Delete WardUpcoming 2nd Annual "Music Keynote to the City" Goes to Eric Carmen and the Raspberries
Jul 11, 2024
Councilman Brian Kazy and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are celebrating Eric Carmen and the Raspberries which will receive the second annual “Music Keynote to the City.”
A special event will be Aug. 8th at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with a resolution from Cleveland City Council and a proclamation from the City of Cleveland.
“Eric Carmen is – by far – the most successful musical artist to call Cleveland home,” said Councilman Kazy, who last year spearheaded this award which was given to KISS. “He was a great musician who played multiple instruments and his passing in March was a great loss.”
As lead singer and songwriter for the Raspberries, the band had numerous hits including the top-5, million-selling “Go All The Way,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Let’s Pretend,” and “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” – one of Rolling Stone magazine’s best records of 1974.
Eric and the Raspberries released four studio albums before disbanding for a time. In 1986, Eric released the song “The Rock Stops Here,” which sold thousands of copies locally as part of the fundraising efforts to land The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. (The Hall of Fame Foundation chose Cleveland as the permanent home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 1986.)
The classic lineup reunited in 2004, playing 16 shows to sellout crowds across the country, the first of which – in Cleveland - sold out in 4 minutes. Afterwards, the Raspberries released two concert recordings, 2007’s “Live On Sunset Strip,” recorded at the band’s 2004 first reunion concert. The band’s last performance was at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum as headliners for a private VIP concert during 2009’s Induction Week festivities. Prior to the band reuniting in 2004, he toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band.
Eric also had success as a solo artist, with hits including “All By Myself” (a top five hit for both Eric and for Celine Dion), “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again,” “Hungry Eyes” (the top-5 hit from Dirty Dancing), the top 3 smash “Make Me Lose Control,” “Almost Paradise” (Love Theme From “Footloose”), “Hey Deanie,” “That's Rock 'n Roll,” and “She Did It.”
Eric’s songs have been recorded and performed by a diverse group of dozens of international artists including Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Ann Wilson, Sheryl Crow, Patti LaBelle, Axl Rose, Motley Crue, Hank Williams Jr., Henry Mancini, Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John, The Bay City Rollers, and Frankie Valli. Eric has written and/or recorded songs on various albums and soundtrack recordings that have sold in excess of 100,000,000 records worldwide, either as a solo artist, with Raspberries or by artists covering Eric’s songs.
Eric was a co-star of the 1987 “Dirty Dancing” Tour. Eric is featured on several mega successful soundtracks, including 1985’s “Footloose” (Eric was nominated for a Grammy as co-writer of the top-5 hit “Almost Paradise,” 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” (Eric sang and produced the top-5 hit “Hungry Eyes”), and 2014’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1.”
More information on the special event on August 8th will be released in the coming weeks. His widow Amy will be accepting the award for him posthumously. August 11th , Eric’s birthday, will be declared Eric Carmen Day.
For more information contact Councilman Kazy at 216-664-2942 or bkazy@clevelandcitycouncil.org.