MA Residents Reminisce As An Iconic Singer Has Passed Away

Bay State residents are in shock learning the news of a musical icon who was instrumental in the early ’70s as the lead vocalist of a midwestern rock and roll band. Our readers are also familiar with his solo success as he produced a string of top 5 hits that were identifiable to listeners in more ways than one.

Cleveland, Ohio's native son, Eric Carmen left us at the age of 74. His wife, Amy made the grim announcement on social media:

“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” his wife, Amy Carmen, wrote on the singer’s website. wrote. “Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy. Please respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss". 

He has been instrumental in giving us musical memories as this 1972 hit single was the prelude of a decades long career as this quartet adopted a Beatlesesque pop sound which they were raised on while performing at the Buckeye State during their early days of inception. The end result: "Go All The Way" became a top 5 smash nationwide.

They also scored well with their follow-up hit single "I Wanna Be With You" as they took it to the top 20 just months after their premiere hit. Two other songs from 1973,"Let's Pretend" and "Tonight" did not fare out as well.

One year later, the band released their final hit single "Overnight Sensation" which also became a top 20 hit.

After the band broke up in the mid-’70s, Carmen established himself as a successful solo artist. He joined forces with Clive Davis at his newly launched Arista Records, and less than 18 months after the Raspberries released their final album, he’d scored a No. 2 single with “All By Myself” as his first self-titled album also produced another top 10 singles: "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again".

It wasn't until a decade later when Carmen returned to the charts with a song that became successful on adult contemporary based radio stations. "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips" became a top 10 hit from his second self-titled album.

Two years later, the movie "Dirty Dancing" was released in theaters worldwide as his top 5 ballad "Hungry Eyes" scored well with audiences and the video clip featured was a popular favorite on MTV (back when that cable channel was watchable). The single also received simultaneous gold and platinum status which was a first in his musical career.

In 1988, Carmen released a Greatest Hits compilation as the new offering featured in this collection "Make Me Lose Control" gave him his first number one song on the adult contemporary charts and reached number 3 on the pop charts. I remember playing the trio of "rad" hits from the 80's when they were brand spanking new.

In recent years, Carmen held back from releasing new music or performing in concert, but he did tour with former Beatle Ringo Starr's entourage in 2000. Some of his fans communicated with him on social media, sometimes combatively, given his staunch conservative political views. He withdrew from Twitter (now known as X) a few years ago.

The Raspberries got together for a reunion tour at two House of Blues locations in Los Angeles, California and at his native Cleveland. Afterwards, he disappeared from the musical limelight leading a quiet life in Ohio. The cause of his death has yet to be determined. We will treasure Eric Carmen's musical accomplishments which will never be forgotten and his memory will remain eternal and everlasting.

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of https://variety.com/2024/music/obituaries-people-news/eric-carmen-dead-raspberries-singer-all-by-myself-go-all-the-way-1235938937/)

(All musical video clips provided by www.youtube.com)