Eric Carmen has amassed an impressive amount of hit singles over his long career, whether it be as a member of the influential power pop outfit the Raspberries, as a solo artist, or as a songwriter for others. Born on August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, OH, Carmen began his musical training at an early age — by the age of six, he was taking violin lessons, and by 11, he was playing piano and penning his own original compositions. With his discovery of the Beatles during the early '60s, Carmen's attention shifted toward rock & roll, as he began playing piano and singing with high school bands. It was while Carmen was a student at John Carroll University that he joined a local group called Cyrus Erie, who, apart from issuing several obscure singles for Epic Records, failed to leave much of an impact outside of the local region. But 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 formation of the Raspberries.

Mixing rockers (that combined the melody of the Beatles and the guitar riffs of the Who) with lush ballads, the quartet quickly created a buzz, which resulted in a recording contract with Capitol. Right off the bat, the quartet scored a massive hit single with the infectious Go All the way (taken from their self-titled 1972 debut), which peaked at number five on the singles charts. Despite issuing further solid albums (1972's Fresh, 1973's Side three, and 1974's Starting over, the group became known first and foremost as a "singles" act, as their albums failed to match the chart success of such further hit singles as I wanna be with you, Let's pretend and Overnight sensation (hit record). With Carmen's increasing frustration with the group, the Raspberries split up in 1975 (it wasn't long, however, before other groups began translating the Raspberries' sound/approach into their own hits, especially Cheap Trick and the Knack, among countless others). Immediately thereafter, Carmen inked a solo deal with Arista. Instead of following in the Raspberries' power pop direction, he opted for a more mature, singer/songwriter/ballad style, as evidenced by his self-titled 1975 debut. The shift in musical styles soon reaped rewards for Carmen, as it spawned two big hits — All by myself and Never gonna fall in love again — while the album almost cracked the Top 20. Despite a strong start to his solo career, the hits soon dried up, as such subsequent albums as 1977's Boats against the current, 1978's Change of heart, and 1980's Tonight you're mine each sold less than its predecessor. (Greg Prato)

1 It hurts too much (Eric Carmen) 2 Lost in the shuffle (Eric Carmen) 3 All for love (Eric Carmen) 4 Tonight you're mine (Eric Carmen) 5 Sleep with me (Eric Carmen) 6 Inside story (Eric Carmen) 7 Foolin' myself (Eric Carmen) 8 You need some lovin' (Eric Carmen) Musicians: Laura Creamer - vocals Paulinho Da Costa - percussion Steve Farber - vocals Barry Fasman - strings Bob Glaub - bass Jim Haas - vocals Jo Ann Harris - vocals Duane Hitchings - synthesizer, piano Davey Johnstone - guitar, vocals Jon Joyce - vocals Steve Lukather - guitar (8) Angus MacKay - pipe Dee Dee Maslin - vocals Harry Maslin - percussion John Massey - pipe Stanley Moyle - pipe Kenny Passarelli - bass Billy Peek - guitar Rick Shlosser - drums Shufflettes - vocals Fred Tackett - guitar Argyle Watterston - pipe David Woodford - saxophone

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