The American Spectator

br> Re: Larry Thornberry’s The Last Cattle Call : /p> p>Thanks for your Eddy Arnold column. One of my early memories is driving with my Dad to Vermont one summer and the only 8 track in the truck was of Eddy Arnold and included Tennessee Stud. Must have heard it hundreds of times. With apologies to Johnny Cash I think Mr. Arnold’s is better. Sorry to hear he passed. RIP br> — Lee Phelps br> Brandon, Florida /p>

Alas, Mr. Thornberry, reading your article brought a flood of memories, and not a few tears. When I was a kid, my dad played Arnold’s records, with much the same passion as yours. I remember trying to sing Cattle Call and yodel like Eddy. Occasionally, I still try, but mostly I just whistle it now.

p>Original, unsophisticated, pure, and genuine, listening to Eddy Arnold’s balladic music during those Cold War years reminded one of what American culture, and being an American, was all about and why it br> mattered. It was natural, inspiring the heart and nurturing the soul. Cowboy’s were heroes, tall in the saddle, yet human. What marvelous years they were. While there are a few exceptions, today’s music is br> nihilistic, culture is trash, nothing matters, it is unnatural, disheartening, and abandons the soul. Cowboys are murderers, slouching in their Humvees, and inhuman. The years grow desperate. What’s to become of us? br> — Mike Showalter