In recent weeks I've been listening occasionally to a massive collection of Eddy Arnold radio broadcasts, produced in 1948. I know nothing about them; they were all recently donated by a longtime radio collector of early country music. The more I've listened to them, the more impressive they've become to me.
I've always admired Eddy's singing. My folks still have their copy of his RCA "Cattle Call" album from 1963, and I got real familiar with it when I was around fifteen. I have always felt that his cowboy music recordings hands down are some of the best. His version of "Leanin' on the Ole Top Rail" as well as his cut of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" have long been favorites of mine. Listening to these radio shows, he opened every broadcast with the yodel from "Cattle Call" for his theme song.
Lately, a number of Eddy's television appearances on the Ozark Jubilee from the 1950s have surfaced on YouTube, and I also have found it quite interesting that in 1956 he hosted his own network show in Springfield for a short period of time over ABC. More about that in a moment.
Eddy's musical career took off in 1940 when he became the lead vocalist for Pee-Wee King's Golden West Cowboys. Not necessarily a cowboy band, they were really a country act with the accordion out front as the lead instrument. They were Grand Ole Opry stars, and this exposure allowed things to rise. By 1944, Eddy was on his own and had signed with RCA.
His first RCA hit, "Each Minute Seems Like a Million Years" would jump to number five on the charts. His first session was at the WSM studios in Nashville, and most of his following sessions would be in Chicago or New York. It would be many years later when Nashville would become a recording mecca. Eddy would enjoy a forty-year run with RCA.
Eddy's move to television would happen in the years after his radio series had ended. I find it quite interesting that his television shows were short lived and were honestly nothing more than a summer replacement series. But check this out-he was on all three networks within four years.
His first television run with “The Eddy Arnold Show” originated out of CBS in New York. The debut episode was July 14, 1952, and was performed live in place of “The Perry Como Show” as a fifteen-minute program. The broadcasts were Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. His guitarist Hank Garland as well as steel guitarist Roy Wiggins were featured on each show. The final episode aired on August 22, 1952.
Next, the show was seen on NBC. Also a fifteen-minute broadcast, the series made its debut on October 1, 1953. It was a temporary replacement for the “Dinah Shore Show.” It aired every Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Garland and Wiggins both appeared, helping in the musical chores, and the musical side also saw a major lift with the presence of Russ Case and the NBC Orchestra. This particular series was very professional and included frequent guests, but by the end of 1953, it too, was gone.
With the success of the Ozark Jubilee in Springfield in the mid-1950s, and because Eddy was often a guest host in the absence of Red Foley, “The Eddy Arnold Show” came to the heart of the Ozarks, Springfield, Missouri for a run on ABC.
Experiencing a longer run than the previous attempts, this 30-minute program aired weekly each Thursday from April 26 through September 26, 1956. With a greater budget, the show included a wonderful cast—Chet Atkins, Paul Mitchell on piano, along with Hank Garland and Roy Wiggins. Also, nationally known touring performers were featured each week which included stars such as Pat Boone, the Hilltoppers, Cathy Carr, Vaughn Monroe and groups such as the Philharmonics and the Foggy River Boys.
This show would also originate from the Jewell Theater just like the Jubilee, with a live audience of 500. The set was very simple, using curtains and colored lighting as the backdrop.
The reviews were good, but with the popularity of the Jubilee, Eddy went back to touring and recording, often returning to Springfield regularly as fill-in Jubilee host through 1961 when the program finished out as Jubilee USA.
The years would pass and Eddy's voice would remain strong. His relationship with RCA and Chet Atkins was solid. He would see chart success with hit records in every decade of his career, from the mid 1940s through 1994. He is the only country performer to hold this honor.
Many in the recording industry were not too thrilled with his early experiments with orchestra arrangements and the heavy string sections. But by the mid-1960s, it was the norm and was honestly the birth of the Nashville sound.
Selling 85 million records, Eddy was right behind George Jones in the amount of charted hits. Retiring in 2005, Eddy would remain a Nashville area resident and would pass away at age 89 at a care facility on May 8, 2008.
Well, I'm gonna catch a few more of his radio shows here for a bit, and I suggest you check out some of his television footage. Go to YouTube and in the search, type in "Eddy Arnold Ozark Jubilee." While you're there, you'll see some other well known stars also.
Eddy, it was great to have you in the Missouri Ozarks, and your music will live forever.
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