Man Claims He Is The Son of Late Eddy Arnold; Wants Paternity Test

Brody Vercher | June 16th, 2008 Email Share

2 Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URI for this post
  1. [...] Dallasnews.com has a nice write up on the grand dame of Country Music, Loretta Lynn’s sold out show last Saturday at Ft. Worth’s Bass Hall. The night before Lo-retty had played Stubb’s in Austin’s (latter part via the 9513) [...]

  2. [...] Carrie Underwood is a vegetarian. Jessica Simpson wore a t-shirt proclaiming “Real Girls Eat Meat.” Speculation abounds. Could this whole “feud” simply be a marketing ploy to keep Simpson in the limelight? All that aside, the question everyone should be asking themselves is, what happened to Jessica Simpson’s feet? (thanks for the link, Lynn) [...]

  1. Stormy
    June 16, 2008 at 10:01 am Permalink

    Its hard to agree with Catherine when Australia’s #1 country act is Kasey Chambers and ours is Taylor Swift.

  2. Jim Malec
    June 16, 2008 at 10:18 am Permalink

    Well it’s hard to dispute a source like the Ledger, especially when their copy editing is so splendid.

  3. Jarheaddad
    June 16, 2008 at 10:50 am Permalink

    “Carrie has the career that Jessica wants,” her pal explains.

    Ya think? :-o

    HEY! I’m the illegit son of Elvis. Where do I sign up to get my money?

    Nice creative editing from CMT on Will Snyder’s post. His first post had so many negative comments from the Joey and Cory fans they ran about 3 to 1 but now it is as if the enitre world loves them on the second! Heh!

    I liked Hazel’s take on all the blonds in country nowadays too.

  4. Kelly
    June 16, 2008 at 11:06 am Permalink

    did i miss something?? when was the finale on can you duet????

  5. Brady Vercher
    June 16, 2008 at 11:13 am Permalink

    Kelly, did time stand still while you were on vacation?

    I thought Will Snyder’s post had gone missing for a little while. Did they actually take it down and edit it? When reading it, this line made me laugh, “We really didn’t think we would win, but we really wanted to make it into the top two duos. When we found out we had made it, we was freaked out!!”

  6. Jarheaddad
    June 16, 2008 at 11:33 am Permalink

    Geez Kelly, where did you go on vacation? ;-)

    Yeah Brady, it is back up now. For the second time. And that’s all I have to say ’bout that!

    Oh well, at least he didn’t say, “Hey! y’all watch this s***!” :-o

    Interesting that young Ms. Caitlin removed all her piercing two weeks in.

    The rendition of “Stupid Boy”? I dunno’, guess it was alright.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Lr3tSLd30

    My favs never win. There’s just something about a happily married couple, overalls, and a six string! Sorry about my typo earlier calling Rory Cory. Guess I should seek employment with the Ledger!

  7. Kelly
    June 16, 2008 at 11:45 am Permalink

    I guess time did stand still?? I watched a bit here and there, and knew the final 3, but i missed the finale, which stinks cuz i thought the final 3 were clearly the best of the bunch. good for them, i think they’re nice kids and I hope they dont go all julio iglesias jr. on us….

  8. Kelly
    June 16, 2008 at 11:46 am Permalink

    …BTW, the Alan Jackson quote about Cracker Barrel made me laugh out loud…if that aint partyin’, I dont know what is….

  9. Paula
    June 16, 2008 at 12:08 pm Permalink

    Kelly, they’ve been re-running all the episodes, so I’m sure you can catch a replay of the finale (which was actually two episodes back to back).

    I really wanted Joey and Rory to win also because I think they were hands down the best, (and the only ones who stayed true to country). I’ve loved Rory as a songwriter and performer for a few years now, but had not seen/heard Joey perform until this show.

    However, based soley on their performance on the episode in which they were eliminated, their performance wasnt up to par with Caitlyn and Will. And dont make fun of Will please. Next to Joey and Rory, Caitlyn and Will were the only two who were themselves throughout the show. They were totally honest and sincere in what they said and how they said it. And I loved it!

    My preference would have been for Joey and Rory to be first, Caitlyn and Will second — and I’m not sure why Brownell and Richie were even in the competition except Naomi had the hots for the little one (I dont even know which was which).

    Overall I was surprised at the level of talent on this show. (Unlike this year’s Nashville Star which left me with my hands over my years for most of that first episode.)

  10. Kelly
    June 16, 2008 at 1:53 pm Permalink

    thats where i messed up, i didnt realize it was back to back episodes…oh well.

