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.
The Streets of Laredo
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped in white linen
Wrapped in white linen, as cold as the clay.
I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
These words he did say as I boldly stepped by
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
Oh, beat the drum slowly and play the pipe lowly
Play the dead march as you carry me along
Take me to the green valley there lay the sod o'er me
For I'm a young cowboy I know I've done wrong.
Oh, fetch me a cup, a cup of cold water
To cool my hot lips the poor cowboy said
Before I returned the spirit had left him
And gone to its Maker the cowboy was dead.
We beat the drum slowly and play the pipe lowly
And bitterly wept as we bore him along
For we all loved our comrade so brave young and handsome
We all loved our comrade although he done wrong...
The song "Streets of Laredo" is a traditional cowboy ballad often known as "The Cowboy's Lament." This ballad tells the story of a young cowboy who is dying and wants to be buried properly. As he lies dying in the streets of Laredo, he requests his last wishes to be fulfilled. The real emotion of the song lies in the lament of the living cowboys who loved this comrade in spite of his mistakes. The tune and melancholic lyrics combine to serve as a warning to the young cowboys whose wild lives may lead to an early death.
The messenger who delivers the message of the dying cowboy's absence from home to his friends and family brings to the fore the impact of death on loved ones. The youthful indiscretion and the repeated use of "I know I've done wrong," build up our sympathy towards the dying cowboy. The repeated "beat the drum slowly, and play the fife lowly," line acts as a reminder that a young life has been taken too soon. The overall sense of regret and sorrow leaves a lasting memory that lingers after the song has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo,
I was walking down the streets of Laredo.
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
Same as the previous line.
I spied a young cowboy wrapped up in white linen,
I saw a young cowboy who was covered in white linen.
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.
The linen was cold, like the clay used for graves.
"Oh beat the drums slowly and play the fife lowly;
"Play a slow beat on the drums and don't play the fife too loud;
Sing the Death March as you carry me along.
Sing the Death March song and carry me to my grave.
Take me to the valley, there lay the sod o'er me,
Take me to the valley and bury me there.
I'm a young cowboy and know I've done wrong."
I'm a young cowboy who has made mistakes.
"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy."
"I can tell you're a cowboy by the way you're dressed."
These words he did say as I boldly walked by.
He said this to me as I walked confidently past him.
"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story;
"Sit next to me and listen to my tragic tale;
Got shot in the breast and I know I must die!"
I got shot in the chest and I know I'm going to die.
"My friends and relations they live in the Nation:
"My friends and family live in the Nation:
They know not where their dear boy has gone.
They don't know where I've gone.
I first came to Texas and hired to a ranchman,
I originally came to Texas and worked for a rancher.
Oh I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong."
I'm a young cowboy who has done something bad.
"It was once in the saddle I used to go dashing:
"I used to dash while riding my horse:
It was once in the saddle I used to go gay.
I used to be carefree while riding my horse.
First to the dram house and then to the card house,
I used to go to the bar and then to the gambling house.
Got shot in the breast and I'm dying today."
I got shot in my chest and I'm dying today.
"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin;
"Get six happy cowboys to carry my coffin;
Get six pretty maidens to sing me a song.
Get six attractive women to sing a song for me.
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin,
Put a lot of roses on top of my coffin.
Put roses to deaden the sods as they fall."
Put the roses on top to soften the sound of dirt hitting the coffin.
"Go gather around you a group of young cowboys,
"Gather a group of young cowboys and tell them:
And tell them the story of this my sad fate.
Tell them my tragic tale.
Tell one and the other before they go further,
Tell each and every one of them before they continue with their lives,
To stop their wild roving before it's too late."
To stop traveling aimlessly before it's too late.
"Oh, bury me beside my knife and my shooter,
"Bury me with my knife and my gun,
My spurs on my heels, my rifle by my side.
With my spurs on my boots and my rifle next to me.
And over my coffin put a bottle of brandy,
Also, put a bottle of brandy on top of my coffin.
That the cowboys may drink as they carry me along."
So the cowboys can drink while they're carrying my coffin.
"Go fetch me some water, a cool cup of water
"Get me a cool cup of water,
To cool my parched lips," the poor cowboy then said.
To moisturize my dry lips," said the poor cowboy.
Before I returned his spirit had left him
Before I came back with water, he had died.
Had gone to his Maker, the cowboy was dead.
He had gone to meet his maker, the cowboy was dead.
We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly,
We played a slow drumbeat and quiet fife music.
And bitterly wept as we bore him along.
And we cried while we carried him.
For we all loved our comrade, so brave, young, and handsome,
Because we loved our friend, who was brave, young, and handsome.
We all loved our comrade although he'd done wrong.
We still loved our friend despite his mistakes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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