Earlier this month, on what would have been country-pop icon Eddy Arnold's 94th birthday (May 15), Eddy's grandson, musician Shannon Pollard (pictured left), along with author and music historian Don Cusic and punk legend Cheetah Chrome launched Plowboy Records, not only to celebrate the legacy of the man who was nicknamed the "Tennessee Plowboy" but to also provide a home for recordings focused on American music without regard to a particular genre. An Eddy Arnold tribute album, produced by Chrome, is currently in the works. The collection will feature interpretations of Eddy's memorable hits by traditional country, alt-country and indie rock acts.

"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.

Rick Diamond, Getty Images
Rick Diamond, Getty Images
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First up for Plowboy Records, however, is a new album from Grammy-winning songwriting legend Bobby Bare. One of the first "outlaw" country artists of the early 1970s, Bare scored 13 Top 10 singles and several best-selling albums. He's currently recording at Nashville's venerable RCA Studio B. The mix of traditional folk and blues and contemporary Americana is being recorded with a stellar band that includes Buddy Miller, Randy Scruggs and other members of Robert Plant's Band of Joy.

Eddy Arnold is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and was the CMA's first Entertainer of the Year in 1967 (a year after he'd been inducted into the Hall of Fame). He released over 100 albums in his career, placing 147 songs on the Billboard country charts including "Make the World Go Away," "Bouquet of Roses" and "The Cattle Call." He died in 2008, just one week shy of his 90th birthday.

Plowboy President Shannon Pollard, in addition to being a veteran musician, is a partner in a commercial real estate firm. He fondly recalls listening to albums with Eddy in the singer's home office in Brentwood, south of Nashville. It's the same space where Plowboy Records is headquartered today.

Watch Bobby Bare's 'Are You Sincere?' Video
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