When I was a kid, there was no country music in our household — except for one song, Eddy Arnold’s truly immortal 1955 smash, "Cattle Call," which somehow got a pass. Like a lot of children of the second half of the 20th century, I grew up with parents who had made the transition from farming to suburbia and who probably rejected country, consciously or unconsciously, as an unnecessary reminder of the rural lifestyle they’d worked so hard to get away from. But my father had an inordinate love for "Cattle Call," which featured Arnold breaking into a falsetto yodel between verses about howling coyotes, wide open prairies, and a cowboy who’s "lonesome" but also has a "heart (that’s) a feather in all kinds of weather." For somebody who’d actually grown up among the cattle, that had to have been a nice, wistful tonic at the end of a hard day of being a CPA, and we nearly wore the grooves off that record. After Eddy Arnold died Thursday, just days short of his 90th birthday, I had "Cattle Call" running through my head all day — but, as I half-joked to friends, there was nothing unusual about that; I often have "Cattle Call" running through my head.
The funny thing is, "Cattle Call" was completely unemblematic of Arnold’s career — at least the second, more successful part of his career, when he set aside anything resembling an agrarian image, was seen almost exclusively in tuxedos, and established himself as more of a pop crooner. He was the original king of country crossover. My dad would buy Arnold’s later records but always be confounded by how little these cosmopolitan-sounding songs resembled the Western-themed hit he loved; never mind that Arnold’s transition from hillbilly icon to formally dressed gentleman roughly mirrored the farm-to-city transition our family had made. Not very many fans considered Arnold’s switch to a slicker style selling out, though. Though he had his first No. 1 country hit in 1947, he had his biggest run of hits in the 1960s, after he’d adopted the smooth "Nashville sound," which involved strings and background chorales — crossing over to pop success and becoming the Rascal Flatts or Shania Twain of his day. In the end, many consider him the most successful country singer of all time, if you combine record sales (85 million sold) with radio successes (145 chart hits, including 28 No. 1s).
Of course, today he’s remembered a lot less than a lot of countrylegends whose success wasn’t nearly so great. If you’d taken a polllast weekend at Stagecoach, the country music festival in California,it’s unlikely Arnold’s name would have rung a bell with more than atenth of the general attendees. And even in hepper or moreknowledgeable country circles, Arnold tends to be an afterthought thesedays. Part of that’s surely due to him having outlived his commercialpeak by so many decades — refusing to die young does diminish one’slegend, right? — and having lived the kind of business-savvy,unrambunctious lifestyle that doesn’t lend itself toward biopicdevelopment. (He was married to the same woman from 1942 until shepreceded him in death just two months ago.) And part of it’s becausesome folks, whether they were around at the time or are just working uptheir biases now, never got over the way that once-rough hillbillymusic got some of its edges sanded off by the sound popularized byArnold, producer Chet Atkins, and the Anita Kerr Singers. He was thefirst country singer to become renowned as a Vegas headliner — not thekind of legacy that Hank Williams worshipers necessarily revere. But asjournalists and historians like CMT’s Chet Flippo have pointed out,the new, pop-friendly sounds of Arnold and his ilk helped keep countryalive at a time when it was in danger of dying out. And, all survivorfactors aside, a lot of those records are pretty good, too. The HankCochran-penned "Make the World Go Away,"a defining 1965 No. 1 country hit which made the pop top 10 in bothAmerica and Britain, perfectly encapulates a sentiment common toeveryone who’s ever bred cattle or just eaten them. "Make the world goaway/And get it off my shoulders/Say the things you used to say/Andmake the world go away…" Did any troubled, wishful lyric ever betterexpress the appeal not just of love but of music itself?
Though he retired from live performance after one last Vegas gig in 1999, Arnold released his final album, After All These Years,just three years ago, when he was 87, after a long time-out. Surelythis made him the oldest singer still signed to a major label, and itsvery release attested to his importance in Nashville. Joe Galante, thehead of SonyBMG Nashville, has a great sense of country history, but healso hasn’t been the least bit sentimental about keeping "heritage"artists on the roster when they aren’t selling records anymore. Butclearly he knew that a career like Arnold’s deserved a final gracenote, and it got one. Now the world has gone away for the singer, andhe’s gone to that great cattle call in the sky… where, no doubt, evenas those spurs jangle and dogies are rounded up, Arnold is riding therange in a tuxedo.
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Beautiful obit. Thank you.
Chris…. Hank Cochran ( my client) really enjoyed reading your story on Eddy. Martha
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It is sad that younger generations don’t come to appreciate or respect such class acts like Eddy. The world could learn a thing or two from someone as classy as he was. RIP Eddy, you will be missed!
