Tony Carey
Professional Eventers | Artist Booking | Tony Carey
Born in 1953 in Watsonville, California, the multi-instrumentalist is a lifelong creative traveler who refuses to be dictated which music he plays.
“My career would probably have been more linear if I’d committed to one style,” says Carey, “but I didn’t want to – I just do what I like.”
Carey’s first band, Blessings, forms on the East Coast, but the formation (in which he plays keyboards) soon relocates to Los Angeles with a record deal in hand. But due to the perfectionism of the Steely Dan producer Gerry Katz, the recordings last a year and a half and the album is never finished.
Ritchie Blackmore hears Carey playing the organ through seven walls and recruits him for his band Rainbow – the rest is hard rock history.
Carey made his way to Germany via France, where he has lived ever since. He released wonderful solo albums, including Some Tough City (1984) and Blue Highway (1985), which caused a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic.
The song “Room With A View” (1988) was created for the ARD series “Wilder Westen” and became Carey’s greatest success in Germany.
Meeting Peter Maffay led to a long-term collaboration, during which Carey produced several albums by the German superstar. He does the same over the years e.g. for Jimmy Barnes, John Mayall, Chris Thompson, José Carreras, David Knopfer and Milva.
Because Carey hasn´t only had good experiences with the record label industry, he has been producing various albums on his own since the mid-1980s and has supplied the worldwide fan base with physical LP´s and Singles via his web shop.
I’ve stayed out of the music business for a long time,” says Carey, “but I think things are changing – the web, despite all the dangers, opens up new opportunities to bring your music to people without being dependent on record label companies.”
The amount of musical material reflects the amount of knowledge and experience Tony Carey has gathered over 40 years of being a musician.
On his current album “Lucky Us” he sings touching West Coast ballads and tells stories from his eventful life, which are also a commentary on current world events.
Ask this man: He has something to say.heads.