Eric Carmen

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eric Carmen
Carmen in the early 1990s
Carmen in the early 1990s
Background information
Birth nameEric Howard Carmen
Born(1949-08-11)August 11, 1949
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
OriginLyndhurst, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 2024(2024-03-00) (aged 74)
Genres
Occupations
  • Guitarist
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • keyboardist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
  • bass
Years active1967–2024
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse(s)
Marcy Hill
(m. 1978; div. 1979)

Susan Brown
(m. 1993; div. 2009)

Amy Murphy
(m. 2016)
Websiteericcarmen.com

Eric Howard Carmen (August 11, 1949 – March 2024) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of the Raspberries, with whom he recorded the hit "Go All the Way"[1] and four albums. He embarked on a solo career in 1975 and had global success with "All by Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It", "Hungry Eyes", and "Make Me Lose Control".[2] In later years, he toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band before reforming the Raspberries in 2004.

Early life

From a family of

Rolling Stones altered his dream slightly. By the time he was a sophomore at Charles F. Brush High School, Carmen was playing piano and singing in rock bands including the Sounds of Silence, and the Cyrus Erie.[6]

Though classically trained in piano, at age fifteen, Carmen started to take guitar lessons, but when his teacher's approach did not fit with what he wanted, he decided to teach himself. He bought a Beatles chord book and studied guitar for the next four months.[7]

Tenure with the Raspberries

Carmen became serious about being a musician while attending

the Choir, which scored a minor national hit in 1967 with the single "It's Cold Outside".[9]

When Cyrus Erie and the Choir disbanded at the end of the 1960s, Carmen, Bryson, Bonfanti, and Smalley teamed up to form the

In 2004, Carmen, along with original Raspberries members Jim Bonfanti, Wally Bryson, and Dave Smalley, re-formed the band for a series of sold-out live performances in cities across the United States. On that tour, the Raspberries recorded a live album of their hits at the

West Hollywood. Both the show and album received critical acclaim.[11]

Solo career

Carmen's first two solo singles were chart hits in 1976. Both were built around themes by

That's Rock and Roll", a number 3 hit single for singer Shaun Cassidy. The album made number 21 on the Billboard album chart and was certified gold in 1977 for sales of more than 500,000 copies.[14]

Carmen's second album,

Boats Against the Current, was released in the summer of 1977 to mixed reviews.[15][16][17] It featured backup players such as Burton Cummings, Andrew Gold, Bruce Johnston and Nigel Olsson. The album spent 13 weeks on the Billboard album chart, peaking at number 45. It also produced the top 20 single "She Did It", but the title track only managed to scrape the bottom of the chart. The title track was later covered by Olivia Newton-John on her album Totally Hot. A third single taken from the album, "Marathon Man", became his first solo single not to hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, Shaun Cassidy again made the top 10 in 1978 with Carmen's "Hey Deanie". For several weeks in the fall of 1977, Carmen had three compositions charting concurrently on the Billboard Hot 100; Cassidy's two big hits and Carmen's own "She Did It".[18]

Carmen followed up with two more albums. Despite declining chart fortunes, the single "Change of Heart" broke into the top 20,[5] and reached number 6 on the AC chart in late 1978, with this hit also being covered by Samantha Sang on her Emotion LP.[19] In 1980, he released the album Tonight You're Mine with its lead single "It Hurts Too Much" (number 75 Billboard Hot 100).[19]

In 1984, Carmen and Dean Pitchford co-wrote "Almost Paradise", the love theme from the film Footloose. The song, performed by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno, peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[20]

In 1985, Carmen resurfaced on Geffen Records with a second self-titled album and a sizable comeback hit, "I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips".[8] The single hit the Adult Contemporary top 10 as well as the Pop top 40. The follow-up single, "I'm Through with Love", also climbed the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 of the Adult Contemporary chart. Another track from the album, "Maybe My Baby", later became a country hit for Louise Mandrell reaching number 8 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. "I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips" was also covered by Mandrell, but only managed to peak at No. 35 on the same chart.[21] In 1987, Carmen's contribution to the hit film

Seoul Summer Olympics, kept Carmen's profile high in 1988, during which the nostalgic "Make Me Lose Control" also returned him to the number one position on the Adult Contemporary chart – where it stayed for three straight weeks – as well as number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] Following a final minor chart hit in 1988 with "Reason to Try", from an Olympics-themed compilation album,[22]
Carmen's career was largely inactive for a decade.

The year 2000 saw the stateside release of

On December 24, 2013, the first new recording in over 15 years by Carmen titled "Brand New Year" was released. The track, written and recorded in November and December 2013 in Ohio and Los Angeles, was issued as a free download by Legacy Recordings as a special "Christmas gift", to herald the March 2014 arrival of a 30-track career retrospective entitled The Essential Eric Carmen.[24]

Personal life

Carmen was married three times: to Marcy Hill from 1978 to 1979; to Susan Brown, with whom he had two children, from 1993 to 2009; and to former newscaster Amy Murphy from 2016 until his death in 2024.[25][26][27]

Carmen moved from Los Angeles back to Gates Mills[28] in northeast Ohio in the 1990s.

