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Eddy Arnold dominated the charts for more than three decades and during his era, he set records in country music that stand unchallenged today. Known as the Tennessee Plowboy, Arnold garnered a world-wide following. Although he had a unique, diverse vocal style, that appealed to a wide audience, he was purely country. Arnold was so successful that he was able to repel the Nashville establishment and do things his way, so to speak. Eddy Arnold, whose mellow baritone on songs like "Make the World Go Away" made him one of the most successful country singers in history, died Thursday morning, days short of his 90th birthday.Eddy died at a care facility near Nashville, said Don Cusic, a professor at Belmont University and author of the biography "Eddy Arnold: I'll Hold You in My Heart." His wife of 66 years, Sally, had died in March, and in the same month, Arnold fell outside his home, injuring his hip.Arnold's vocals on songs like the 1965 "Make the World Go Away," a top 10 pop hit as well as a No. 1 country hit, made him one of the most successful country singers in history.Folksy yet sophisticated, he became a pioneer of "The Nashville Sound," also called "countrypolitan," a mixture of country and pop styles. His crossover success paved the way for later singers such as Kenny Rogers.He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966. The following year he was the first person to receive the entertainer of the year award from the Country Music Association..Nicknamed "The Tennessee Plowboy," Arnold first gained notice with appearances on the Grand Ole Opry in the early 1940s. He debuted on the charts in 1945 with "Each Minute Seems a Million Years," and began his string of 28 No. 1 country hits with "What Is Life Without Love" in early 1947.His success helped make Nashville an important recording industry hub, according to Sony BMG Nashville, parent of his longtime label, RCA.Other hits included "Cattle Call," "The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me," "Anytime," "Bouquet of Roses," "What's He Doing in My World?" "I Want to Go With You," "Somebody Like Me," "Lonely Again" and "Turn the World Around."Most of Arnold's hits were done in association with famed guitarist Chet Atkins, the producer on most of the recording sessions.Somewhere between the greed for money and sound judgment, the legends of country music were tossed aside for the outlandish sound they call country music today.RJB Nashville, Tennessee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Portions of this work contain the intellectual property of third party authors and contributors. As such, third party authors and contributors retain all copyrights in the individual works and reserve all rights not specifically granted herein.