Early Hits Of The Tennessee Plowboy Review

07/13/2005 6:55 AM, AMG


An excellent entry in ASV's Living Era series, this brings together the 25 early hits of Eddy Arnold, when he earned his nickname of "The Tennessee Plowboy" honestly. This is Arnold before he went countrypolitan in the mid- to late '50s, with stripped-down instrumentation and him singing and yodeling his heart out. Indelibly stamped with Little Roy Wiggins' signature steel guitar, these tracks -- cut between 1944 and 1949 -- reflect Eddy's breakthrough into the country & western scene, and show the five-year development of the music itself. If you've only heard Arnold's smoother, more pop influenced work, this set will come as a real eye-opener. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide