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Biography
Use mdy dates|date=January 2011Infobox musical artist | name = Raspberries| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland , Ohio, United States| genre = Power pop , pop rock , rock and roll | years_active = 1970–1975, 2004–2009| label = Capitol Records|Capitol , Rykodisc Records|Rykodisc | associated_acts =| website = URL| http://www.raspberriesonline.com/| current_members = Eric Carmen Wally Bryson Dave Smalley (pop musician)|Dave Smalley Jim Bonfanti | past_members = Michael McBride Scott McCarl John Aleksic| notable_instruments =Raspberries is an American power pop / pop rock band from Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland , Ohio. They had a run of success in the early 1970s in music|1970s music scene with their crisp pop sound, which Allmusic later described as featuring "exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies."cite web|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5229|pure_url=yes|publisher= Allmusic |first=Jason|last=Ankeny|first2=Greg|last2= Prato|accessdate=August 11, 2009|title= The Raspberries& nbsp;— Overview The members were known for their clean-cut public image, with short-hair and matching suits, which brought them teenybopper attention as well as scorn from some mainstream media outlets as ' cool (aesthetic)|uncool '. The group drew influence from the British Invasion era—especially The Beatles , The Who , The Hollies , and Small Faces —and its Mod (subculture)|mod sensibility. In both the U.S. and the UK, the Raspberries helped pioneer the power pop music style that took off after the group disbanded.cite news|url= http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-10-11-raspberries_N.htm|publisher= USA Today |date=October 11, 2007|title=Cleveland's The Raspberries are as fresh as ever|accessdate=August 11, 2009|first=Edna|last=Gundersen They also have a following among professional musicians such as Jack Bruce and Ringo Starr .
The group's 'classic' lineup consisted of Eric Carmen (vocalist/guitarist/bassist), Wally Bryson (guitarist), Jim Bonfanti (drummer), and Dave Smalley (pop musician)|Dave Smalley (guitarist/bassist). Their best known songs include " Go All the Way (Raspberries song)|Go All the Way ", " Let's Pretend (song)|Let's Pretend ", " I Wanna Be with You (Raspberries song)|I Wanna Be with You ", " Tonight (Raspberries song)|Tonight ", and " Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) ". Producer Jimmy Ienner was responsible for all four of the Raspberries' albums in the 1970s. The group broke up in 1975 after a five year run, and Eric Carmen proceeded to a successful career as a solo artist. Bryson and Smalley resurrected the group's name in 1999 for an album, which included singer/songwriter Scott McCarl working as the vocalist.cite web|url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r342307|pure_url=yes|publisher= Allmusic |first=Greg|last= Prato|accessdate=August 11, 2009|title=Play On& nbsp;— Overview In 2004 the original four-man lineup reunited and undertook a well-received reunion tour in 2005.cite web|author=Dan Macintosh |url= http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp? file=/2007/9/4/music/20070904092526& sec=music |title=With Raspberries reunion, Eric Carmen's no longer all by himself |publisher=Ecentral.my |date=2007-09-04 |accessdate=2011-11-02
Formation
The group had its roots in two of Cleveland's most successful local bands in the late 1960s, The Choir (garage band)|The Choir and Cyrus Erie. The Choir, originally called The Mods and composed of Dann Klawon, Wally Bryson , Dave Burke, Dave Smalley (pop musician)|Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti , had a more extensive repertoire of original songs, notably "It's Cold Outside," which parlayed its massive local success (#1 in Cleveland) into a nationally-charting single (peaking at #68 for Roulette Records ). The Choir then went through a series of lineup changes, with Smalley and Bonfanti remaining in the various versions, until 1968, when Dave Smalley was drafted and sent to Vietnam, http://www99.epinions.com/review/Internal_Monologue_-_Dave_Smalley/content_112634596996 Dave Smalley A warrior At Rest Smalley interview. Notes his experiences as a helicopter gunner in Vietnam and The Choir disbanded, although it reformed behind Bonfanti and ultimately survived until 1970.
