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.
Tennessee Stud
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like the Tennessee Stud
Along about 18 to 25
I left Tennessee very much alive
I never would have got
Through the Arkansas mud
If I hadn't been a-ridin' on the Tennessee Stud
I had some trouble
With my sweethearts, pa
One of her brothers
Was a bad outlaw
I sent her a letter
By my Uncle Fud
An I rode away
On the Tennessee Stud
The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun
And his eyes were green
He had the nerve an he had the blood
And there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud
We drifted on down
Into no man's land
We crossed the river
Called the Rio Grande
I raced my hoss
With the Spaniards bold
'Till I got me a skin
Full-a silver an gold
Me an a gambler
Couldn't agree
We got in a fight
Over Tennessee
We jerked our guns
He fell with a thud
An I got away
On the Tennessee Stud
Well, I got as lonesome
As a man can be
A-dreamin' of my girl
In Tennessee
The Tennessee Stud's
Green eyes turned blue
'Cause he was a-dreamin'
Of a sweetheart, too
We loped right on
Across Arkansas
I wupped her brother
And I wupped her pa
I found that girl
With the golden hair
An she was a-ridin'
On the Tennessee mare
The Tennessee Stud was long an lean
The color of the sun
And his eyes were green
He had the nerve an a-he had the blood
And there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud
Stirrup to stirrup
And side by side
We crossed the mountains
And the valleys wide
We came to Big Muddy
And we forded the flood
On the Tennessee mare
An the Tennessee Stud
Purdy little baby
On the cabin floor
Little hoss colt
Playin' round the door
I love the girl
With the golden hair
And the Tennessee Stud
Loves the Tennessee Mare
The Tennessee Stud was long an lean
The color of the sun
And his eyes were green
He had the nerve an he had the blood
And there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud.
~
The lyrics of Eddy Arnold's song "Tennessee Stud" tell the story of the singer's adventures and journeys with his trusty horse, the Tennessee Stud. The song begins with the singer praising his horse, claiming that "there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud." After leaving his home state of Tennessee, the singer travels through Arkansas, relying on the Tennessee Stud to get him through the muddy terrain.
The singer then tells the story of a conflict he had with his sweetheart's outlaw brother, which led to him fleeing on the Tennessee Stud. The two travel on, even crossing into Mexico and racing against the Spaniards. The singer also mentions getting into a fight with a gambler over Tennessee, but ultimately comes out victorious and continues his journey.
Eventually, the singer becomes homesick and thinks of his sweetheart back in Tennessee. The Tennessee Stud also becomes blue-eyed and dreamy, indicating that he too may have found a special mare he longs for. The two eventually make their way back to Tennessee and reunite with the singer's love interest. The song ends with their happy little family, including a hoss colt playing around the cabin door.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, there never was a hoss
Like the Tennessee Stud
The Tennessee Stud is an extraordinary horse that has no match.
Along about 18 to 25
I left Tennessee very much alive
I never would have got
Through the Arkansas mud
If I hadn't been a-ridin' on the Tennessee Stud
The singer left Tennessee at the age of 18-25 and could have never crossed the hard Arkansas terrain if he wasn't riding the Tennessee Stud.
I had some trouble
With my sweethearts, pa
One of her brothers
Was a bad outlaw
I sent her a letter
By my Uncle Fud
An I rode away
On the Tennessee Stud
The singer had issues with his sweetheart's dad and brother and sent her a letter by his Uncle Fud to elope with Tennessee Stud.
The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun
And his eyes were green
He had the nerve an he had the blood
And there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud
The Tennessee Stud was a unique, long and lean horse, with sun-like color and green eyes, with exceptional courage and strength.
We drifted on down
Into no man's land
We crossed the river
Called the Rio Grande
I raced my hoss
With the Spaniards bold
'Till I got me a skin
Full-a silver an gold
The singer and Tennessee Stud explored unknown territory, crossed the Rio Grande, and competed in a horse race against the bold Spaniards. They won a lot of silver and gold.
Me an a gambler
Couldn't agree
We got in a fight
Over Tennessee
We jerked our guns
He fell with a thud
An I got away
On the Tennessee Stud
The singer got into a fight with a gambler over Tennessee, they both pulled out their guns but the singer shot the gambler and escaped on Tennessee Stud.
Well, I got as lonesome
As a man can be
A-dreamin' of my girl
In Tennessee
The Tennessee Stud's
Green eyes turned blue
'Cause he was a-dreamin'
Of a sweetheart, too
The singer missed his girl in Tennessee and got incredibly lonely. He realized the Tennessee Stud also missed his sweetheart, and his green eyes turned blue while dreaming about her.
We loped right on
Across Arkansas
I wupped her brother
And I wupped her pa
I found that girl
With the golden hair
An she was a-ridin'
On the Tennessee mare
The singer and Tennessee Stud continued the journey, defeated the girl's brother and father, and found her riding on Tennessee Mare.
The Tennessee Stud was long an lean
The color of the sun
And his eyes were green
He had the nerve an a-he had the blood
And there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud
The Tennessee Stud was still a very unique horse with unmatched features and abilities.
Stirrup to stirrup
And side by side
We crossed the mountains
And the valleys wide
We came to Big Muddy
And we forded the flood
On the Tennessee mare
An the Tennessee Stud
The singer and his horse crossed mountains and wide valleys, came to Big Muddy, and crossed the flood on Tennessee Mare and Tennessee Stud together.
Purdy little baby
On the cabin floor
Little hoss colt
Playin' round the door
I love the girl
With the golden hair
And the Tennessee Stud
Loves the Tennessee Mare
The singer and the girl had a little baby in the cabin, and the little horse colt was playing around the door. The singer loved the girl, and Tennessee Stud loved Tennessee Mare.
The Tennessee Stud was long an lean
The color of the sun
And his eyes were green
He had the nerve an he had the blood
And there never was a hoss like the Tennessee Stud.
The Tennessee Stud still remains a unique horse that cannot be compared to any other.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thelegogingerproductions
I'm twelve now. But when I was eight my grandfather died and I got his walk man and I have a caset of eddie aronald
@billyhoss6988
This music always brings a smile to my face my dad listened all the time
@loditx7706
All these other people covering this song, even Johnny Cash, who was great, but I’ll always choose listening to Eddy Arnold for this song. ❤👍🤩🌟
@stitchproject6262
I'm 12 now and I obsessed with this song, those dislikes though they must be listening to something wrong
@loditx7706
@stitchproject6262: I don’t see any dislikes, but if there ever are any it’s cause their ears are wrong. 👎 P.S. I guess you’re 16 now. Enjoy it! ❤ I did, long before you were even born, in another time that doesn’t exist anymore.
@cristieemrath4171
No one else does this song as good as Eddy Arnold. Great song!
@simoncrase1287
Right! Ricky Scaggs does it better.
@reissc655
Check out billy strings he does a good job
@dougwalsh9610
@@simoncrase1287 Scaggs sounds like Mike Tyson singing
@MrStubat
@@simoncrase1287 listen to Doc Watson on Will The Circle Be Unbroken.