Eddy Raven facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddy Raven
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Raven in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Garvin Futch |
| Born | August 19, 1944 Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1962–2019 |
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Edward Garvin Futch (born August 19, 1944), known as Eddy Raven, is an American country music singer and songwriter. He was active from 1962 to 2019. Eddy Raven recorded for many record companies. These included ABC, Elektra, RCA, and Capitol.
His biggest success came between 1984 and 1990. During this time, he had six number-one songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. These hits were "I Got Mexico", "Shine, Shine, Shine", "I'm Gonna Get You", "Joe Knows How to Live", "In a Letter to You", and "Bayou Boys". Overall, Raven had eighteen songs reach the top ten on that chart. Even though his chart success slowed down in the 1990s, he kept recording music. He also wrote songs for other artists. These included Don Gibson and The Oak Ridge Boys. Raven's music mixes mainstream country, country pop, Cajun music, and even reggae. He wrote many of his songs himself or with Frank J. Myers.
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About Eddy Raven
Edward Garvin Futch was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on August 19, 1944. He was the oldest of ten children. His father worked as a truck driver. Eddy first thought about playing professional baseball. But he broke his ankle and decided not to.
Growing up, he loved Cajun music. He also listened to country music on the radio, like the Louisiana Hayride. New Orleans blues and rock and roll also influenced him. Eddy first played in a band when he was thirteen. Later, his family moved to Georgia. He worked at a radio station there. In 1962, he released his first song, "Once a Fool." A printing mistake made the name "Eddy Raven" appear. He liked it and kept it as his stage name. When his family moved back to Louisiana, Raven worked at a recording studio. He recorded his first album there, called That Cajun Country Sound.
Eddy Raven's Music Journey
Starting Out in Music
Another Cajun country musician, Jimmy C. Newman, heard Eddy's first record. Jimmy helped him get a songwriting contract. Both Jimmy and Eddy's father encouraged him to move to Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville, he wrote songs for many country artists. These included Don Gibson and Connie Smith.
Eddy Raven started recording for ABC Records in 1974. His first song to appear on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart was "The Last of the Sunshine Cowboys." This was his own song. He had seven more songs on the chart for ABC between 1974 and 1975. The most popular was "Good News, Bad News," which reached number 27. ABC also released his album, This Is Eddy Raven, in 1976.
Raven left ABC in 1976. He then signed with Monument Records in 1978. He released two songs there. "You're a Dancer" was a small hit. But "Colinda" did not make the charts. Monument Records then closed its country music section.
After leaving Monument, singer Bob Luman told Raven to visit Texas. This led to his 1980 album Eyes. This album was on Dimension Records, a small company. Raven wrote or helped write every song on it. Five songs from the album made the Hot Country Songs chart. "Peace of Mind" was the most successful, reaching number 23 in 1981. "Dealin' with the Devil" was one of the first country songs to have a music video.
In 1981, producer Jimmy Bowen helped Raven sign with Elektra Records. Raven said Bowen was the first producer who let him record "my music." His only Elektra album, Desperate Dreams, came out in 1981. This album had four songs that charted between 1981 and 1982. "She's Playing Hard to Forget" became his first song to reach the top ten. Raven wrote three of these songs himself. After his contract with Elektra ended, Raven took a break from recording. During this time, he started writing songs with Frank J. Myers. This songwriting success made him want to record again in 1984.
Big Hits with RCA Records (1984-1988)
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Eddy Raven joined RCA Records Nashville in 1984. His first song for RCA was "I Got Mexico". This song became his first number-one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. He co-wrote it with Frank J. Myers. It was from his RCA album I Could Use Another You. The album also had two other top-ten songs: the title track and "She's Gonna Win Your Heart".
His next RCA album was Love and Other Hard Times in 1985. This album had three more top-ten hits: "Operator, Operator", "I Wanna Hear It from You", and "You Should Have Been Gone by Now". Raven helped write six songs on this album. In 1985, Raven was nominated for the Horizon Award. This award is now called the Best New Artist award from the Country Music Association.
Right Hand Man, released in 1986, had four more hit songs. "Sometimes a Lady", "Right Hand Man", and "You're Never Too Old for Young Love" all reached number three. The song "Shine, Shine, Shine" became his second number-one hit.
Raven's time with RCA ended with a collection album called The Best of Eddy Raven in 1988. This album included three new songs that became hits. "I'm Gonna Get You" and "Joe Knows How to Live" both went to number one. The last song from this album, "'Til You Cry", reached number four.
