Jango Song Of The Day-The Raspberries

Artist:The Raspberries
Song:Go All The Way
Album:The Raspberries Greatest





Go All The Way was the only top five hit for The Raspberries in 1972. They were a throwback to 60s pop music at a time when a lot of music had taken a less melodic turn. Conflict within the group led to their demise. The Raspberries were from Cleveland led by lead singer, main songwriter and guitarist Eric Carmen (born Aug. 11, 1949 in Cleveland). Thr Raspberries came out of the ashes of a group called The Choir. They were popular in Cleveland but never broke nationally. Guitarist Wally Bryson (born July 18, 1949 in Gastonia, NC), bassist Dave Smalley (born July 10, 1949 in Oil City, PA) and and drummer Jim Bonfanti (born Dec. 17, 1948 in Windber, PA) were all members. Meanwhile Carmen had joined another local band called Cyrus Erie. Bryson joined that group and they released a couple of singles on Epic. They split after Bryson returned to The Choir. Carmen started a group called The Quick but after discussions with Bonfanti, The Raspberries were born in 1970. A demo landed on the desk of producer Jimmy Ienner and they signed with Capitol. Ienner already knew Carmen from some demos they worked on together. Their debut album Raspberries got a lot of attention because it came with a scratch & sniff raspberry scented sticker. You sure knew when a store had that record in stock. Go All The Way reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Carmen wrote and sang lead and it was banned from the BBC due to sexual content. All the guys wrote songs but Carmen wrote most of the songs and his songs were the most successful. This caused conflict and after their third album, Smalley was kicked out and Bonfanti left and they started the band Dynamite. Bassist Scott McCarl and former Cyrus Erie drummer Michael McBride were brought in for the fourth and final Raspberries album. The Raspberries split up in April 1975 and you can get all their hits on this comp. Of course Eric Carmen went on to a very successful solo career with hits like All By Myself and Hungry Eyes from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. Wally Bryson has been in various bands, most significantly Fotomaker with former Rascal Dino Danelli. Dave Smalley was in the Michael Stanley Band. Jim Bonfanti quit the music business. The Raspberries reformed without Carmen in 1999 and then he joined a 2004 reunion tour and live DVD release. A version of The Raspberries still tours today. Here are The Raspberries performing Go All The Way on The Mike Douglas Show 1974.