Posted on 03/11/2024 7:35:13 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Eric Carmen, who became an icon of power pop as the frontman of the Raspberries before achieving even bigger hits as a solo artist in the 1970s and ’80s, has died at age 74.
The news came in a message from his wife, Amy Carmen, on the singer’s website.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” she 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. ‘Love Is All That Matters… Faithful and Forever.'”
The latter quote from Carmen’s wife is a callback to the song “Love Is All That Matters,” from Carmen’s 1977 solo album “Boats Against the Current.”
No cause of death or exact date of Carmen’s death has been given.
Carmen first rose to fame with the Raspberries’ breakout hit, “Go All the Way.” After the band broke up in the mid-’70s, he established himself as a successful solo artist with “All by Myself” and “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.” His run of hits continued into the ’80s with the “Footloose” song “Hungry Eyes.”
More to come…
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I think his name was Lincoln Lawrence.
Eric Carmen’s ALL BY MYSELF reached near the top of the Billboard charts at its peak. The entire performance was nearly 7 minutes long with a solo piece based on the second movement (Adagio sostenuto) of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s c. 1900–1901 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18.
Most radio stations only played his vocal solo and cut off the piano solo. For me, the entire song including the piano solo was great!
Barry Manilow did something similar earlier with the intro to his hit COULD IT BE MAGIC based on Frédéric Chopin’s Prelude in C minor, Opus 28, Number 20.
Well he was older than I am now. It’s when they are younger than me that kind of makes me pause.
Carmen thought Rachmaninov's 2nd Concerto was public domain. It wasn't, it was still under copyright, so after the song was released, he got a thick envelope from the Rachmaninov family's lawyer informing him that he could choose between paying them royalties or defending a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
Happily, his lawyer got together with the Rachmaninov family's lawyer, and they worked out a royalty deal that allowed him to also use the slow movement from the 2nd Symphony for "Never Fall in Love Again".
Eric Carmen was one of the few celebrities who took the time to interact with regular folks on social media. Yes, he was very conservative and MAGA all the way.
Include “Road House” and you’ve got the trifecta.
Steve Lawrence and Eric Carmen were two of my favorites. The time keeps passing.
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