    I think the final two were great and wouldve been happy wither way. I think Brownell and Richie were there because they were talented and they represent what many call “contemporary country” (especially soccer moms who kept “according to Jim” on the air for so long). They werent my cup o’ tea by any stretch, but they were leaps and bounds more talented and distinctive than the duos that were eliminated before them.

  11. Funk
    June 16, 2008 at 3:38 pm Permalink

    I was afraid Brownell and Richie would win because in the last couple shows, the judges would roll their eyes and say, “The purpose here is to find a duet that can sell a million records.” That’s Brownell and Richie on looks and style. No wonder Bret and Amy went crazy following Will and Caitlin’s version of the Tim and Faith love song. That was probably the most powerful singing performance of anybody on all of the ‘amateur’ shows we’ve seen. It was professional quality all the way, well, except for poor Will’s hair. ;)

    They weren’t quite as strong on Stupid Boy, but the love song was enough to show their stripes. Clean Will up a bit and teach Caitlin to show just a bit more personality, and I think they have a shot at being *real* singing starts in the country genre. They were great.

  12. Rick
    June 16, 2008 at 6:37 pm Permalink

    The odds of the winners of “Can You Duet” actually making it big as a team in today’s Top 40 mainstream country environment is remote no matter how talented they are just due to marketplace realities. Nashville Star winner Chris Young was the 5th best selling artist in Nashville’s CD sales during Fan Fair and yet Top 40 country radio continues to ignore him. The winning CMT duo also don’t exactly have the movie star good looks that mainstream country covets these days. I was rooting for the Coppola Sisters and agree with Naomi Judd’s comments in her CMT blog that the twins have the looks and talent to succeed if they pursue it with enough dedication.

    Sunny Sweeney opened for both of Loretta’s Texas gigs and yet no mention was made of this. Oh well..

    Catherine Britt’s whinging (the Aussie form of whining) will not have much of an impact down under. The “sophisticated” big city dwellers have always looked down their noses at the bush dwelling country folk whether they be farmers, ranchers, miners, etc. The cultural bias of city folk against anything country, including the music, is much deeper in Australia than it is in the US. After living in Music City for six years, where country music is king, it must have been a real shock for Catherine to get back home and find out country music acceptance in the general population isn’t much better than when she first headed off to Nashville…

  13. Paul W Dennis
    June 16, 2008 at 6:42 pm Permalink

    Danny Davis was a terrific performer. A product of the end of the big band era, his Nashville Brass albums sold well and he produced successful records on a number of artists.

    It is hyperbole to say he pioneered the use of horns in country music, however. Merle Travis and Bob Wills both made extensive use of brass during the 1940s and other acts used brass occasionally

  14. Lynn
    June 16, 2008 at 8:36 pm Permalink

    Am I the only one who is amused by the idea of a good Carrie Underwood/Jessica Simpson feud? Go country music! Maybe if it rises to the level of the Kanye/50 Cent feud, then Jessica will promise not to record another album unless her sales beat Carrie’s. Now that would be something to root for! ;)

    I think this move says – to quote Jessica’s hero- “bring it on.” lol.
    http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/06/13/jessica-simpson-real-girls-eat-meat/

    Good luck to Caitlin and Will! They seem to be headed down the same country-rock route that everyone else in country music is these days, but at least they aren’t anorexic and blonde. Honestly, I really hope they surprise me…they seem to have it in them.

  15. Stacy Harris
    June 17, 2008 at 9:39 am Permalink

    Re: Christopher Edward Tanner and Eddy Arnold

    There has been so much erroneous reporting on this subject that would be largely missing if those interested following the events in chronological order.

    I set the matter straight, weeks ago, when I wrote in Stacy’s Music Row Report (www.countrymusicreport.com/Stacyharris.htm), the following:

    Every time a major country artist dies it’s become the norm for the publicists of other artists to issue statements in their clients’ names. In Eddy’s case, some of the artists probably only heard of Arnold after his death, as the statements issued in their names were more about themselves than Eddy.

    It doesn’t seem that it could be worse than that, but pre-funeral and post-funeral media coverage of Arnold’s passing has been absolutely abysmal. How many examples do you want?

    I didn’t even know CLIFF AYERS was still alive until I saw him on a Fox 17 newscast identified by the reporter as Eddy’s “friend.”

    Then there’s The Tennessean’s captioning a photo of SALLY and Eddy’s son: “Eddie Arnold Jr.”!

