Eddie Brigati
| Eddie Brigati | |
|---|---|
Eddie Brigati, May 1984
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Brigati Jr. |
| Born | October 22, 1945 Garfield, New Jersey, USA |
| Genres | Rock, soul, blue-eyed soul |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Percussion, Vocals |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Associated acts | The Rascals, Brigati |
Eddie Brigati (born Edward Brigati Jr., October 22, 1945, Garfield, New Jersey) is an American singer and songwriter. Brigati shared vocals, and played tambourine, in the pop group The Young Rascals from 1965 to 1970. Prior to his stint with The Young Rascals (who later shortened their name to The Rascals), Brigati had been a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters (having actually replaced his brother, original Starliter David Brigati, in that group). The Rascals were the first all-white group signed to Atlantic Records. They (along with The Righteous Brothers and The Box Tops), were practitioners of a genre of music coined 'blue-eyed soul'.
Raised in Garfield, New Jersey, Brigati graduated from Garfield High School in 1963.[1]
Brigati (along with fellow group member Felix Cavaliere) wrote the songs that made the Rascals' one of the more successful recording groups of their era. He helped compose "A Beautiful Morning", "Groovin'", "People Got to Be Free", "I've Been Lonely Too Long", "You Better Run", and "How Can I Be Sure".
Brigati left the group in 1970 after their contract with Atlantic expired, and they chose to sign with Columbia. In 1976, Eddie and David Brigati recorded an album, Lost in the Wilderness, under the name Brigati. They also performed on The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon in 1992.
The (Young) Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and in 2005, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. On June 18, 2009, Brigati (along with partner Cavaliere) was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. On April 24, 2010, Brigati reunited with the other three members of the Rascals. They performed at the Kristen Ann Carr benefit (held at New York City's Tribeca Grill). The quartet played a set that ran over one hour and featured several of their top hits from the 1960s.
He is currently reunited with his band-mates. The Rascals appeared at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY for six shows in December 2012 and for fifteen dates at the Richard Rogers Theatre on Broadway (April 15 – May 5, 2013). Their current production is entitled 'Once Upon A Dream.' It is produced by long-time Rascals' fans, Steven Van Zandt and his wife Maureen.
Brigati and his wife, Susan Lovell, reside in his home state of New Jersey.
References
- ↑ La Gorce, Tammy. "Rascal on the Rebound: Eddie Brigati Back On Stage; Bitter memories aside, Eddie Brigati, singer of the hitmaking '60s group the Rascals, is stoked to be back on stage with his mates, thanks to a boost from Steve Van Zandt.", New Jersey Monthly, February 11, 2013. Accessed May 26, 2016. "If Brigati thinks so too, he's not saying—partly out of humility, partly because he doesn't want to talk about the past. 'It's all documented, you can read about that,' he says in the living room of one of his New Jersey homes—the one he calls his 'music house,' in North Jersey, where he keeps his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame statuettes directly across from his 1963 Garfield High School diploma."