Although The Choir had the hit and a string of singles, Cyrus Erie, founded by brothers Michael McBride and Bob McBride, became the better-drawing local act shortly after Eric Carmen joined in 1967. Carmen persuaded Bryson, who had recently left The Choir, to join. In live shows, Cyrus Erie mainly covered other artists' songs, but signed to Epic Records and recorded two Carmen/Bryson originals ("Get the Message" b/w "Sparrow") as a single. Following this, Bryson quit to return to The Choir, which led to Cyrus Erie disbanding. Carmen and Dann Klawon then formed a new act called The Quick, and recorded a single of two Carmen/Klawon originals for Epic, without much success.
The group's style arose from a variety of rock and roll groups that the members loved, especially The Who . Carmen later said: quote|"Pete Townshend coined the phrase power pop to define what the Who did. For some reason, it didn't stick to the Who, but it did stick to these groups that came out in the `70s that played kind of melodic songs with crunchy guitars and some wild drumming. It just kind of stuck to us like glue, and that was OK with us because the Who were among our highest role models. We absolutely loved the Who." Italics not in originalcite web|author=Dan Macintosh |url= http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp? file=/2007/9/4/music/20070904092526& sec=music |title=With Raspberries reunion, Eric Carmen's no longer all by himself |publisher=Ecentral.my |date=2007-09-04 |accessdate=2011-11-02
1970-1972
After discussions between Carmen and Bonfanti about forming a new group, the first lineup for Raspberries was Eric Carmen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano), Jim Bonfanti (drums), Wally Bryson (lead vocals, lead guitar) and John Aleksic (bass guitar). Aleksic left the group at the end of 1970. In 1971, Dave Smalley (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), just back from Vietnam, became the fourth member of the original recording lineup with Carmen moving to bass. The Raspberries' demo tape went to the desk of producer Jimmy Ienner , for whom Carmen had previously done session work, and after a major-label bidding war, http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp? pid=5495 The Raspberries biography Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Magazine the band signed to Capitol Records .cite web|url= http://books.google.com/books? id=xR7MdpuSlAEC& pg=PT302& lpg=PT302& dq=%22The+Raspberries%22+history+bidding+capitol& source=web& ots=bZ5yQQl29u& sig=dKhFJ5P8AodXmZ4aAq5jDK1kdRc& hl=en& sa=X& oi=book_result& resnum=8& ct=result |title='& #39;Allmusic'& #39;, by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2011-11-02
The Raspberries wore matching ensembles on stage. The group was somewhat ridiculed for making its stage entrance in tuxedos and large bouffant hairdos which, according to Carmen, "complemented the style of our music".cite web|url= http://queermusicheritage.us/feb2002.html |title=Queer Music heritage USA |publisher=Queermusicheritage.us |date= |accessdate=2011-11-02
1972-1974
Following the success of "Go All The Way", which peaked at #5 in the U.S. in the spring of 1972, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc ,cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 319 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 Carmen and Smalley switched instruments, with Carmen moving to rhythm guitar so that he would be upfront on stage, while Smalley took over bass. After two albums, Raspberries (album)|Raspberries and Fresh (Raspberries album)|Fresh , both released in 1972, creative tension came to a head sparked largely by Carmen's creative dominance (and commercial success) over the contributions of Bryson and Smalley. Accordingly Side 3 (Raspberries album)|Side 3 turned out to be a more raw, aggressive effort than its predecessors, typified by the opening track "Tonight". After its release, Smalley was ejected from the band, and Bonfanti departed soon afterwards. They subsequently formed their own band, Dynamite. They were replaced by bassist Scott McCarl and ex-Cyrus Erie drummer Michael McBride for what was to be the fourth and final Raspberries album, Starting Over (Raspberries album)|Starting Over .Allmusic|class=album|id=r16179|pure_url=yes Starting Over LP information and review at Allmusic.com
Post-breakup