Universal and Capitol Records (1988-1991)
In 1988, producer Jimmy Bowen started a new country music company called Universal Records. He signed Eddy Raven. Raven's first song for Universal was "In a Letter to You". This song was the first release from his only Universal album, Temporary Sanity, in 1989. "In a Letter to You" was the first number-one song for the Universal label.
This was followed by his sixth and final number-one hit, "Bayou Boys". He wrote this song with Frank J. Myers and Troy Seals. In December 1989, Jimmy Bowen closed Universal. He became president of Capitol Records' Nashville division. Raven and other artists moved to Capitol.
Capitol released three more songs from Temporary Sanity. "Sooner or Later" and "Island" both reached the top ten in 1990. But "Zydeco Lady" did not make the top 40.
Another album for Capitol Nashville, Right for the Flight, came out in 1991. It had two songs, "Rock Me in the Rhythm of Your Love" and "Too Much Candy for a Dime." These songs were not successful on the charts. The album also included "Cajun Song," which featured Doug Kershaw singing and playing accordion. After these songs did not do well, Raven left Capitol in 1991.
Independent Music (1994-Present)
His next album, Wild Eyed and Crazy, was released in 1994. It had five new songs and re-recorded versions of eight of his old hits. This was followed by Cookin' Cajun in 1996. This album was a collaboration with fellow Cajun country musician Jo-El Sonnier. It included songs like Raven's "I'm Gonna Get You" and Sonnier's "Tear Stained Letter".
In 2001, Raven released Living in Black & White. This album was produced by Ron Chancey. Songwriters on the album included Frank J. Myers and Richie McDonald. One song, "Coldest Fire," was a song Raven started writing in 1987. But he couldn't finish it for a long time. One song from the album, "Cowboys Don't Cry," reached number 60 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Eddy Raven has continued to perform throughout the 21st century. He has made many appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. He also helped write two songs on Toby Keith's 2011 album Clancy's Tavern. In 2018, Raven released a bluegrass album called All Grassed Up. It has new songs and new versions of old ones.
Eddy Raven's Music Style
Eddy Raven's music style is known for his strong Cajun music influence. It also features his unique singing voice and songs with great lyrics. He says he was influenced by his father, who listened to country music. But he also loved the Cajun music popular in his home state of Louisiana.
Many of his songs also have influences from reggae and Caribbean music. For example, the song "I Should've Called" has reggae-style guitar. His voice is described as deep and strong. He calls his style "Cajun reggae, Cajun Caribbean, electric Cajun."
Influence on Other Artists
Many of Eddy Raven's songs were successful for other artists. He wrote four top-ten hits between 1971 and 1975. These included "Country Green" and "Touch the Morning" for Don Gibson. He also wrote "Sometimes I Talk in My Sleep" for Randy Cornor. And "I Don't Wanna Talk It Over Anymore" for Connie Smith.
Merle Haggard covered "Dealin' with the Devil" in 1981. Waylon Jennings covered "Sweet Mother Texas" in 1986. Also, The Oak Ridge Boys had a top-five hit in 1982 with Raven's song "Thank God for Kids". Raven had written and recorded this song earlier. But his record company didn't release it as a single. Raven later said that The Oak Ridge Boys' success with the song helped him decide to continue his music career.
Eddy Raven's Family Life
Eddy Raven's family lived in the Maurice area of Louisiana. He graduated from Maurice High School. Raven has been married twice. His first wife was Gayle Breaux, whom he married in 1966. They had two children, Ryan and Coby. His son Ryan was the idea for the song "Thank God for Kids." His second wife is named Sheila. They helped start the RMG record label in 2001.
Discography
Studio albums
- That Cajun Country Sound (1973)
- This Is Eddy Raven (1976)
- Eyes (1980)
- Desperate Dreams (1981)
- I Could Use Another You (1984)
- Love and Other Hard Times (1985)
- Right Hand Man (1986)
- Temporary Sanity (1989)
- Right for the Flight (1991)
- Wild Eyed and Crazy (1994)
- Cookin' Cajun (with Jo-El Sonnier) (1996)
- Living in Black and White (2001)
- All Grassed Up (2018)
Number-One Hits on Billboard
- "I Got Mexico" (1 week, 1984)
- "Shine, Shine, Shine" (1 week, 1987)
- "I'm Gonna Get You" (1 week, 1988)
- "Joe Knows How to Live" (1 week, 1988)
- "In a Letter to You" (1 week, 1989)
- "Bayou Boys" (1 week, 1989)