    And Catholics are not the only ones cringing at a bit of hyperbole, courtesy of BOB OERMANN, who likened Arnold’s passing to the “death of a pope.” (Oermann’s enthusiasm is admirable and is easily forgiven due to Bob’s amiable nature. Once he examines his double-standard application of both praise and criticism, Bob’s expertise will be on par with his [selective] passion).

    Nowhere in any posthumous coverage of Eddy’s life, other than my own, has their been any mention of Arnold’s autobiography and my past reporting on the protected legacy was borne out on Channel 50 on the evening of May 14th, just as I predicted earlier in the day it would during an afternoon conversation with the station’s CHERILYN CROWE.

    Guests Oermann and Arnold biographer DON CUSIC closed ranks when a 71-year-old caller named Sarah, remarking that Arnold’s life seemed to be controversy-free, asked if there had been any scandal. Both Bob and Don said there had not.

    I could have gone the hour without hearing the question. I prefer to remember, as Bob did, Eddy’s acting as a caregiver for his son, DICKIE.

    One week after his college graduation, Dickie’s car was hit head-on.
    News reports at the time left the impression the younger Arnold might not live following a head injury that left him unconscious for nearly ten weeks. Dickie’s right side was paralyzed and, once released from the hospital, his care proved to be too much for a male nurse.

    So it was up to Eddy to provide the in-home care that included diaper and catheter changes. And Arnold did so with, if the word applies, enthusiasm.

    But the question was asked and, in the absence of a refusal to comment, it demanded a truthful answer.

    As I have previously written, the answer first surfaced in rumor form during a regular feature of the syndicated JOAN RIVERS SHOW titled “Gossip, gossip, gossip.” (I know this because I was to be hired following what turned out to be the show’s final season. When the cancellation came, I received a surprise invitation to the cast “wrap” party, which I have kept to this day.)

    The show debuted in 1989 and sometime before final episode there was a mention of Eddy’s siring a love child during an extramarital affair. If there were any details, I don’t remember them. I couldn’t imagine this rumor being true and I wondered why Eddy didn’t sue for libel.

    Fast forward to a few years ago when CINDY ADAMS named names and indicated that Eddy’s legal representative(s) were putting pressure on a New York woman to refrain from writing any tell-all mentioning Arnold’s name. I never heard anything more about the book until May 12th when, in a tasteless revelation following Eddy’s death but before his burial, an emboldened Adams reiterated what she claimed was a 1992 conversation with the then 54-year-old ARLENE TANNER GLYNN of Astoria, Queens. (Adams touts this as a scoop but, again, that credit/or blame rests with the Rivers show.)

    In any event, Cindy reports that the “one-time auburn-haired knockout in the music business” told Adams that she gave birth to a son by Eddy (who will be celebrating his 48th birthday in November). Since “Arnold wanted nothing to do with his son,” Arlene named the boy who became a decorated Marine, CHRISTOPHER EDWARD TANNER. (Christopher? Why not Richard?)

    Stacy Harris
    Publisher/Executive Editor
    Stacy’s Music Row Report
    http://www.countrymusicreport.com

Leave a Comment


Sponsor

New American Voices Video

Tagged In This Article

// // // // // // // // // // // // // //

Current Discussion

  • Terry Ridont: I think its cool. Thats what I like about indy rock artists, everything isn't the same high budget packaging and ...
  • Stormy: Jon: The problem is that the progressive country music is now being called Americana. And why is it ...
  • Razor X: Maybe his brother did talk him into it but what’s to say he hasn’t ‘always loved’ and ‘wanted’ to ...
  • Brian: Josh Kelley will be fine. At the very least it means Katherine Heigl may show up on country award shows regularly. ...
  • Razor X: Change may be inevitable but we aren't required to support it and if enough people boycott it, it doesn't last ...
  • Jon: "You can’t stop “progress”… We can if we try hard enough. Um, no. Not that I think "progress" is a good ...
  • Joe: When she moved from Mercury to BNA, I think we were all just allowed to think there'd be some grand ...
  • sam sam: Well, Suzie, maybe if I saw his live show I'd love him. But I'm not interested in attending concerts. Radio ...
  • JOHN: Personally Sherrie s voice is as pure as it gets to me. Just listened to her demo songs after reading ...
  • Suzie: What is all this hate for Bucky about anyway?? He has one of the best voices in country music ...

Recently Reviewed Albums

  • clark-icon
  • cheticon
  • natural-forces-icon
  • carrie-icon
  • Sam Bush - Circles Around Me
  • Dolly Parton - Dolly
  • Drew Kennedy - An Audio Guide to Cross Country Travel
  • Toby Keith - American Ride