Popstar in the Brentano Barn

Tony Carey is known as an American songwriter who has written hits like “Room With A View” and “A Fine, Fine Day.” Or he is recognized as the producer of Peter Maffay (“Tabaluga and the Shining Silence”) and Milva. Or he is known as the keyboardist for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow in the 70s. These are very different Tonys.

The multi-instrumentalist, born in 1953 in Watsonville, California, is a lifelong traveler in terms of creativity who refuses to be dictated to about what music he plays. “My career would probably have been more straightforward if I had committed to one style,” Carey says, “but I didn’t want that – I just do what I like.” Ritchie Blackmore hears Carey playing the organ through seven walls and recruits him for his band Rainbow – the rest is hard rock history. Through Los Angeles, the path leads to Germany, where he has been living ever since. Carey releases wonderful solo albums, including “Some Tough City” (1984) and “Blue Highway” (1985), which cause a stir on both sides of the Atlantic. The song “Room With A View” (1988) is created for the ARD three-part miniseries “Wild West” and becomes his biggest success in Germany. The encounter with Peter Maffay leads to a years-long collaboration, during which Carey produces several albums for the German megastar. He does the same over the years for Jimmy Barnes, John Mayall, Chris Thompson, José Carreras, David Knopfer, and the aforementioned Milva.

Additionally, a handful of albums with his Planet P Project emerge, where the multi-instrumentalist brings together electro, 80s sounds, and prog rock.

In the album “Lucky Us,” he packs his collected experiences, understanding, and skills into wonderful songs. “Lucky Us” is something Carey has never done before: an album with piano and orchestra. “The world around us is falling apart,” he explains. “I think what we need now is a warm blanket and peace. I tend to warn about what could come in somewhat calm times. When it happens, the events speak for themselves. I don’t need to sing about them too.” One is grateful for this attitude when listening to the songs from “Lucky Us.”

Carey sings wistfully beautiful songs at the piano, resonating with a deeply felt American tone – one thinks of Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, and the Eagles, but one hears Tony Carey, who began writing songs at the same time as these colleagues and conveys a timeless feeling. One wraps oneself in these songs like in a blanket.