Have Guitar, Will Travel (Eddy Arnold album) explained

Have Guitar, Will Travel
Type:studio
Artist:Eddy Arnold
Cover:Have Guitar, Will Travel (Eddy Arnold album).png
Released:1959
Genre:Country
Label:RCA Victor
Prev Title:Thereby Hangs a Tale
Prev Year:1959
Next Title:Eddy Arnold Sings Them Again (compilation)
Next Year:1960

Have Guitar, Will Travel is an album by American country music singer Eddy Arnold. It was released in 1959 by RCA Victor (catalog no. LPM-1928). The album consists of 12 tracks, each referencing a different state or city.[1]

At the time of its release, Roger Thames wrote that Arnold's performance "demonstrates again that he is a few cuts above the average ... this is the kind of song he does best, and he's at his best singing them."[2]

Another reviewer wrote that "Arnold's nasal tones sound so sincere in each song it seems like he's plugging his home state in each one."[3]

The album also received a positive review from Wally George in the Los Angeles Times. George praised Arnold's signing and guitar playing and concluded: "Verdict: Have record, will listen."[4]

AllMusic gave the album a rating of two stars.[5] Reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Arnold's adaptation of "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" and found the travel concept cute, but concluded that it is "more interesting as an artifact than an album."[5]

Track listing

Side A

  1. "Indiana"
  2. "Oklahoma Hills"
  3. "Mister and Mississippi"
  4. "Stars Fell on Alabama"
  5. "Idaho"
  6. "Kentucky Babe"

Side B

  1. "Missouri"
  2. "Carolina in the Morning"
  3. "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" (James A. Bland)
  4. "On Miami Shore"
  5. "Beautiful Ohio"
  6. "Georgia on My Mind"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Eddy Arnold - Have Guitar Will Travel. Discogs. December 18, 2020.
  2. News: Eddy's guitars could build up team following. Roger Thames. The Birmingham News. February 2, 1959. 12. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Mitch Miller 'Unleashes' 3d 'Sing Along' Album. The Indianapolis Star. Lynn Hopper. March 15, 1959. Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Court of Records. Los Angeles Times. Wally George. March 1, 1959. Newspapers.com.
  5. Web site: Have Guitar, Will Travel. AllMusic. December 18, 2020.