Eddie Brigati

Eddie Brigati, born Edward Brigati Jr. on October 22, 1945, in Garfield, New Jersey, is an American singer-songwriter, percussionist, and Broadway performer. He graduated from Garfield High School in 1963 before embarking on a career that would place him among the more prominent figures in American popular music.

Brigati's professional career began when he joined Joey Dee and the Starliters, taking over the position previously held by his brother, David Brigati. He subsequently became a co-lead vocalist and percussionist in The Young Rascals, a role he shared with Felix Cavaliere, from 1964 to 1970. With the assistance of group founder Billy Amato and manager Sid Bernstein, the Rascals became the first all-white group signed to Atlantic Records. The band, along with The Righteous Brothers and The Box Tops, was associated with the genre known as blue-eyed soul. The group later shortened its name from The Young Rascals to The Rascals.

As a songwriter, Brigati collaborated with Cavaliere to produce much of the material that defined the Rascals' catalog. His compositional credits include "You Better Run," "I've Been Lonely Too Long," "Groovin'," "How Can I Be Sure," "A Beautiful Morning," and "People Got to Be Free," the last of which featured his lead vocals on "How Can I Be Sure." Brigati departed the group in 1970 following the expiration of their Atlantic Records contract, when the remaining members elected to sign with Columbia Records. In 1976, he and his brother David recorded an album titled Lost in the Wilderness under the name Brigati. The two also performed on The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon in 1992.

The Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. On June 18, 2009, Brigati and Cavaliere were inducted together into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. On April 24, 2010, Brigati reunited with the other three members of the Rascals for a performance at the Kristen Ann Carr benefit held at Tribeca Grill in New York City, where the quartet performed a set exceeding one hour drawn largely from their 1960s catalog.

A more extensive reunion followed in 2012, when the Rascals appeared at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York for six performances in December of that year. This led directly to their Broadway engagement, The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream, which ran for fifteen performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre from April 15 through May 5, 2013. The production was produced by Steven Van Zandt and his wife Maureen, both longtime fans of the group. Following the Broadway run, the Rascals toured for seven months, performing in cities including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, Clearwater, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Boston, Atlantic City, Holmdel, Wantagh, and Toronto.

Brigati resides in New Jersey with his wife, Susan Lovell.