The band broke up in April 1975, but their sound had been distinctive and their influence was lasting. Bruce Springsteen praised the Raspberries at several stops during his Summer 2005 tour.Bruce Springsteen semi-official fan magazine Backstreets (magazine)|Backstreets , and also the Backstreets.com website Springsteen's drummer Max Weinberg said that he based his drum style in that period off of Raspberries drummer Michael McBride (particularly on the Springsteen album Darkness On The Edge of Town ). Let There Be Drums Vol 3: The 70s liner notes Paul Stanley of Kiss (band)|Kiss , Tom Petty , and Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses , have all also cited Raspberries as an influence in their songwriting.cite book|title=Rock 'n' roll and the Cleveland connection|first=Deanna R.|last=Adams|pages=252–261|date=January 2002|publisher=Kent State University Press|ISBN=978-0873386913
Singer-guitarist and primary songwriter Eric Carmen went on to have a successful solo career as a singer and writer of romantic pop ballads. His first solo hit " All By Myself " hit #2 nationally, and was successfully covered by Celine Dion in 1996. Carmen later had additional Top Ten singles success with his work for movie soundtracks, such as " Hungry Eyes " (from Dirty Dancing , 1987) and " Make Me Lose Control (song)|Make Me Lose Control " (also from Dirty Dancing , 1988). He also wrote " AlmostParadise " (performed by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson for Footloose (1984 film)|Footloose , 1984), http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp? pid=4239 Eric Carmen in Billboard Magazine; Artist Biography http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do? JSESSIONID=vLGWJtNB10vT6c572bGzy4tRTl85Zh3YnC1v5LT2ZyYkB3K51Qr2!36945660& model.vnuArtistId=4239& model.vnuAlbumId=797082 Eric Carmen Billboard Chart History as well as songs that were made major hits by Shaun Cassidy .
In 1999, three of the four Raspberries recorded Raspberries Refreshed , though without Eric Carmen. http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1062807,00.html the Raspberries Refreshed reviews and commentary http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp? pid=4239 Billboard online (see last paragraph) The album's tracks, written by the three remaining members, attempted to re-create the group's original sound. http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1062807,00.html The Raspberries Refreshed reviews and commentary
In November 2004, the House of Blues nightclub chain opened its Cleveland branch with a Raspberries reunion concert. This led to a well-received 2005 mini-tour starting at the Chicago House of Blues, a VH1 Classic special, and a concert broadcast on XM Satellite Radio . A date from the 2005 tour was recorded, and released in 2007 as "Live on Sunset Strip." The double CD and one DVD contained a foreword from Bruce Springsteen, and a 1970s photo of John Lennon wearing a Raspberries ' Just Like Starting Over sweatshirt. Capitalizing on the release, Raspberries played further shows in New York, California, and their hometown of Cleveland.cite web|last=Gundersen |first=Edna |url= http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-10-11-raspberries_N.htm |title=USA Today |publisher=USA Today |date=2007-10-11 |accessdate=2011-11-02
A biography of the band titled Overnight Sensation - The Story of the Raspberries by Ken Sharp was released in 1993. In 1996, a tribute album to Raspberries called Raspberries Preserved was released by Pravda Records, a Chicago-based indie record label. The album featured 21 cover versions by such acts as The Rubinoos , Bill Lloyd, BradJones , Tiny Lights , Rank Strangers , the Gladhands, and The Shambles (band)|The Shambles .
Wolff, Carlo (2006). Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories . Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-886228-99-3
External links
http://www.raspberriesonline.com/ The official Raspberries website
http://www.ericcarmen.com/ Eric Carmen official website
http://www.epinions.com/content_393207123588 "Live On Sunset Strip" review
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5229|pure_url=yes The Raspberries entry at Allmusic
DEFAULTSORT:Raspberries Category:American power pop groups Category:Musical groups from Cleveland, Ohio Category:Musical groups established in 1970 Category:Rykodisc artists Category:Capitol Records artists
