Edward Joseph Money (né Mahoney; March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Think I'm in Love", "Shakin'", "Take Me Home Tonight", "I Wanna Go Back", "Endless Nights", "Walk on Water", and "The Love in Your Eyes". Critic Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called him a working-class rocker.[3] In 1987, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Take Me Home Tonight".[4]
Edward Joseph Mahoney was born in Manhattan, New York City on March 21, 1949, to a large family of Irish Catholic descent. His parents were Dorothy Elizabeth (née Keller), a homemaker, and Daniel Patrick Mahoney, a police officer.[3][5][6] He grew up in Levittown, New York,[2][7] but spent some teenage years in Woodhaven, Queens, New York City.[8] Money was a street singer from the age of eleven.[3] As a teenager, he played in rock bands, in part to get dates from cheerleaders.[2] He was thrown out of one high school for forging a report card.[1] In 1967, he graduated from Island Trees High School.[3]
At the age of 18, he tried to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, father, and brother as a New York City Police Department trainee.[9] However, after working as a clerk and typist, he left in 1968 to pursue a career in music,[1] as the police did not allow him to grow his hair long.[2] "I couldn't see myself in a police uniform for 20 years of my life, with short hair," he later said.[9] His bandmates also fired him because they did not want a police officer in the group.[3] His father was not happy with his decision to play music and tore the Jimi Hendrix posters from his wall.[2]
In 1968, Money moved to Berkeley, California.[10] There, he studied with vocal coach Judy Davis, and took on the stage name Eddie Money, dropping a few letters from his name and sarcastically referring to the fact that he was always broke (some people called him "Eddie no money").[2]
Money became a regular performer at clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area.[11] After gaining the attention of Bill Graham,[1] he secured a recording contract with Columbia Records, releasing his debut album in 1977. He charted with singles such as "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise", about visiting his girlfriend despite not having money.[2][12]
In 1978, Money opened for Santana at Boston's Music Hall.[3] The following year, he sang backing vocals on the bridge section on "I'm Alright", a song written and performed by Kenny Loggins. In 2014, Money claimed that Loggins never gave him credit for his contribution.[13]