From: The Archives of Kat's Eyes By: Tia

Rock and Roll Lost a foremost leader among drummers on November 24, 1991. Kat's Eyes is proud to revisit its tribute to Eric from our July Archives.

Eric Carr, what more can I say? Soon it will be his birthday. Since ascending to heaven, the angles are surely rockin'. So many interviews, news articles, and facts about the fox have been written. With this piece, we salute the legacy of this most talented individual, Paul Caravello, a.k.a. Eric Carr.

Not an original member of Kiss, Eric Carr was automatically accepted and held in high regard by KISS fans across the world. I can just see him standing high above his kit at the end of his solo. At less than 5 feet 8 inches and 145 pounds, Eric looked 7 feet tall at the end of his super-human drum solo. Eric was born Paul Caravello in Brooklyn, New York on July 15, 1950, and has two sisters, Loretta and Sissy. Loretta is involved with the official Eric Carr website. Occasionally a fan can purchase a personal piece that belonged to Eric by visiting that site. As a boy, Eric hoped to become a scientist, astronaut, or artist. Then it happened... He discovered rock n' roll the way so many others did in the early '60s, due to the arrival of the Beatles and the British Invasion. Ringo Starr was the inspiration that moved Eric to take up the drums by age 14. Eric began drumming on magazines until his parents bought him his first proper drum set shortly thereafter. Left handed in everything he did, except play drums. As so many young aspirating musicians, Eric had a long road ahead and his share of dues to pay on his journey to the top.

In the meantime, Eric was of age to fight, our nation was at war in Vietnam. Eric avoided the military draft by purposely failing the mental and physical examinations. He did the just opposite of everything he was supposed to. Further proof that not only Eric was talented, he was smart. I can imagine this as a comical episode of Eric's at his review. Although most people know Eric was a gas range repairman, he also worked as a file clerk for the Department Of Criminal Justice. He also sliced cold cuts in a Queens supermarket, and later worked with his father delivering refrigerators and mixing cement. Just months before Eric joined Kiss, he was still working with his dad repairing gas ranges. Eric was an excellent repairmen in Brooklyn and he enjoyed working with his dad, a sign of close family ties. Eric's parents still show their support of Eric's legacy and dedication to the fans by appearing expos on occasion.

The year is 1966. Paul Caravello, and the Cellermen, were hired by a young 16 year old up-and-coming singer, Crystal Collins. Crystal and the Cellarmen soon entered a Brooklyn recording studio, and recorded "When I Grow Tired" and "No Matter When". Crystal performed on lead vocals, with the Cellarmen and Eric doing background vocals. These recordings were pressed on the Jody label. The label also recorded the Cellarmen's other release, "I Found You". Eric did lead vocals and played drums on this piece. The recording had some airplay though is was not a great success. The band performed at Bar Mitzvahs and weddings throughout NYC. During the '70s, Eric had become a great admirer of such hard rock acts as Led Zeppelin and the New York Dolls, although his bands throughout the decade, Creation and Mother Nature/Father Time, were more disco-based. I wonder if he ever listened to KISS? Eric narrowly escaped a club fire, and saved the life of a female singer during the 1970's. The fire claimed the lives of two of his then band members. Eric would live on to become "the premier drummer" of the 1980's.

In the meantime, Eric made plans for his higher education. Could you score a 96 on your algebra test? Well the fox did. He attended college for a few years, but left to pursue his first love, music. Before applying to Kingsbourgh college, Eric was accepted to Princeton University. But, due to lack of funds, he soon moved on. Next Eric joined Salt and Pepper. This was another step along his climb to stardom. Like so many other greats, there are those that just want to Rock and Roll. Lucky for us, Eric decided to Rock.

At the birth of the new decade, the '80s, Eric had become frustrated that his previous bands had failed to break through to the big time. He was looking for something better. As fate would have it, KISS' drummer, Peter Criss, was looking to make a move too. Peter was leaving KISS. In June of 1980, a friend happened to bump into Eric. The friend relayed to Eric that KISS was holding auditions to replace Peter. So, Eric submitted his application to KISS in an orange envelope so it would stand out. He managed to get a try-out through KISS' management, and jammed with the band on June 23rd. Before leaving his audition with KISS, he asked for their autographs, thinking he may never meet them again. One week later, on July 1st, Eric was invited to join KISS. With a massive tour of Europe and Australia already booked and fast approaching, Eric and the guys brainstormed to come up with a stage name for the new member, and a persona that would fit in with the band's look. Eric Carr's early stage name was Rusty Blade. I like this name.Of course, the name was later nixed, but Eric, being playful as usual, used it as his hotel check-in name when on tour. When Eric Carr joined the band in 1980, there was talk of him actually recording a KISS solo album. Therefore, the band commissioned Ken Kelly, the legendary artist who painted the 4 solo album covers, to paint one of Eric. The painting still resides with the Cravello family.

Caravello was officially dubbed Eric Carr, and after a failed attempt at being the hawk, Eric became the Fox. Eric's drumming fit perfectly with the band. His speed and technique made him an immediate success among KISS fans. He generally had more of a heavy metal drum sound than his predecessor. Strangely, KISS did not make full use of his talents until their 1982 release, "Creatures of the Night". The drums were intended to sound like guns or cannons being fired. Check out the tracks on this recording and feel the proof. Eric's live drum solos of this period still echo in my head. This tremendous sound was like that of heavy hitters, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and Deep Purple's Ian Paice. KISS was entering a new era. At this point, it seems that Eric was pointing the way.

Eric remained a member of KISS for the remainder of the '80s. His talents can be heard on such hit albums as Lick It Up and Animalize, among others. He played venues the world over. KISS' members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley wrote the majority of the band's songs during Eric's decade of KISS drumming. It is known that Eric was responsible for co-writing such hits as "All Hell's Breaking Loose"," "Under the Gun", and "Little Caesar". Eric performed lead vocals on "Little Caesar". Shortly after KISS finished their Hot in the Shade tour, Eric was shockingly diagnosed with cancer. Despite what was believed to be a successful operation to remove his tumor initially, he lost his battle to cancer on November 21, 1991, at the young age age of 41. Gene and Paul, as a tribute to Eric, included an unreleased drum track from 1981 on their 1992 album, Revenge. The track is rightfully called "Carr Jam 1981."

Eric's work is still just a CD away. It is as clear and magnificent as the day it was recorded. And as previously stated, I am sure the angels are jamming to Eric's beat. Eric, in my opinion, is KISS as much as any other member, past or present. In 1999, two releases became Eric Carr Icons. These are the biographical home video, "Tale of the Fox" as well as an EP titled "Rockheads". "Rockheads" included original music from a children's cartoon Eric was creating towards the end of his life. The characters are of course rock stars. "Rockology" was released in 2000. On July 15, in memory, take out your favorite KISS CD from the era of Eric Carr, and ROCK WITH A LEGEND.