Rabbitt Legend (VIDEO)

When it comes to cool country legends, Eddie Rabbitt is right up there with the best of them.  He had the look, the swagger, the charm, and some of the best music out there popularizing the '80s and early '90s.

I liked him simply for the fact that he sung the title song to my favorite movie, "Every Which Way But Loose."  Then as I discovered other great songs like Drivin' My Life Away, Step By Step, Suspicions, On Second Thought, and American Boy, I would forever be hooked on the music of Eddie Rabbitt.

This "country" boy was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish parents.  Eddie came to Nashville in the late '60s, and started off as a songwriter.  While holding several odd jobs such as soda jerk and fruit picker, he penned Kentucky Rain (which became a hit for Elvis Presley) and Pure Love, (a chart topper for Ronnie Milsap) among many others.

Eddie would compensate for what Billboard described as a "thin and reedy voice," by recording his songs in three-part harmonies, using a lot of echo, and almost always providing his own background vocals.

Sadly, we lost Eddie to lung cancer in 1998.  The thing about legends, however, is that the music never dies.