Eddie Money was born Edward Joseph Mahoney on March 21, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York. Although he dreamed of being a musician, after high school, Eddie decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a police officer. In 1968, after serving as a New York City Police Officer for two years, Money put his law enforcement career on hold to pursue music. He moved to Berkeley, California and began performing at local clubs. Then, in 1976, after changing his surname from Mahoney to Money, Eddie's fate changed when he was introduced to legendary promoter Bill Graham while performing at one of Grahams events. The two quickly became close, with Graham serving as both a mentor and manager to Money. Said Graham of Money, "Eddie Money has it all not only can he sing, write and play, but he is a natural performer."

After signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Money burst onto the scene with his eponymous debut album in 1977. Fans immediately fell in love with Money's sound, and the album, which went double platinum, featured hits like "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise." Money followed the success of his debut album with a stream of Top 40 hits, as well as some of the eras most creative videos for songs like "Think Im in Love" and "Shakin." In 1986, Money released Cant Hold Back, which featured the classic, Grammy-Nominated duet with Ronnie Spector, "Take Me Home Tonight." The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went platinum and also featured the hit "I Wanna Go Back."