Good Bye, Mr. Arnold

I am not going to even try to write here what Eddy Arnold meant to Nashville. Please Google his name in news and read a few of the great tributes. From Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter to Billboard, Chet Flippo and The Tennessean, all were good and puts the man's career and life into some perspective.

If you are free Wednesday night, May 14th, tune in via Internet to www.wsmonline.com to Eddie Stubbs five hour tribute to Mr. Arnold.

Eddy Arnold was a role model who never let his fans down. His life, marriage, music, personal appearances, you name the category, all the kind you would love to have as your own.

This was a true Hall of Famer who frankly lived so long people forgot what a big deal he was during his hot star days of the '40s/'50s and '60s.

Go Google and read. He had an impressive resume.

This man was my friend. He hosted a show I produced in my late 20s. Gentle, so easy to work with. Years later, when I was laid off during a corporate purge, he called to see if I was okay. He was a special person.

I enjoyed all our lunches and the fun we had laughing. I loved asking him questions about things like the Lake Tahoe showrooms (he was one of the original entertainment hires). He would talk of Ben "Benny" Binion. (You have to be from Nevada to know about that guy's legend.)

He saw it all and did it all without scandal. Married for a lifetime and alcohol/drug-free. Had more money than Trump and was a real estate "Trump" in Davidson/Williamson counties.

A multi-multi millionaire, he drove crappy cars (even a Dodge mini-van) in his later years and ate at meat & threes. An H. L. Hunt sort of thrifty person. Would cry at a wind direction change. Exploded with loud, loud laughter.

Did have a yacht once; he really enjoyed it and told stories of his Mississippi/Cumberland River travels. Kind and caring and concerned. I'll stop here. I could go on and on. So sad to hear that he died, but I was heartbroken to see him lose his mobility these last two months.

Eddy Arnold brought us joy and shared with us his love. A great man. Honorable like my father. Elegant and the overused word, but it applies ... classy.

An American success story ... 89 with a week shy of 90. What a life. But without his wife of 66 years, there was no point. I witnessed this with my father. The kids weren't enough. The grandkids. The love of his life was gone and he needed to be with her. He is now. Good night, Mr. Arnold. You were and are loved!

See? I knew I couldn't just write three paragraphs on him. Impossible!

ACM week, Grammy block party and Taylor Swift prom party week.

Keith Urban and Gretchen Wilson playing the Halifax Country Rocks the Commons, Aug 20th. A huge, cool event.

Small, fast items: "Gone Country" 2, like ... Hulk 2, why? ... "Speed Race" 15 minutes too long, but good for little boys ... 5th grade girls in my house could care less..

Miley losing steam. Marie Osmond talks too much. Grand Theft Auto is a BAD thing! Do all you parents really know what goes on inside this thing? No wonder these kids have no respect for police or anything else. They are raised by video games to go to strip clubs, run from the cops and shoot innocent bystanders, drive home drunk and hijack cars. I love the social responsibility of these companies! You parents better hi-tech up. Learn the text shorthand and wake up! Some of these darling school kids are dangerous! Lots of anger in our society. You can't always live in Candyland! It's what Country music used to do well. Sing about real life.

I like Sugarland's music ... they just did their last album in Atlanta ... if that floats their boat. They chose not to be a part of a great city, Nashville. Many have made that choice to varying degrees of success. Strait still does his business here. Most of his recording.

Carrie moved here and that was critical to her success. Taylor, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley. It's a music community. Atlanta is a music community if you are a hip-hopper.

Sugarland is making the non-Nashville thing work just fine. They would be an asset to this community. It's both our losses. Not all actors live in Hollywood, but the machine lives there and it's hard to work around that machine. Why make this crazy entertainment business even more difficult and crazy than it already is? To each his or her own.