26 Facts About Eddie Rabbitt

Edward Thomas Rabbitt was an American country music singer and songwriter.

Eddie Rabbitt's 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.

Eddie Rabbitt was born to Irish immigrants Thomas Michael and Mae Eddie Rabbitt in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, in 1941, and was raised in the nearby community of East Orange, New Jersey.

Eddie Rabbitt's father was an oil-refinery refrigeration worker, and a skilled fiddle and accordion player, who often entertained in local New York City dance halls.

Eddie Rabbitt worked as a mental hospital attendant in the late 1950s; but, like his father, he fulfilled his love of music by performing at the Six Steps Down club in his hometown.

Eddie Rabbitt later won a talent contest and was given an hour of Saturday night radio show time to broadcast a live performance from a bar in Paterson, New Jersey.

Four years later, with $1,000 to his name, Eddie Rabbitt moved to Nashville, where he began his career as a songwriter.

Eddie Rabbitt became successful as a songwriter in 1969, when Elvis Presley recorded his song "Kentucky Rain".

In 1977, his third album, Eddie Rabbitt, was released, and made the top five on the Country Albums chart.

That year, at Knott's Berry Farm, Eddie Rabbitt appeared at the Academy of Country Music Awards and sang several of his songs from Rocky Mountain Music.

Eddie Rabbitt won the Top New Male Vocalist of the Year award.

Eddie Rabbitt was given his own television special on NBC, first airing on July 10,1980, which included appearances by such performers as Emmylou Harris and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Eddie Rabbitt teamed up with another country pop crossover star, Crystal Gayle, on "You and I", which was included on his 1982 album Radio Romance.

Eddie Rabbitt returned from his hiatus in 1988 with the release of I Wanna Dance With You, which despite somewhat negative reviews produced two number-one songs, a cover of Dion's "The Wanderer" and the album's title track.

Eddie Rabbitt was among the many country singers who suffered a dramatic decline in chart success beginning in 1991.

In 1997, Eddie Rabbitt signed with Intersound Records, but was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Eddie Rabbitt used innovative techniques to tie country music themes with light rhythm and blues-influenced tempos.

Eddie Rabbitt's music was compared to rockabilly, particularly the album Horizon, which was noted as having an Elvis-like sound.

When Eddie Rabbitt arrived in Nashville during the late 1960s, a friend gave him a pet chicken.

Eddie Rabbitt said he had "an affinity for animals", and he kept the bird for a while before giving it to a farmer.

Eddie Rabbitt felt his responsibility as an entertainer was to be a good role model and he was an advocate for many charitable organizations, including the Special Olympics, Easter Seals, and the American Council on Transplantation, of which he served as honorary chairman.

Eddie Rabbitt worked as a spokesman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and United Cerebral Palsy.

Eddie Rabbitt was a registered Republican and let Bob Dole use his song "American Boy" during Dole's 1996 presidential campaign.

Eddie Rabbitt had been diagnosed with the disease in March 1997 and had received radiation treatment and surgery to remove part of one lung.

Eddie Rabbitt's body was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Nashville on May 8,1998.

The news came as a surprise to many in Nashville, including the performer's agent, who "had no idea Eddie was terminal" and had talked to him often, remarking that Rabbitt "was always upbeat and cheerful" in the final months of his life.