Arnold brought an urbane approach to country music during an era dominated by folksy sounds. In the '40s, he adapted the pop crooning of Bing Crosby and Perry Como for country audiences. In the '60s, he helped usher in "countrypolitan." He reached unprecedented career heights for a country act of his day, appearing in films, hosting TV shows and headlining Vegas.
In 1948, six Arnold singles spent 49 of the year's 52 weeks atop at least one of Billboard's country charts. "For a few weeks, I also had the top five (singles)," he told USA TODAY in 2002. "I can't tell you why. I guess I just came along at the right time."
Like many country artists, his hits slowed during rock 'n' roll's formative years. But Arnold came back strong in the mid-'60s, when he added string sections to records like What's He Doing in My World.
"I had the radio on," he recalled, "and I was thinking, 'Heck, why don't I just add violins to my records and do pretty much the same kind of song? Do love songs, not morbid country songs.' Pretty much the same kind of songs I was singing."
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