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Posted by Larry Jordan Link: Jim mentioned in editorial
on May 10, 2008, 4:50 am, in reply to "Eddy Arnold Has Passed Away"
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There is an interesting editorial in the Nashville Tennessean that pays tribute to Eddy Arnold, but also mentions Jim Reeves. (Click the link below).
In one of the other articles about Arnold that appeared in the Nashville newspaper, it was said that he had his first charted song in 1945, but that by 1956 his career had declined. The paper noted that between 1956 and 1964, Eddy didn't have any hits that topped the charts.
Does anyone else notice how significant this timeframe is? Jim Reeves signed with RCA in 1955, and died in 1964. Jim is the one who really shaped the Nashville Sound (not Eddy, as Michael Streissguth claimed). In fact, Arnold did a lot of his recording in New York.
Even The New York Times, in an article about Eddy's passing, took note of the "lush, orchestral Nashville Sound, made popular by the likes of Jim Reeves..."
So for all the accolades being bestowed on Eddy Arnold, it should be remembered that Mr. Reeves did more than any other artist to save country music, at a time when rock-n-roll came on the scene and was threatening country's very existence. Can you name any other star from Nashville who had such worldwide success during this period?
Eddy co-opted Reeves' image, started wearing tuxedoes like Jim, and even went into the studio on July 31, 1964 trying to follow Reeves' example and record some songs in the Afrikaans language!
And despite the fact that RCA assured Mary that the company would not allow its other artists to record any of the unreleased songs that Jim still had in the can, Eddy Arnold cut "Make the World Go Away," thus undermining Mary's plans to release Jim's version as a single.
To add insult to injury, Eddy even recorded Jim's signature song, "Welcome To My World."
It's also bemusing to read the gushing praise for Eddy's musical abilities. Musicians and singers who worked with him have told me that while he was personally amiable, they dreaded being in the studio with him, because he was very slow and had great difficulty in learning the material, plus they had to do an enormous number of re-takes.
In this week when we have said goodbye to Leo Jackson, I am reminded of what he told me again not long ago. Leo was fond of quoting Chet Atkins' observation that "Jim Reeves was the kind of singer that Eddy Arnold only WISHED he was."
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