Song:You and I
Album:Number One Hits
Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle were both successful late 70s country artists who crossed over to pop. The 1982 duet You & I wasn't the biggest hit for either of them but it was a number one country hit and a top ten pop hit. And of course it's a very popular wedding song. The song appeared on Rabbitt's 1982 album Radio Romance. He was born Nov. 27, 1941 in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in East Orange, NJ. His father was a part time fiddle and accordion player. Rabbitt learned to play guitar and was a big country music fan. He recorded a couple of singles and then moved to Nashville in 1968. He was hired as a staff songwriter by Hill & Range. He got his first big break when Elvis Presley recorded his song Kentucky Rain in 1969. Then Ronnie Milsap topped the country charts with his song Pure Love in 1974. This led to a record deal with Elektra Records. His first number one country hit was Drinkin' My Baby (Off My Mind). But then he crossed over to pop in a big way with the theme for the 1978 Clint Eastwood film Every Which Way But Loose. And this led to more crossover hits like Suspicions in 1979 and a 1980 NBC TV special. But Rabbitt's biggest hit and his signature song was I Love A Rainy Night in 1980. But then Rabbitt moved to Liberty Records. He had two number one country hits from his 1981 album Step By Step. You & I is from Rabbitt's second Liberty album Radio Romance. It topped the country charts and reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. The song was used in the daytime soap All my Children and it's a big wedding song. It was written by Frank J. Myers for his wife. He is one half of the duo Baker & Myers and they wrote the John Michael Montgomery hit I Swear. Rabbitt moved to RCA Records in 1985. And though he scored with his duet with Juice Newton Born To Each Other, Rabbitt faded by the end of the 80s. He moved to Capitol in 1990 and scored his final number one hit on Second Thought. This Rhino comp covers all of his hits. Rabbitt recorded one album for Intersound in 1997. But then he was diagnosed with cancer and died on May 7, 1998 at age 56. Here's Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle performing You and I on Nashville Now 1982. There are two clips of them performing this song on Youtube and Rabbitt messed up in both of them. In this clip, he sings out of key. In the other clip, he sings the wrong verse. I guess he didn't sing the song frequently.
Frank, thank-you so much. I liked Eddie Rabbits songs. I did not realize how much music he wrote and how many no #1 hits he had. I am very sorry to hear about his death of cancer in 98. To bad. I liked a lot of his music. Another good man gone to soon.
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