Primary Wave Music has acquired a stake in the music publishing catalog of singer-songwriter Eddie Rabbitt, known for co-writing a dozen country music hits.
Notable compositions covered in the deal include I Love A Rainy Night and the Grammy-nominated Drivin’ My Life Away.
Rabbitt started his career as a songwriter in the late 1960s, transitioning to a recording artist after penning hits like Kentucky Rain for Elvis Presley in 1970 and Pure Love for Ronnie Milsap in 1974.
Primary Wave says Rabbitt played a key role in shaping the crossover-influenced sound of 1980s country music with hits such as Suspicions, I Love a Rainy Night (a number-one hit single on the Billboard Hot 100), and Every Which Way but Loose (the theme from the film of the same title).
His duets Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers) with Juice Newton and You and I with Crystal Gayle found a place in popular soap operas Days of Our Lives and All My Children.
In 1977, Rabbitt was honored as the Top New Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, and in 1980, he received the BMI Burton Song of the Year award for Suspicions, co-written with David Malloy and Even Stevens.
“Eddie Rabbitt’s music has left a lasting impression in the Country Music community and beyond. We are thrilled to welcome the catalog of such an iconic performer and songwriter.”
Lexi Todd, Primary Wave
Rabbitt was also an advocate for charitable causes including the Special Olympics, Easter Seals, and The American Council on Transplantation.
His contributions to country music were posthumously recognized with his induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998.
“Eddie Rabbitt’s music has left a lasting impression in the Country Music community and beyond. We are thrilled to welcome the catalog of such an iconic performer and songwriter,” said Lexi Todd, Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Primary Wave Music.
The deal marks Primary Wave’s latest acquisition after buying the music publishing catalog rights for a majority of compositions written by Dennis DeYoung in August. The deal also saw the company acquiring the master recording rights for a majority of recordings featuring DeYoung’s performances. DeYoung is a founding member of the iconic rock band Styx.
In June, Primary Wave secured a deal with Joey Tempest, the lead vocalist of rock band Europe, obtaining a portion of his music publishing catalog, which spans five albums.
The same month, the company announced a ‘multi-million-dollar’ agreement with George Brown, a renowned songwriter, drummer, producer, and Founding Member of Kool & The Gang.
In May, Primary Wave completed a ‘multi-million dollar’ music rights deal with the rock band Skillet, and prior to that, the company struck another multi-million dollar deal with singer-songwriter Russ Ballard. This agreement involved the acquisition of a stake in Ballard’s music publishing catalog, along with writer’s share royalties and writer’s share of public performance.
Primary Wave in March secured the artist royalties of Bob Burns, recognized as the original drummer and founding member of the iconic southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
That followed the company’s deal with singer, songwriter, and producer Stevie Van Zandt in February.
The company also acquired a stake in multiple Grammy and Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan’s music publishing and recorded music catalog in August.
Primary Wave says its catalog encompasses over 800 Top 10 singles and more than 400 No.1 hits.
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