On March 11, 2024, Carmen's wife Amy announced that he had died in his sleep over the previous weekend; no cause of death was given. He was 74.[29][30]

Discography

With the Raspberries

Solo

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[2]
AUS
[31]
SWE
[32]
UK
[33]
Eric Carmen
  • Released: November 1975
  • Label: Arista
21 15 41 58
Boats Against the Current
  • Released: August 1977
  • Label: Arista
45 37 39
Change of Heart
  • Released: September 1978
  • Label: Arista
137 93
Tonight You're Mine
  • Released: January 1, 1980
  • Label: Arista
160 80
Eric Carmen
  • Released: January 7, 1985
  • Label: Geffen
128
I Was Born to Love You
(released as Winter Dreams in Japan)
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: Rhino

Compilation albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[2]
AUS
[35]
NZ
[36]
The Best of Eric Carmen
  • Released: 1988
  • Label: Arista
59 17 26
The Definitive Collection
  • Released: June 17, 1997
  • Label: Arista
All by Myself – The Best of Eric Carmen
  • Released: October 21, 1999
  • Label: Collectables
The Essential Eric Carmen
  • Released: March 25, 2014
  • Label: Arista

Charted singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[37]
US AC
[38]
AUS
[31]
CAN
[39]
GER
[40]
NL
[41]
NZ
[36]
SWE
[32]
UK
[33]
"All by Myself" 1975 2 6 7 3 7 6 12 Eric Carmen
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" 1976 11 1 1 30
"Sunrise" 34 33 33
"She Did It" 1977 23 26 30 11 16 Boats Against the Current
"Boats Against the Current" 88
"Change of Heart" 1978 19 6 14 Change of Heart
"Baby I Need Your Loving" 62 30 50
"It Hurts Too Much" 1980 75 Tonight You're Mine
"I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips" 1985 35 10 27 17
(AC)
Eric Carmen
"I'm Through with Love" 87 16
"Hungry Eyes" 1987 4 2 4 2 17 16 18 6 82 Dirty Dancing: Original Soundtrack
"As Long as We Got Each Other" (with Louise Mandrell) 1988 [a] Best of Louise Mandrell
"Make Me Lose Control" 3 1 8 2 29 93 The Best of Eric Carmen
"Reason to Try" 87 133 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time

Notes

  1. ^ "As Long as We Got Each Other" peaked at number 51 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.[44]

References

  1. ^ "Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Eric Carmen Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Scharf, June (December 31, 2004). "'All by Himself' among musicians; Jewish Clevelander Eric Carmen reflects on his life as a rock star". Cleveland Jewish News. Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  4. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ a b c Chakerian, Peter (March 12, 2024). "Remembering Eric Carmen: a sweet bushel of pop-rock milestones". Cleveland.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Parker, Matt (March 12, 2024). ""There were times, I admit, when I had to pinch myself": Eric Carmen – the All By Myself and Hungry Eyes hitmaker, and the man who sold Joan Jett her Melody Maker – dies aged 74". Guitar World.
  8. ^ a b c d e Prato, Greg. "Eric Carmen Biography". allmusic. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  9. ^ Peacock, Tim (April 10, 2023). "Defining Power-Pop: The Fruitful Debut Album By Raspberries".
  10. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Raspberries Biography". allmusic. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Eustacio Humphrey (December 12, 2007). "Raspberries show and album review – Cleveland, OH 12/12/2007". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  12. ^ bluffho. "Rachmaninoff vs. Eric Carmen". Youtube. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  13. .
  14. ^ "Eric Carmen". Recording Industry Association of America.
  15. ^ Marsh, Dave. "Boats Against the Current". Super Seventies. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  16. ^ Weiner, Matthew. "Adrift in the Seventies". Save the Robot. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  17. ^ Ofjord, Michael. "Boats Against the Current". AllMusic. RhythmOne Group. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  18. ^ Trust, Gary. "Eric Carmen's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits: 'All By Myself' & More". Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  19. ^
  20. ^ "Mike Reno Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  21. ^ "Louise Mandrell Songs". MusicVF. VF Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  22. ^ "1988 Summer Olympics Album - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  23. ^ "Eric Carmen – Interview". www.ericcarmen.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  24. ^ "'Brand New Year' for songwriting legend". Cleveland Jewish News. March 13, 2014. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  25. ^ Carmen, Eric [@RealEricCarmen] (October 21, 2016). "Meet Mrs. Eric Carmen. Last week I married my beautiful soulmate and best friend. Love at last!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020 – via Twitter.
  26. ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Jacob, Bob (March 12, 2024). "Raspberries lead singer Eric Carmen, former Lyndhurst resident, dies at 74". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  28. ^ Eric Carmen – Book Eric Carmen for your Corporate Events, Fund Raisers Archived April 22, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  29. ^ "Eric Carmen: Raspberries Lead Singer ... Dead at 74". TMZ. March 11, 2024. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  30. ^ Willman, Chris (March 11, 2024). "Eric Carmen, Raspberries Frontman and 'All by Myself' Singer, Dies at 74". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  31. ^
    ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting until ARIA created their own charts
    in mid-1988.
  32. ^ a b "Discography Eric Carmen". Swedish Charts. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Eric Carmen". Official Charts. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  34. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  35. ^ "Eric Carmen Discography". Australian Charts. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Discography Eric Carmen". Charts.Org.NZ. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  37. ^ "Eric Carmen Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  38. ^ "Eric Carmen Chart History: Billboard Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  39. ^ "RPM Search Results". Library and Archives Canada. July 17, 2013.
  40. ^ "Discografie von Eric Carmen". Offizielle Deutsche Charts (in German). Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  41. ^ "Discografie Eric Carmen". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  42. ^ "Eric Carmen, Hungry Eyes, Single". BPI. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  43. ^ "Datenbank: BVMI". www.musikindustrie.de. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  44. ^ "Eric Carmen Chart History: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.

External links