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Eric Carmen music biography continued...

Ohio, Carmen, was playing the piano and writing songs by the time he was age 11. While a student at John Carroll University that he joined a local group called Cyrus Erie, which scored a record deal but didn't make it on a national scale. However, when another popular local rock outfit, the Choir, split up, Carmen and another Cyrus Erie member, guitarist Wally Bryson, joined forces with former Choir members Dave Smalley (bass) and Jim Bonfanti (drums), which led to the founding of a new group called the Raspberries. Mixing rockers with ballads, the Raspberries generated a buzz which led to a record deal with Capitol and an out of the blocks smash hit with "Go All the Way" off their debut album. Though subsequent albums followed, none made a commercial impact, and the group became known as a "singles" act with such hits as "I Wanna Be With You," "Let's Pretend," and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)." Frustrated, Carmen left the group and signed with Arista as a singer/songwriter/balladeer solo act. The change in style quickly reaped dividends as Carmen scored hit singles with "All by Myself" and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" off his 1975 debut album. After a strong start, Carmen's career faltered and it wasn't until 1987 that he hit the Top Ten again with the track "Hungry Eyes," from the movie soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. Carmen scored another hit a year later, "Make Me Lose Control," and also toured as part of the Dirty Dancing concert tour, as well, considerably raising his profile.



Throughout the 90s Carmen continued to write songs, many of which were covered by top artists like Peter Cetera, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, and Diana Ross, among others. 1998 saw Carmen issue his first solo full-length in 13 years, the Japanese release Winter Dreams (released in the U.S. as I Was Born to Love You a year later). Amidst intermittent rumors of a Raspberries reunion, Carmen has continued to write songs for other entertainers, and keep his hand in the business he has loved for over five decades.