Cut to the not so distant past to a scene inside a cool white washed bungalow somewhere in India. It is the scorching month of May.  Crows are calling outside the window in the blazing sunshine. No humans stir outside afoot as it is the lunch hour in this small mining township. Families are enjoying a Sunday lunch together indoors, sheltered from the heat and dust outside. Pan closer with the camera  to this particular family and you will see me sitting there in blue jeans and a white T-shirt.  Pan around and meet the rest of my family...all seven of us enjoying our Sunday midday meal of steamed rice, pork vindaloo, lentils, mixed vegetable curry,  salad, papadams and tall cool glasses of  watermelon sherbet. The air is pungent with the aroma of good home cooking as my younger sister gorges on her dessert,  a golden alphanso mangoe. There  is no conversation as the entire group glances at one another with an air of expectancy. Then suddenly stealing softly into the hot summer day comes enchantment itself.  Weaving its way from the hi fi stereo in the hall into our midst is the remarkable voice of Eddy Arnold. My father looks at my mother and says, “There you go. Here is Eddy saying what I want to say to you.” As if on cue Eddy Arnold’s gilded voice pours out his soul…Have I Told You Lately That I Love You… That day… my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary is forever etched in my mind.

Cut to the present day ..6am…sleepy eyed .. earphones plugged on to either side of my head.  I listen intently as Don Stewart’s uplifting voice greets my day with an Eddy Arnold song. . You Gave Me A Mountain. The day before it was Bouquet of Roses and Country Hall of Fame.  What better way to greet a person and the universe itself.  Don by the way is the first Eddy Arnold fan to sign the guest book at this website. He has a strong, competent voice too for the Eddy Arnold songs he loves to sing.

Speaking of which you will find on this website great stories, plenty of statistics and above all praise amounting to idol worship for Eddy Arnold from every strata of society, from professional musicians to ordinary folk.  I am fortunate to have been directed to this treasure trove of Eddy Arnold music.  I have one thing in common with everyone. The people who have visited here are all ardent Eddy Arnold fans.  That's the common spider threads that weaves us all together. We come here in droves drawn by his reputation as Eddy Arnold the super man and Eddy Arnold the great musician.  But above all we come here to listen to his brilliant voice steeped in sweet music and embedded in these pages. Many of his fans I know visit here daily as if to his shrine.

Coming back to Eddy. What can I say that hasn't  already been said about the man, his music, his rapturous voice.  What can I add that is not known already about this modest man from Tennessee.  What can I underline that hasn't already been endorsed by hundreds of better people before me. A man who trusted his roots, who acquired fame and fortune but never became too big for his boots, who gave to the world perhaps more than he received.

To me this Prince of Hearts (my special name for Eddy )is also like a magician. If you have been to a magic show then you know what I am talking about.  Magic cuts across all barriers of  country,  caste and creed. Eddy does a sleight of hands with our hearts implanting one emotion there after another with his melodious voice.  Every time you hear him sing any one of his songs deep emotions arise in you.  The world suddenly seems a better place to live in.  His lyrics, his music, his voice takes us back to an era where a man's word was his only bond.

He is a true American original. A living legend. A once in a lifetime treat. …for the mind and the soul. There are two kinds of geniuses in this world…those who think and those who cause others to think.   Eddy has caused me to reflect on my life and times on numerous occasions.  His success, his fundamental values, his warmth and caring towards all and sundry are beacons to watch out for in this shifting sea of humanity we call mankind.

His voice threads through my childhood for me, his lyrics bind together like pearls of wisdom on a silver thread.  Every person I have asked about Eddy this past week has returned with this answer “I like Eddy”.  So Eddy is popular! We all know that. The unusual range, depth and feeling that this extraordinary singer put in all his songs with such sincerity, it touched all our hearts. Some say he has a nice voice, others say delicious or beautiful, still others breathtaking.   Whatever his voice may seem to you at that moment, his virtuosity will cast its spell on you. You will be drawn into his web in a world where his voice brings serenity, a joy, and an unusual harmony of feelings, such as happiness with yourself and with those around you. Can you wonder when you read over and over again in these pages the words “We love Eddy!”  Listen to any of these 10 songs listed below and tell me that you don't feel something wonderful, something softer, kinder, and magical about you. Eddy gives you wings to fly into yourself and find beauty within you.  Sometimes poignant, sometimes lilting, always haunting. Eddy Arnold is a fitting standard bearer for western country music…though he was actually popular and successful in both genres…country western and pop.

An outstanding man. By paying homage to him today I also pay my respects to my parents who are no more but who loved and adored Eddy Arnold the man and the musician. Never a day went by at our homestead without the sweet strains of Eddy Arnold’s Wooden Heart, Cattle Call, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, Bouquet of Roses, When your Hair Has Turned to Silver, With Pen in Hand, Make the World Go Away, I'll Hold You in My Heart ‘Till I Can Hold You in My Arms, A Little On the Lonely Side, I Need You All the Time, etc.

There are some great songs of his on this website and some great links too to more of his songs.  You know you are going to enjoy listening to his voice and you know too that it will change you that one significant iota enough for you to make your day a better day for you. Go ahead, let his music play on…

From my vantage point in India Eddy always shines bright in the western sky. You have a national treasure, honour him.

Eddy you have meant so many things to me, a prince of hearts when you entranced and delighted both men and women alike with your voice and your moral ways, a spiderman when you drew my family into your circle of admirers, a magician when you cut across all barriers of country and creed with your exceptional and enthralling talent.  Your voice was a gift from God and you shared it with the rest of the world.

Thank you Eddy.  Need I say we love you.  See you are a Superman too!!

As for you dear reader….do you have a magic man in your life? No?!! Then go out this instant and buy an Eddy Arnold CD or better still sit here and listen to his songs on this website.  Pure bliss. So stop a minute to smell a “Bouquet of Roses”. Definitely makes the world a sweeter place to live in. Don’t you agree?