I heard the sad news late last night that Eric Carmen had passed away at the age of 74. No cause of death was given.
He was one I had always hoped we would get the chance to see again ...
Rumors of a Raspberries reunion have come and gone over the past several years ... and I guess I should count myself among the fortunate who DID get the chance to see The Raspberries back in their glory days of 1972 ... and on a double bill with Badfinger no less! (Talk about your Power Pop Combo!!!) It all happened at The Rockford Armory ... and I will never forget that show.
I was hooked from the opening chord of "Go All The Way" ... and followed the band throughout their three year time in the spotlight. By 1975, Eric Carmen was already hitting the top of the charts as a solo artist with hits like "All By Myself" and "Never Fall In Love Again." He had a major comeback in the late '80's with his "Dirty Dancing" hit "Hungry Eyes," followed by the even higher-charting "Make Me Lose Control" ... and then, by 1988, it was pretty much over again for the talented singer/songwriter.
In a post on Carmen’s website, his wife Amy posted:
"It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen. 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."
THE ERIC CARMEN / RASPBERRIES HIT LIST:
RASPBERRIES:
1972 - Go All The Way (#3)
1973 - I Wanna Be With You (#7)
1973 - Let's Pretend (#14)
1973 - Tonight (#37)
1974 - Overnight Sensation (#18)
ERIC CARMEN:
1976 - All By Myself (#1)
1976 - Never Gonna Fall In Love Again (#9)
1976 - Sunrise (#34)
1977 - She Did It (#15)
1978 - Change Of Heart (#19)
1985 - I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips (#35)
1988 - Hungry Eyes (#3)
1988 - Make Me Lose Control (#3)
Scott Shannon used to tell the story about how Eric Carmen had asked him to be in his video for "Make Me Lose Control." (It was a relatively simple part ... Scott would play a DJ!)
Shannon at first accepted but then at the last minute, begged off ... it just didn't fit his schedule and being in a music video wasn't a real kick for him.
So at the last minute, Eric had to get Kid Leo to step in in Scott Shannon's place.
But Carmen got the last laugh ...
Watch the end of the video and you'll see Eric throw a dart at a Scott Shannon poster! (GREAT SONG!!!)
Man, how’d you like to be at THIS show!!!
A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett, April 11th at The Hollywood Bowl …
Keep The Party Going: A Tribute To Jimmy Buffett has already committed to appearances by Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Brown, Jackson Browne, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Scotty Emerick, Jack Johnson, Caroline Jones, Mac McAnally, Jake Owen, Pitbull, Jake Shimabukuro and The Coral Reefer Band, with more special guests TBA.
Gotta be the hottest ticket in town! (kk)
Good reviews for our good review … of The Eagles concert …
Loved your concert review – spot on
Great Eagles concert review … Bravo!
Nailed it! Enjoyed the concert AND the review
I love it! You made me feel like I was right there!!!
Excellent reporting, there Clark Kent (Kotal)!!!
Wanted to see this show REAL bad … but the tickets were just too expensive …
Thanks to your review, I feel like I WAS there. Sounds like a GREAT show.
Scroll back to yesterday if you missed it! (kk)
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
3/12/64 - The 6th Grammy Awards are held here in Chicago –
The big winners include “The Days of Wine And Roses” (which wins Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Best Arrangement of Instruments and Vocals ) and Barbra Streisand, who wins two for "The Barbra Streisand Album." (It also wins for Best Album Cover, Other Than Classical.)
Also honored this year:
"Busted" by Ray Charles for Best R&B Performance, "Detroit City" by Bobby Bare for Best Country and Western Performance, "Blowin' In The Wind" by Peter, Paul and Mary for Best Performance By A Vocal Group, "Deep Purple" by April Stevens and Nino Tempo for Best Contemporary Song, "Wives And Lovers" for Best Male Performance by Jack Jones, Allan Sherman's "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" for Best Comedy Album and The Singing Nun for Best Inspirational Performance for "Dominique." Best New Artist? How about The Swingles!!! (Oh wait ... I just blinked and they were gone!)
Also on 3/12, Union leader Jimmy Hoffa is sentenced to eight years in prison
Also on 3/12, John W. King, The Governor of New Hampshire, pays three dollars at the Rockingham Park Racetrack in Salem, NH, to buy the state’s first lottery ticket. (Governor King purchased ticket number 0000001!) On the first day of sales, 3,600 people hoping to win $100,000 (to be awarded on September 12) bought tickets.
