Eddie Rabbitt

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Eddie Rabbitt bigraphy, stories - American country music singer-songwriter

Eddie Rabbitt : biography

27 November 1941 – 7 May 1998

Edward Thomas "Eddie" Rabbitt (November 27, 1941 – May 7, 1998) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His career began as a songwriter in the late 1960s, springboarding to a recording career after composing hits such as "Kentucky Rain" for Elvis Presley in 1970 and "Pure Love" for Ronnie Milsap in 1974. Later in the 1970s, Rabbitt helped to develop the crossover-influenced sound of country music prevalent in the 1980s with such hits as "Suspicions" and "Every Which Way but Loose." His duets "Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" and "You and I", with Juice Newton and Crystal Gayle respectively, later appeared on the soap operas Days of Our Lives and All My Children.

Musical styles

Rabbitt used innovative techniques to tie country music themes with light rhythm and blues-influenced tempos. His songs often used echo, as Rabbitt routinely sang his own background vocals. In a process called the "Eddie Rabbitt Chorale," Rabbitt compensated for what Billboard Magazine described as a "somewhat thin and reedy voice" by recording songs in three-part harmonies. His music was compared to rockabilly, particularly the album Horizon, which was noted as having an Elvis-like sound. Rabbitt remarked that he liked "a lot of the old Memphis sounds that came out of Sun Records" during the 1950s, and that he "wanted to catch the magic of a live band."Wetmore, Elaine Daily Collegian, 28 September 1981 He credited such wide-ranging artists as Bob Dylan, Elton John, Steely Dan, Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson with influencing his works. When putting together an album, Rabbitt tried to make sure he put in "ten potential singles…no fillers, no junk." He remembered listening to albums as a child and hearing "two hits and a bunch of garbage."Gardner, Tom "Eddie Rabbitt: Brooklyn boy makes his voice heard in Nashville," Wilmington Morning Star, 1 August 1979

Rabbitt believed that country music was "Irish music" and that "the minor chords in [his] music g[a]ve it that mystical feel."Allis, Tim and Bell, Bonnie , People Magazine, 17 April 1989 Although he did not strive to produce pop music, his songs helped influence the direction of country music, leading to the Urban Cowboy era during the 1980s. Critic Harry Sumrall of the San Jose Mercury News said that Rabbitt was "like a hot corn dog: nothing fancy, nothing frilly. You know what you’re getting and you like it…never a country purist, Rabbitt nonetheless makes music that is plain and simple, with all of the virtues that make good country good. [His songs] might be brisk, but they are also warm and familiar, like the breeze that wafts in over the fried artichokes." "Likable Eddie Rabbitt is Right at Home at the Fair," San Jose Mercury News, 11 August 1986

During the early 1990s, Rabbitt voiced criticism of hip hop music, particularly rap, which he said was sending a negative message to youths. He stated that the music was "inciting a generation" and that it had helped to contribute to the high rates of teenage pregnancy, high school dropouts and rapes during this period.Susman, Lori "Riverside Resort presents Eddie Rabbitt in concert", Kingman Daily Miner, 23 April 1993

Awards

Year Awards Award
1977 Academy of Country Music Awards Top New Male Vocalist
1979 Music City News Country Songwriter of the Year
1979 BMI Robert J. Burton Award ("Suspicions")
1980 BMI Song of the Year ("Suspicions")
1981 American Music Award Best Pop Male Vocalist
1996 BMI Three Million-Air award ("I Love a Rainy Night")
1996 BMI Two Million-Air award ("Kentucky Rain")
1998 Nashville Songwriters Foundation Nashville Songwriters Hall of FameFlippo, Chet. SESAC, Hall of Fame honor songwriters, Billboard Magazine, 3 October 1998