Biography
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Born
11 August 1949
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Born In
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
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Died
March 2024 (aged 74)
Eric Carmen (born Eric Howard Carmen in Cleveland, Ohio, on 11 August 1949; died 8 March 2024) was an American guitarist and keyboardist remembered as the lead vocalist of The Raspberries and for the numerous hit songs he had in the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of The Raspberries (who had a million-selling single with "Go All the Way") and then with his solo career that included hits such as All By Myself" (released in 1976), "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It", "Hungry Eyes" (written by J. DeNicola and F. Previte for the iconic 'Dirty Dancing' soundtrack, and "Make Me Lose Control".
Carmen's first solo single "All By Myself" was penned by Carmen based on a classical theme by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was subsequently covered by Celine Dion and also used in the opening scene of the movie 'Bridget Jones' Diary'.
Besides his successful solo career, Carmen is remembered as one of the rock'n'rollers behind the Cleveland, Ohio-based band The Raspberries. As lead vocalist and co-songwriter, he helped the group gain big popularity in the 70s through arena-ready hits such as "Go All the Way" and "Tonight", with the band becoming a cult figure among power pop fans. Carmen reunited with Raspberries producer Jimmy Ienner to be a part of the 'Dirty Dancing' soundtrack, a commercial juggernaut that achieved massive success and was RIAA certified multi-platinum. Carmen's song "Hungry Eyes" reached the top 40 charts in Canada, Germany, the U.S., and elsewhere while attracting critical acclaim. Over the years, Carmen's work has been praised by many of his fellow musicians including Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr among others.
On 24 December 2013, the first new recording in over 15 years by Carmen titled "Brand New Year" was released.
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