Raised near Cleveland, Ohio, Eric Carmen developed an appreciation of classical music early on, before being transfixed by The Beatles, which resulted in his development as a fine power pop composer in his own right.
Carmen’s lengthy career featured many ups and downs. Leading one of power pop’s all-time great acts – hell, make that one of rock’s all-time great acts (The Raspberries), launching a solo career as a balladeer (All By Myself), then reinventing himself as an 80s pop prince (Dirty Dancing).
Launching his solo career in 1975, Carmen signed to Arista and, with the weight of Clive Davis’ hit-making machinery behind him, sold a million copies of his debut release, All By Myself, which was based on a classical theme by Rachmaninoff.
The song didn’t fare quite so well in the UK, where it stalled at #12.
Carmen enjoyed a handful of hits before effectively retiring from the pop scene in 1991.
Name-checked as a major influence by acts such as KISS and Cheap Trick over the years, The Raspberries were one of rock’s most criminally underrated acts.
