Eddie Money

One-time New Jersey cop Eddie Mahoney stopped walking his hometown beat in order to pursue his dream of rock stardom. In the late '70s, he changed the clunky-sounding Mahoney to an '80s-ready Money, and in one of the most unlikely ascensions imaginable, this poor man's Springsteen hit the big time. Mind you, amidst the drivel that bombarded FM radio of the day (you know, Kansas, Styx, Journey, Foreigner, all the overblown shit that made the Sex Pistols and Clash possible), Money's meat-and-potatoes riffing was a slight but endearing respite. "Baby Hold On to Me" and "Two Tickets to Paradise" were just as loggerheaded as the rest of the top 40, but Money's tight-lipped phrasing and concise, power chord-infused choruses were perfect ear candy for teenagers hanging onto sanity via AC/DC and Cheap Trick. He pounded out the same shtick for a decade or so, even charting in the late '80s with the slightly uncomfortable duet with Ronnie Spector, "Take Me Home Tonight." Currently touring with his daughter, Money will play the obligatory hits, content to ride the authentic common man persona into his retirement years.