Godspeed Eric Carmen

Eric Carmen, lead vocalist of The Raspberries and a successful solo artist as well, died yesterday, March 11 2024, at the age of 74.

Eric Carmen was born on August 11 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in Lyndhurst, Ohio. He took to music from an early age. He was only three years old when he was enrolled in the Dalcroze Eurhythmics program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. When he was six years old, his aunt, Muriel Carmen, who was a concert violinist with the Cleveland Orchestra, taught him to play violin. By the time he was 11 years old, he already knew how to play piano and was writing his own songs. In his early teens he was heavily influenced by such British Invasion bands as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. When he was in high school he played with various local bands, such as The Fugitives, The Harlequins, and The Sounds of Silence. He was 15 when he taught himself to play guitar.

It was while he was attending John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio that he joined the band Cyrus Erie. Cyrus Erie released the unsuccessful single "Sparrow" through Epic Records in 1968. In 1969, under the name The Quick, they released another unsuccessful single, "Ain't Nothin' Gonna Stop Me." It was after Cyrus Erie disbanded in the late Sixties that Eric Carmen, former Cyrus Erie guitarist Walter Bryson, drummer Jim Bonfanti (formerly of The Choir), and bassist Dave Smalley (also formerly of The Choir) formed The Raspberries.

The Raspberries were signed to Capitol Records. Their first single, "Don't Want to Say Goodbye," only went to no. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second single, "Go All the Way," proved to be a hit, peaking at no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their debut album, Raspberries, peaked at no. 51 on the Billboard album chart. The Raspberries would have two other major hits, "I Wanna Be with You," which went to no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)", which went to no. 18. Other singles ("Let's Pretend," "Tonight," and "I'm a Rocket") reached the Billboard Hot 100 as well. Their second album, Fresh, reached no. 36 on the Billboard album chart. Sadly, their last two albums, Side 3 and Starting Over, peaked at 128 and 143 on the chart respectively. Eric Carmen wrote or co-wrote the majority of the band's songs, and also sang, played rhythm guitar, and piano.

The Raspberries broke up in April 1975, after which Eric Carmen began a successful solo career. His debut single as a solo artist, "All By Myself," went to no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by the hit "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," which peaked at no. 11. His self-titled, debut album went to no. 21 on the Billboard album chart. The first single from Boats Against the Current (his second solo album), "She Did It," went to no. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another hit emerged from his third solo album (Change of Heart). "Change of Heart" went to no. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Unfortunately, Eric Carmen's career stalled following Change of Heart,. and he would not have another hit until "I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips" went to no. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. In 1987 his single "Hungry Eyes" went to no. 4 on the Billboard  Hot 100. In 1988 his single "Make Me Lose Control" went to no. 3 on the chart. Following Eric Carmen (his second self-titled album) in 1984, Mr. Carmen would not release another album until I Was Born to Love You in 2000. His last new track, d "Brand New Year," was released on December 24 2014.

In 2004 Eric Carmen reunited with the other original members of The Raspberries for a successful tour of the United States. A alive album, Live on Sunset Strip, was released in 2007. A recording of their show in Cleveland during the 2004 reunion tour would be released as a live album, Pop Art Live, in 2017.

While Eric Carmen's success on the record charts was intermittent, he would have a lasting influence both as one of The Raspberries and as a solo artist. Along with Badfinger, The Raspberries would be pivotal in the development of power pop in those years between the originators of the genre in the Sixties and the such power pop artists of the late Seventies as Cheap Trick, Dave Edmunds, and The Knack. They would have an influence on artists ranging from The Cars to The Bangles to Matthew Sweet to Teenage Fan Club. As a solo artist, Eric Carmen wrote and performed "All by Myself," which has since become a standard, as well as a number for other memorable songs.