Dear Daughters,

I’ve been binging on some loud music tonight, rather unusual for me, but because one of my favorite singers passed away a few days ago it’s brought lots of good memories from the past.

Carman.

There was no one like him in the music industry back in the 1980s and 90s.  His trademark style featured high-drama story songs, his most famous being The Champion.  I can still see you girls dancing to Addicted to Jesus, Who’s in the House and many others in the living room.  I remember you all loving the high energy songs, and typically skipping over his slower ballads, so I would listen to them while you were in school.  Most of his music highlights the battle that rages on between good and evil, darkness and light – with Christ always as the victor. 

  Carman was born in New Jersey, the youngest of three children in an Italian American family.  His dad was a meat cutter and his mom was known as a child prodigy on the accordion.  It was in her band that he first started performing as a teenager, filling in one night on the drums when the regular didn’t show.  As a teen he started his own band, playing guitar and doing vocals.  

While he was playing club circuits in Atlantic City and expanding through New Jersey into Philadelphia, Carman was approached by a Capo from the real-life Sopranos Crime Family to represent his interests and help expand his career.  He replied “I’ll decide when I get back from Vegas.”  He took off in his 1993 Chevy Vega, hoping to make it big in Las Vegas.  While he was there, he attended an Andrae Crouch concert and accepted Christ’s call on his life. 

Accordingly, his music took a drastic turn after his new birth.  He started writing his soon to become trademark music which was a combination of drama, rock, comedy, satire, acting, singing, dancing and preaching – all woven into what was to become a music genre like no other.  His gift of evangelism combined with an almost Vegas-like showman showcased his unpredictable wit with story-dramas that could be described as a full-length feature film in 7 minutes or less.

Carman leaves behind a wife of 4 years, being married for the only time at the age of 61.  But he also leaves behind millions of people like me, who have been encouraged in dark times, led to praise in times of joy, and who have been challenged to have no addiction but Jesus himself.

Some of my favorites are:   

Revival in the Land

Witch’s Invitation

No Monsters

R.I.O.T.

The Courtroom

Who’s in the House?

Addicted to Jesus

Satan, Bit the Dust

Mission 3:16

I Promise

Two kids albums – Yo Kidz

And, of course, his most famous story-drama ever:

The Champion

Wherever Carman went throughout the world he filled theatres, never charging an admission fee, one of which we attended.  He always offered a free invitation to hear his music and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He trusted that God would provide through the love offerings people gave during the concert.  His high energy performances were phenomenal and drew more than 70,000 in several arenas.

I love all his songs but of course my personal favorite will always be The Champion.  I never tire of hearing the ten count of defeat that starts out backwards, according to Satan:

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

 Won, He has won, He’s alive forever more, He is risen from the dead, He has won!

I know The Champion Himself greeted Carman as he walked through the doorway from this world into his eternal home. 

Love, Mom