Eric Carmen Biography

Overview

Biography

Songs

CDs

Vinyl

All By Myself

Definitive Collection

Tonight You're Mine

Boats Against The Current / Change of Heart

All by Myself [BMG Special Projects]

Eric Howard Carmen, 11 August 1949, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Carmen grew up in Lyndhurst, and at the age of 11 enrolled at the Cleveland Institute Of Music to study classical piano. Inspired by the British Invasion he later took up the guitar and set his heart on becoming a pop star. A veteran of several aspiring mid-west groups, Carmen first achieved success with the Raspberries. This melodious quartet drew inspiration from British 60s pop and achieved notable US hits in the early 70s with ‘Go All The Way’, ‘I Wanna Be With You’, ‘Let’s Pretend’, and ‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)’. Carmen wrote and sang lead on each of these releases and was the sole member to prosper commercially when the band was dissolved in 1975. The following year Carmen, now signed to Arista Records, enjoyed an international hit with the dramatic ballad, ‘All By Myself’, which was based on Rachmaninov’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’. Although he enjoyed two further US Top 20 entries with ‘Never Gonna Fall In Love Again’ (1976) and ‘Change Of Heart’ (1978), the artist was unable to sustain a consistent momentum, and switched to Geffen Records for 1985’s self-titled release. He returned to Arista and the US Top 5 in 1987 with the single ‘Hungry Eyes’ (from the movie Dirty Dancing), and the following year reached number 3 with ‘Make Me Lose Control’. Arista rejected a planned album, however, and the only new Carmen release during the 90s was the Japan-only Winter Dreams. Ten tracks from Winter Dreams were later included on I Was Born To Love You, Carmen’s first US studio album in over 15 years. Carmen remains a cultured and versatile performer, although his recent work lacks the panache of his early releases.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.