Tony Carey

Anthony Lawrence Carey (born October 16, 1953, Watsonville, California, United States) is an American-born, European-based musician, composer, producer, and singer/songwriter.

In his early career he was a keyboardist for Rainbow.

He recorded one studio album with Rainbow, the acclaimed 1976 release Rising.

Carey's work on the album included the keyboard introduction to the opening track "Tarot Woman", and an extended keyboard solo on the final track "A Light in the Black".

A six-disc CD box set containing music from the 1976 European leg of the tour, Deutschland Tournee 1976, was released in 2006.

After his departure in 1977, he began a solo career, releasing albums under his own name as well under the pseudonym Planet P Project, and producing for and performing with other artists.

Carey had been playing his church's piano during off hours since he was very young, and was permitted to play the pipe organ as well.

His family acquired a piano when he was seven, and at the age of eleven he got his first acoustic guitar and formed his first group, which played music by The Mamas and the Papas and others.

During Carey's two world tours with Rainbow, live material was recorded and subsequently released as two double LPs, On Stage (1977) and Live in Germany (1990).

Carey left Rainbow in 1977 and moved to Germany in August 1978, where he began a solo career.

During this period he spent many 20-hour days in a recording studio in Frankfurt with his friend and recording engineer Nigel Jopson, together with engineer Andy Lunn.

The studio's owner, producer Peter Hauke, allowed Carey to use it for free and he subsequently recorded a great deal of instrumental music in many different styles, and learned how to engineer as well as perform in the studio.

Carey recorded keyboard parts for Rainbow's next studio album, Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978), many of which he says were included in the final album.

Carey's debut solo single Jamie was released in the US and Germany 1981 on the Mirage label, which was owned by Jerry L. Greenberg.

But Carey was looking for a direction and at the time he was heavily influenced by bands like Kraftwerk.

Yellow Power was released in 1982 as an instrumental album, together with his first recordings as a singer from 1980, In the Absence of the Cat, also released in 1982 on the indie label X-Records.

A trio of instrumental albums, Explorer, No Human and Heaven, were also recorded during this period, but were never originally approved for release by Carey.

Tony Carey released I Won't Be Home Tonight on the Rocshire label in 1982, along with the single "West Coast Summer Nights".

The album peaked at #167 on the Billboard 200, and the single peaked at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The title track was also released as a single, peaking at #79 on the Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard's Top Rock Tracks chart.

Following the death of Rocshire's promoter, Stacy Davis, the label's co-owners were imprisoned for embezzlement, resulting in its closure.

The album rights and masters for I Won't Be Home Tonight were seized by federal authorities, and they remain the property of the US Internal Revenue Service.

Carey found himself without a label.

Following the release of I Won't Be Home Tonight, Carey was signed to Geffen Records, and released his first album under the Planet P Project pseudonym, which he would use throughout his career for his more progressive and experimental music.

Planet P Project, was released in March 1983 to modest reviews and reached #42 on the Billboard 200.

During March, it peaked at #15 on Billboard's Rock Albums chart, with I Won't Be Home Tonight reaching #8.

Two singles were released from Planet P Project: "Why Me", which reached #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #4 in the magazine's Top Rock Tracks chart; and "Static", which reached #24 on Top Rock Tracks.

The deal with Geffen stipulated that Carey was not to appear in any Planet P Project music videos or do any personal promotion, as it was in obvious conflict with the Tony Carey albums.

Carey followed this release with his second solo album, Some Tough City, John Kalodner at Geffen didn't like Carey's lyrics so due to a dispute, Carey moved to MCA Records.

In March 1984, MCA released Some Tough City, which peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The single "A Fine, Fine Day" reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #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.

Carey opened for Night Ranger on many dates of their 1984 tour in support of this album.

His father gave him a Lowrey organ for his 14th birthday, and he started a rock band with other neighborhood children, playing music by The Doors.

He also played contrabass in his school's orchestra.

At age 17, Carey moved to New Hampshire to start a new band called Blessings, which secured a recording contract with ABC Dunhill.

After two years, the band was unable to complete its first album.

According to Carey, this was due to his own involvement with girls, the producer's drug use, and difficulties with the record label.

While Blessings were in S. I. R. Rehearsal Studios in Hollywood working on material for their unfinished album, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple was in another room, with bassist Jimmy Bain, auditioning musicians for his new band Rainbow.

This led to Carey being auditioned, and an invitation to join Rainbow, which he accepted.