jesse's bread and he slept in Jesse's bed
Then he laid Jesse James in his grave
The song mentions Robert Ford, who is called a 'dirty little coward'. Ford was known to have shared food and space with Jesse James but he ultimately ended up betraying him by shooting him.
It was his brother Frank that robbed the Gallatin bank
And carried the money from the town
It was in this very place that they had a little race
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground
Jesse's brother, Frank, was the one who robbed the Gallatin bank and fled the town with the stolen money. In the same place, a shootout occurred resulting in the death of Captain Sheets.
Jesse was a man a friend to the poor
He never would see a man suffer pain
And with his brother Frank he robbed the Chicago bank
And stopped the Glendale train
Jesse James had a reputation of being a friend of the poor people and he could never endure the sight of people in pain. Together with his brother Frank, he robbed a bank in Chicago and stopped the Glendale train.
They went to the crossing not very far from there
And there they did the same
And the agent on his knees he delivered up the keys
To the outlaws Frank and Jesse James
The outlaws went to a crossing not far from there for a similar robbery. During this robbery, the agent surrendered the keys to them while on his knees.
It was on a Saturday night Jesse was at home
Talking to his family brave
When the thief and the coward a little Robert Ford
Laid Jesse James in his grave
On a Saturday night, Jesse James was spending time with his courageous family members, when the cowardly Robert Ford shot him, causing his death and leading to his burial.
How people held their breath when they heard of Jesse's death
And wondered how he ever came to die
Twas one of the gang dirty Robert Ford
That shot poor Jesse on the sly
The death of Jesse James filled people with shock and disbelief, and they could not comprehend how he had died. It was later revealed that it was Robert Ford, a member of their gang, who had shot Jesse secretly.
Jesse went to rest with his hand on his breast
The devil will be upon his knee
He was born one day in the county of Clay
And came from the solitary race
After Jesse's death, he was laid to rest with his hand on his chest, and it is believed that the devil will be by his side. Jesse had been born and raised in the county of Clay and belonged to a solitary race.
Jesse had a wife to mourn all her life
They laid Jesse James in his grave
The song ends with the mention of Jesse James' wife living her life in mourning and with Jesse being buried following his death.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRAD, TRADITIONAL, RAY DORSET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GunBigotHater
No one did this song better, in my estimation, than Eddie Arnold!
@robynwilde
THIS IS THE VERSION OF THIS SONG MY DAD RAISED ME ON FROM THE TIME I WAS FIVE AND I'VE SPENT TWENTY YEARS TRYING TO FIND IT AGAIN! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR UPLOADING!
@bruceski2133
My dad too!
@bruceski2133
Elton John has a great song called “ I feel like a bullet (in the gun of Robert Ford)” when I heard it I knew who Robert Ford was. In the song he is breaking up with a girl for no good reason, in a cowardly way, thus feeling like a bullet in his gun. Recommended listening , Elton was at his songwriting peak at that time, of course credit also goes to Bernie taupin who wrote the lyrics. Check it out, and if you like the phrase “check it out” check out another song from the same Elton album called “Billy Bones” it rocks and he says “check it out “a lot. I too grew up with this song.
@elmerlarimer9026
LOVE IT
@zachbalogh2256
Is it bad that I love being related to Jesse James?
@jamescorradini7185
like it.
@Brian-xi8ug
Oh no not Jesse James!