Tony Carey

All Music Guide:

Tony Carey first joined the music business when he played with Richie Blackmore's Rainbow in the mid-'70s. Moving to Germany in 1978, Carey began recording, eventually releasing Some Tough City in 1984.

Wikipedia:

Antony Laurence Carey (born October 16, 1953, Turlock, California) is a keyboard player best known for his work with Rainbow.

One of his earliest musical experiences was in a band called Blessings, in which he played until 1975 when Ritchie Blackmore discovered and hired him as keyboardist for Rainbow. He played with Rainbow on two world tours, until 1977. After his departure from Rainbow he began a solo career, releasing albums under his own name as well under the moniker of Planet P Project, and producing for and performing with other artists.

Career [edit]

With the band Rainbow, Carey appeared on the studio album Rainbow Rising (1976, #48 on The Billboard 200) and on the live albums On Stage (1977, #65 on The Billboard 200) and Live in Germany (1994). Carey performed the keyboard introduction to "Tarot Woman", the first track on the Rainbow Rising album and the keyboard solo on "A Light in the Black", the last cut on the album.

He had minor hits in 1982 from the LP I Wont Be Home Tonight (#167 on The Billboard 200) with the title track "I Won't Be Home Tonight" (#79 Billboard Hot 100, #8 US Mainstream Rock Charts) and "West Coast Summer Nights" (#64 Billboard Hot 100) Then, after sidestepping to another project for 1983, Carey would return to his solo career a year later, releasing Some Tough City, with the single "A Fine, Fine Day" reaching #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and also #1 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. A follow-up single, "The First Day of Summer" reached #33 on the Hot 100 in July 1984 and appeared in the 1985 film Secret Admirer. The album itself, Some Tough City, took the #60 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart. Carey opened for Night Ranger on many dates of their 1984 tour in support of this album. His 1985 follow-up album, Blue Highway, did not score a hit on radio.

Carey also fronted the space / progressive rock group Planet P Project (initially called just Planet P), which served as a vehicle for his solo work. Planet P Project released two albums in the 1980s, Planet P (#42 on The Billboard 200, on Geffen Records) in 1983 and the concept album, Pink World (#121 on The Billboard 200, on MCA Records) in 1984, for which he wrote the lyrics and music, sang the lead vocals, and played most of the instruments. Session performers on lead guitar, saxophones, programming, and drums on some tracks made up the rest of the group. The first album was released on CD in 1992, retitled Planet P Project. Planet P's hits included "Why Me" (#64 on The Billboard Hot 100, #4 on Mainstream Rock Charts), "Static" (#24 on Mainstream Rock Charts) and "What I See" (#25 on Mainstream Rock Charts). Planet P Project returned 2003–2009 with a trilogy of albums collectively called Go Out Dancing (G.O.D.). The albums were 1931 (2003), Levittown (2008), and Out In The Rain (2009).

Carey began producing and guesting on many major groups from the US and Europe in the mid 80s. Notables of the many included Jennifer Rush in 1985, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers – Chicago Line in 1988, keyboards and producer. In 1992 with Joe Cocker – Now That You're Gone, Forest McDonald's Color Blind, and in 2006 from Dire Straits, David Knopfler – Songs For The Siren. In a November 12, 2011 interview on Lkcb 128.4 Internet Radio [1] Carey said 'Ive written for myself and others, over a thousand songs'. (Leonard k Collins Verify)

After his 1987 release Bedtime Story (soundtrack for the german film The Joker with Peter Maffay) he recorded a second soundtrack album, called Wilder Western Inclusive, which featured the hit single "Room With A View" (#3 on the German Charts, 1989), which stayed 18 weeks on the charts and received gold. In 1989 he released his album For You, which featured the singles "I Feel Good" (#35 on the German Charts) and "No Man's Land" (feat. Eric Burdon and Anne Haigis). Then he released his albums Storyville (1990), The Long Road (1992) and Cold War Kids (1994).

In 2009, Tony Carey and three other ex-members of Rainbow, Joe Lynn Turner, Bobby Rondinelli and Greg Smith teamed up with Jürgen Blackmore, Ritchie Blackmore's son, to form "Over the Rainbow" to perform Rainbow songs in concerts in Russia and Eastern Europe. Due to illness, however, Tony Carey left Over the Rainbow in the spring of 2009, just prior to the band's live debut at the Sweden Rock Festival, where he was replaced by Paul Morris.

In 2010 it was announced that Tony Carey had formed a new musical racing project called EBC ROXX with (J.R.) Jürgen Blackmore & Ela. Their first single "Silver wheels" was released in March 2010 and was written as the anthem to accompany the first race of Mercedes Formula 1 pilots Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg this season. The project later announced that a full CD entitled "Winners" would be released on September 20, 2010.

DVD [edit]

Extended discography [edit]

Selected other recordings