FRESH
Raspberries

When you are savoring a raspberry ice cream cone or spreading your toast with raspberry jam, you just might start humming a song and thinking of the four good-looking boys from Cleveland, Ohio who have made an outstanding impact on the record industry in the past year.
 
There are four Capitol Raspberries—Eric Carmen, Jim Bonfanti, Wally Bryson, and Dave Smalley—all raised in Cleveland where they met while playing in separate groups and compatibly began making beautiful music together. As a result of their mutual tastes and combined talents, they began to grow together musically, and soon made the inevitable moves to seek a recording contract.
 
Jimmy Ienner, the well known producer of Lighthouse, was brought to Cleveland to see the young musicians do their thing in a small club. He was impressed with what he heard and saw and, within a week, he had eight record companies in Cleveland bidding on the group. The following week, Capitol signed them and flew them to New York City's Record Plant where they recorded their initial album, "Raspberries." Two weeks later, with the finished tapes, they headed for the West Coast. The Capitol brass were so impressed with the group's special charisma that they sent them on a seven city tour with The Grass Roots. It was successful!
 
The Raspberries first single, "Go All The Way", was an instant smash hit across the country. The sound was unique and fresh, because the appeal of their work rests on their ability to write and perform a song for the fun of it. There is always a light, joyous quality which the public relates to so strongly.
 
Why, the Raspberries? Why not the Strawberries? or the Blackberries? Perhaps the Boysenberries? Eric, lead singer and spokesman, explains it this way: "We were trying to come up with a name, a name which was unique in the music industry. The four of us were constantly kicking around many different names and we were going crazy trying to find the perfect one. Finally, in desperation, I said, 'Oh, raspberries!' and that was it! The group unanimously agreed that 'Raspberries' would be our name."
 
Eric's a Leo nicknamed "The Kid" who began studying music at Cleveland institute of Music when he was only two and a half years old. At the ripe age of five, he was taking violin lessons from his aunt who played with the Cleveland Symphonic Orchestra. Eventually he studied piano and taught himself to play the guitar—the two instruments he plays for the group now.
 
The foursome's second album release, "Fresh Raspberries" featured their second smash single, "I Wanna Be With You."
 
The four young men in their early twenties have gone through some drastic changes in Hollywood but they still remain as unaffected as the boy next door.
 
Their hair has been restyled; their wardrobe now includes raspberry colored suits with stylish high heeled shoes complete with rhinestone raspberries in the heel! In spite of all these embellishments, they are down to earth and friendly with everyone they come in contact with.
 
Their phenomenal success has even resulted in the building of a raspberry colored custom designed Rolls Royce out of a Volkswagen.
 
The car was created by George Barris who is also responsible for the famous Batmobile, the Monkeemobile, and the Bugaloos' vehicle, and will be awarded in a national sweepstakes.
 
Meanwhile, Eric, Dave, Wally and Jim are now working on their third album—so you'll soon be hearing a lot more from the lighthearted guys from Ohio who call themselves the Raspberries. They do wanna be with you—and they're sure to go all the way.

Fresh Songbook / 1973