May 8, 2008 — Eddy Arnold, whose graceful style as a balladeer made him one of the most successful artists in country music history, died this morning at a Nashville-area care facility, according to the Associated Press. Nicknamed the Tennessee Plowboy in his earliest national incarnation, Eddy reshaped his career during the 1950s and ‘60s by donning tuxedos for his live performances and recording his songs with a string section, while dropping the genre’s traditional steel guitar and fiddle.