Remembering Carlo "Carl" Driggs

 Though the name Carlo Driggs may not stand out in the music world as much as other artists, it's not for lack of talent.

Carlo was born in Cuba, with music in his blood, and over the course of his career, racked up a string of major accomplishments.

I've witnessed this talent at many concerts, for which I feel fortunate to have been able to do. This is especially true since learning of Carlo's untimely death on May 31, 2017 of a massive heart attack.

Though I didn't know Carlo personally, when I heard the news of his passing I was shocked and saddened.  My first thought was that Rock n Roll heaven had claimed another angel for it's band.  I then thought of Paul Revere, from Paul Revere and the Raiders, and knew Carlo was now reunited with his former boss of 21 years, (1983-2004).

It was with Paul Revere and the Raiders that I first heard the name Carl Driggs, (he'd dropped the "o" at that time), and experienced the talent and showmanship the man possessed.

His voice could be rough and raspy sounding one minute, and the next be soft and sultry.  No matter the song, Carl could take it and make it his own, all while moving around the stage with a force of energy that was contagious; spreading through the gathered crowds of concert goers on a regular basis.

Off stage, when signing autographs, Carl was always kind and polite to every fan wanting a photo or signature.  He treated everyone equally and with respect, and was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

For me, though Mark Lindsay is the voice on the Raiders' hits, Carl was the face and voice of the post Mark era Raiders.

Having been a Paul Revere and the Raiders fan almost my entire life, I've always had a passion for looking up all the trivial info I can find about the band and it's members.  This same passion is what led me to discover that Carlo had been in at least two other bands, prior to the Raiders, that had released albums in the United States.

The first band was called Kracker, and the other was Foxy.

It was with Foxy that Carlo co-wrote the song, "Get Off", which landed the band at #9 on the Billboard charts and #1 on the R&B charts in 1978.

 For those who may not recognize the name of the band, or the song, I've included it in this post.

As stated earlier in this post, Carlo was with  Paul Revere and the Raiders for 21 years, 1983 to 2004.  After leaving the Raiders, Carlo went on to entertain audiences as a solo artist in Las Vegas.

Though I was never fortunate to see Carlo's solo performance, I've  heard from others that it was a well polished show, where he covered a diverse range of musical genres and artists, from Frank Sinatra, to the Rolling Stones and everything in between.

Being friends with many Raider fans on Facebook, I've seen numerous posts praising Carlo Driggs' talents, and mourning his loss.  Because there have been so many, I debated whether I should post something as well.  At first I wasn't going to, but I just kept thinking of all these different things I wanted to say, so with this post, I've now added my contribution to the others honoring the memory of Carlo Driggs.

 Thank you Carlo for all the great memories you've given so many of us all these years.