Eddy Arnold is credited for bringing hillbilly music to the big city and making it popular enough to chart 28 No. 1 singles. Managed by Colonel Tom Parker (who would later manage Elvis), Arnold's string of rootsy hits throughout the 1940s remained unchallenged. Eventually he spent enough weeks at the top the charts to be named Artist of the Decade. His fortunes continued to grow throughout the '50s with another decade-long string of hits and his own television show, Eddy Arnold Time. This Country Music Hall of Fame inductee continued to record and chart hits in the '70s and '80s, making him one of the few artists to chart in each of his five decades recording.
