Born 82 Years Ago in Louisiana, the 80s Country Hitmaker Whose Songs Have Been Recorded by Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and the Oak Ridge Boys

August 19, 2026, 6:15pm

On this day (August 19) in 1944, Eddy Raven was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He released his first recordings in the 1960s. However, his output didn’t become steady until the early 1970s. A decade later, he reached his commercial peak, releasing a string of top 10 country hits. He also saw success as a songwriter. His songs were recorded by Waylon Jennings, Connie Smith, Tanya Tucker, and Merle Haggard, among others. The Oak Ridge Boys took his song “Thank God for Kids” to the top of the country chart.

Raven started pursuing a music career early. He played in local rock bands in Lafayette as a teenager. Then, his family relocated from Louisiana to Georgia, where the 16-year-old Raven found work at a local radio station. He also cut his first single, “Once a Fool,” for a small, independent label in 1962. A year later, his family moved back to Louisiana, where he began working in a record store called La Louisianne. The shop’s owner also ran a label of the same name. Raven cut his first full-length, That Cajun Country Sound, for the label in 1969.

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According to AllMusic, Raven’s debut album caught the attention of fellow Cajun country artist Jimmy C. Newman. He helped the up-and-comer land a publishing deal with Acuff-Rose. Soon, some of the biggest names in Nashville were recording his songs. Notably, Don Gibson made “Country Green” a top-five hit. Roy Acuff covered “Back in the Country.” Jeannie C. Riley cut “Good Morning, Country Rain.”
Later, Merle Haggard covered “Dealin’ with the Devil,” and Waylon Jennings recorded “Sweet Mother Texas.”

Eddy Raven Finds Success

Soon, Don Gant left Acuff-Rose to be an A&R man for ABC Records. Eddy Raven signed a deal with the label in 1974. He had some minor hits in the 1970s. “Good News, Bad News” and “Free to Be” broke into the top 40 on the country chart.

Raven’s career started to take off in the mid-1980s, after he signed with RCA Records Nashville. “I Got Mexico,” his first single for the label, topped the country chart. It was also the first of 17 consecutive top 10 hits. A total of six reached the top of the chart.

His singles began to slip down the charts in the early 1990s. By the middle of the decade, he started working with independent labels. In 2018, he stepped back from being a full-time touring and recording artist. However, he still makes special appearances. His most recent album, All Grassed Up, was released by Pinecastle Records in 2017.

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