Eddy Arnold

An American country music singer with 146 songs on the country charts (including 28 number one hits), Arnold ranks among the most popular country singers in U.S. history. He has sold over 85 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of the 20th century.

Early in his career, Eddy was the lead male vocalist for the Pee Wee King band. By 1943 Arnold had become a solo star on the Grand Ole Opry. He had a folksy nickname "The Tennessee Plowboy." He successfully made the transition from radio to television, appearing frequently on all of the major television shows of the era. He was the first country star to have his own television show, "Eddy Arnold Time".

Arnold's record sales dipped in the late 1950s due to the arrival of Rock and Roll. He continued to try to court a wider audience by using pop-sounding, string-laced arrangements, a style that would come to be known as the Nashville sound.

In 1966, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1967, he was the first Entertainer of the Year named by the Country Music Association and in 1985 he received the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award.

Arnold published his autobiography, It's A Long Way From Chester County, in 1969. His 100th album, "After All These Years", was released in 2005 by RCA Records.

Eddy performed his final concert on May 16, 1999, the day after his 81st birthday, at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Born: May 15, 1918, Henderson, Tennessee

Died: May 8, 2008, Nashville, Tennessee