On what would have been famed country icon Eddy Arnold’s 94th birthday, Plowboy Records has launched to celebrate and nurture the legacy of the original Tennessee Plowboy and provide a home for recorded projects that focus on American music regardless of genre.
Plowboy’s founders are Arnold’s grandson and musician Shannon Pollard, author and music historian Don Cusic, and punk legend Cheetah Chrome.
The first Plowboy Records release will be a new album from Bobby Bare, the GRAMMY award-winning Outlaw Country artist who has over 30 Top 20 singles. Bobby is currently recording at famed RCA Studio B in Nashville cutting a mix of traditional folk and blues songs, and contemporary Americana with a band that includes Buddy Miller, Randy Scruggs and other members of Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy.
Also currently being recorded is an Eddy Arnold tribute album, produced by Chrome, that will feature interpretations of Eddy’s songs by traditional country artists, alt-country and indie rock bands. “The goal of the tribute album is to raise some eyebrows by matching up artists from multiple genres with signature Eddy Arnold songs,” says Pollard.
Watch this video of Cheetah, Shannon and Don discussing Plowboy Record’s mission: http://youtu.be/bIMOaNL83j4
Eddy Arnold is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry. He released over 100 albums and placed 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts including “Bouquet Of Roses” and “The Cattle Call.” He had at least one charting single for the past seven straight decades. He passed away in 2008. Listen to Eddy’s hits on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/KtEKuD
Plowboy President Shannon Pollard is a veteran musician, a partner in a commercial real estate firm and the grandson of Eddy Arnold. He fondly recalls listening to albums with Arnold in his Brentwood, TN office, the same space where Plowboy Records is headquartered today. Pollard has also taught History of the Recording Industry classes at Belmont University in Nashville.
Plowboy Director of Special Projects Don Cusic has taught classes on the music business since 1982. He has published 22 books including an Eddy Arnold biography and two novels.
Plowboy Creative Director/A&R Director Cheetah Chrome is a founding member of Rocket From The Tombs, The Dead Boys and The Batusis (w/Sylvain Sylvain) and an acclaimed author. He has lived in Nashville for the past fifteen years.