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Much the same can be said of the Christmas music of Eddy Arnold (read more) that can be said about the rest of his career. That is, early on he waxed some wonderful, rootsy tunes. Later, he made records more sophisticated and popular - but far less interesting. Arnold's deep, polished voice - even when yoked behind traditional instrumentation like fiddles and steel guitars - brought country music down out of the hills and into the city. When his producers at RCA (Chet Atkins, among them) added strings, choruses, and cosmopolitan arrangements in the late 50's, Arnold became a force to reckoned with on the pop charts. Admittedly, this phase of his career yielded wonderful records such as "You Don't Know Me" (1956), "Anytime" (1960), and "Make The World Go Away" (1965). But eventually, Eddy Arnold became the moral equivalent of Perry Como in cowboy boots, losing all credibility in the country market.

Way before this happened, however, Arnold cut a handful of Christmas tracks that rank among the best in the annals of country music. These six songs (from three 7-inch singles spanning five years) are sterling examples of Eddy's early music - sentimental and well-sung, yet resolutely country. Though never collected on a Christmas album, the importance of Arnold's early Christmas songs far outweighs the two full-length Christmas LP's he later released.

Foremost among these singles is his 1949 Top 10 smash, "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S," backed with "Will Santy Come To Shanty Town." The b-side actually fared better on the charts, and with good reason - it's a better song. Moreover, "Will Santy Come To Shanty Town" is a classic weeper about two things country fans of the day had in abundance - poverty and faith - and Santa Claus promised redemption on both counts! But, "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" is pretty great, too, spelling out the sentiment later personified by Tammy Wynette's 1972 effort, "Let's Put Christ Back In Christmas." In 1950, Eddy Arnold cut a more traditional single ("White Christmas" b/w "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"), with the sprightly b-side (replete with Chet Atkins guitar solo) carrying the weight. In 1953, all four of songs were packaged by RCA on a 7-inch, 45-rpm EP, Christmas Greetings From Eddy Arnold (pictured above). The record is one of several seasonal special editions from RCA Records featuring picture sleeves shaped like Christmas tree ornaments; others artists in the series include Hank Snow, Jan Peerce, and the Robert Shaw Chorale.

For CD shoppers, the first two songs can be found on Billboard Greatest Country Christmas Hits (1990), while all four songs (plus an alternate version of "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S") are available on Eddy's Song (2003), a highly recommended, affordably priced boxed set from English imprint Proper Music. Sadly, Arnold's third Christmas platter ("Christmas Can't Be Far Away" b/w "I'm Your Private Santa Claus," 1954) has been largely lost to the ages - neither song has ever been reissued on any CD.

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Eddy Arnold signed to RCA Records in 1944, and in the first ten years of his career he charted dozens of hit singles. Soon, he would chart dozens more, but in the mid-50's he entered a commercial slump brought on, in part, by the rise of rock & roll. Unlike many country stars, Arnold didn't jump on the rock bandwagon, opting instead to push his music the other way - towards easy listening. The strategy worked, and by the time of his first full-length Christmas album, Arnold's fortunes were in the full flower of a comeback. Smoothly produced by Chet Atkins, Christmas With Eddy Arnold (1962) reflects the methodology that made Arnold a mainstream star. But, the music suffers for it, especially new versions of several songs discussed above. One particular highlight, though, is Arnold's easy-going essay of "Jolly Old St. Nicholas," where the corny arrangement suits the song just fine. Plus, Eddy preserves the original lyrics ("My little brain isn't very bright") so often bowdlerized from later versions.

Still, Christmas With Eddy Arnold is a solid album that will certainly please the average Eddy Arnold fan - the one that treasures "What's He Doing In My World" (1965) but finds "I'm Throwing Rice At the Girl I Love" (1949) a little too country. Digitally remastered by RCA in 1991 (with new cover, pictured above), Christmas With Eddy Arnold has fallen out-of-print and fetches surprisingly high prices as a collector's item (though a budget-line version popped up in 2005). In a perfect world, RCA would reissue the album along with Eddy's lost Christmas single sides; all would easily fit on a single CD. But, this is not a perfect world, so don't hold your breath.... More recently, Eddy Arnold released Christmas Time (1997), certain to please only the most devoted followers of "The Tennessee Plowboy." [top of page]

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