I was very sadden by the news today on Eddy. I grew up listenting to him with my parents. My mom and dad both enjoyed his music for many many year, and I still play some of his music today. I am in my 40’s, I’ll never forget his great legacy he left behind.
Thank you Chris, nicely written remembrance of a charming man. I well remember my folks listening to Cattle Call too, but on 8-track ! This old world just lost a little more of what little charm it had left. Thanks again for your fine piece on Mr Arnold.
What a great man. I am deeply sadden by his passing. I am glad I knew him and I wish I had know him much better. Thanks for the nice article.
Eddy Arnold was my father’s favorite singer. He became mine as a youngster in the 1960s. It was my privilege over many years to see him live on a handful of occasions, when my life’s circumstances took me to Cincinnati, Reno, San Carlos, and Chicago. Aside from his considerable talents as a singer, I believe the secret to his success was his ability to convey life’s most poignant truths with a sincerity and love that contrasted with the cynicism and decadence which began to permeate American culture in the 1960s. His place in history–and eternity–is entirely secure.
My parents had one of his records (at least) I recall it had a picture of him in front of an airliner. It was a collection of “state” songs, like “Stars Fell on Alabama”, “Georgia”, and Idaho. I remember singing them as a child.
I’d been thinking of seeing if I had them and playing them. Guess I was tapping into something here.
As if Mother’s Day wasn’t enough, learning of Eddy Arnold’s death this week made me miss my late mother even more than I already do. She was a HUGE fan of Eddy’s. Growing up in the 60s, we took all of our summer vacations by car. I have vivid memories of listening to Eddy Arnold songs on the random AM radio stations we were able to pick up on the highways and byways of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, etc. What a wonderful legacy of great recordings he leaves behind.
I really miss the fact that today’s radio has pretty much abandoned the history and roots of Country and Country-Western music. I grew up with Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, and the “Nashville Sound” era. I always try to mix the old songs with the new. It’s an important part of my life, and I’ve always wanted to share that.
But it wasn’t until my wife and I went to Nashville in 2005 when we took the RCA Studio Tour where I really got to see just how important Eddy was to the music scene. His legacy is one that won’t be filled, and Country has lost one of the smoothest voices known.
God Bless Eddy – he’s singing “Cattle Call” at the Gates of Heaven.
I’m 72. Eddy Arnold’s unique voice places him in a pantheon with Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Carl Smith, Faron Young and Lefty Frizzell. He made any song he sang, from “Cattle Call” to “Make the World Go Away”, his very own. He was always to his own self true. Humble and wary, yet warm and country-caring.
I was born in summertown tenn 1934 and if you had a dad like mine on sat night all us kids [9]would gatter around the old radio and lesson to the grand old opery and when Eddy Arnold would come on no boddy would talk or do enything and if you did you had to leave the room,with no talk back.it was a grate lift then, good clean music with no bad talk in it, I will sure miss him. I have a tape,rca 1965.Bro.Jim
Great article! I also remember my mom listening to Eddy Arnold records endlessly in the 60’s. I went out & bought her one of his greatest hits CD’s for Mother’s Day. God bless you, Eddie.
Thanks so much for this extremely well done, and informative, write-up (tribute) to a very classy person and entertainer. After many, many years I am down to one CD (Cattle Call). This feature makes me want to go out and buy CDs (or whatever) to replentish my supply of his music.
I discovered “Cattle Call” three weeks ago on, of all things, a Starbucks comp that I bought because it had “Oh, Lonesome Me.” I’m playing it all the time. That chorus is magic.
He was my grandmother’s uncle, and although I never had the joy of getting to know him personally, I was deeply saddened to learn of his passing. Reading so many kind words and sincere expressions of respect and admiration for him make me so proud. Thank you.
I was born 5-08-46. I’m 62. An old friend on my birthday bought me a CD player and 2- CD’s, Cattle Call, and The Legendary Eddy Arnold. Laughing he said it was time for me to join the 21-Century. I grew up lessoning to Country-Western music on the radio. with Eddy Arnold, Hank Williams, Johnny Horten, Jim Reeves, Conway Twitty, Roy Acuff. I have records from the 50’s & 60’s I still play. I just played Eddy’s The Tip Of My Fingers. I’m so saddened to learn of his death…
As a boy in the 1940’s I used to sing at his songs. It really is a shame how music these days is little talent and lots of noise. Jumping around like their pants is on fire. I have the old records but alas, no player to play them.
Does anyone know where a copy of Eddy’s 1949 movie, “Feudin Rythm” can be found? I have searched nearly every Vintage site to no avail.
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