Country Boy Eddy – known as Gordon Edward Burns to locals – started his road to entertainment at the age of 13 when he would go door to door selling garden seeds to local farmers.  The money he made went towards something that would become synonymous with him throughout his career – a fiddle.  After months of selling seeds, Eddy bought that fiddle and proceeded to teach himself how to play.  From there, Eddy met a lifelong friend in Happy Hal Burns, who invited him to join the Happy Hal Burns’ Band.  It was Happy Hal who coined the nickname “Country Boy Eddy”.

Eddy then served in the US Army during the Korean War where he would often play for the Armed Forces Radio Network overseas.  When the war was over, he came back to Birmingham, married his wife, Edwina, and started the first version of “The Country Boy Eddie Show” which aired Saturdays on WAPI following wrestling at midnight.  From there Eddy and his band were hired as the stage band for the Tom York Morning Show on WBRC.   Wanting something bigger, and seeing an opportunity, Eddy then convinced WBRC to give him a four week trial run for a show of his own during the unused 5a-7a time period.  Eddy never looked back as the Country Boy Eddie Show dominated morning television for 38 years – complete with mule brays, adlibbed commercials, and music from anyone willing to get up that early.

Among his many accomplishments, Eddy is most known for launching the careers of several Alabama  musicians – most notably Tammie Wynette and Wendy Holcombe.  Eddy’s reach expanded beyond Alabama too.  He also hosted a morning show in Nashville where his guests included a young Dolly Parton, Pat Boone and Eddy Arnold.

Over the course of his career, Eddy was one of Alabama’s most influential people in both the music and television industries.  His charisma, style and work ethic created decades of entertainment that will never be duplicated.