Paul Sidoti Instagram – This is going to be a long post so bear with me..
When I was in high school, the movie Dirty Dancing was everywhere. It was a pop culture phenomenon and one of the album soundtrack’s biggest hits was “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen. Unbeknownst to me, Eric was not only a Cleveland legend, but one of the most uniquely talented gifted singer/songwriter/musicians of our generation. It was here that I was introduced to his music and the follow up, “Make Me Lose Control”, was one of my favorite songs of 1988. His first success as an artist came when he led the power pop giants, Raspberries, in the early 70’s. Their million seller smash, “Go All The Way”, encapsulated all of the bands’ influences. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, and Small Faces all wrapped in a new package that went beyond what those amazing bands were capable of. Eric’s brilliant classical background on piano gave the band an added dimension. I was too young to remember them growing up but the biggest names in music cited Raspberries as a major influence. KISS, Bruce Springsteen, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, the list goes on..
In 1993 I recorded a light rock solo album of original songs. Fast forward to 1998, I’m introduced to Eric and what happened after that could only be described as a perfect mentoring relationship. I think we both felt a connection that went beyond music. I’ll never forget going to his house for the first time and sitting in his office. We talked about music for hours and he asked me if I had something to play him. I brought a cassette of my original album and to my surprise he sat there intently listening to each song. With the sweetest compliments and a cheerleader-like vibe, he would say things like “yeah! Love the David Foster keyboards and drum fills!” Then Eric proceeded to play me an album he just released in Japan called, Winter Dreams, which later was renamed, I Was Born To Love You. The production elements were very similar to what I had played him and from that I believe our special bond was formed. Continued.. | Posted on 03/May/2024 03:55:06
