(Short Report)

Written by:  Ginny Gaines 

Tommy DeCarlo was born on April 23, 1965, in Utica, New York. Like many rock fans growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was obsessed with the music of the legendary rock band Boston. Boston’s soaring guitar sound and massive hits like “More Than a Feeling” made them one of the biggest bands in rock history. The band’s original singer, Brad Delp, had a powerful, high voice that became one of the most recognizable sounds in classic rock.

DeCarlo admired that voice so much that he spent years singing Boston songs himself. Friends and family noticed something unusual: his voice sounded shockingly similar to Delp’s. Still, DeCarlo wasn’t chasing fame. Like millions of other music fans, he grew up, got a regular job, and raised a family. By the 2000s he was living in Charlotte, North Carolina, working as a credit manager at Home Depot. Music was simply something he loved doing in his spare time.

In March 2007, the rock world was shaken by the sudden death of Brad Delp. Fans everywhere were devastated, including Tommy DeCarlo. Wanting to honor the singer who had inspired him for years, DeCarlo recorded a tribute song along with several Boston covers and uploaded them online to MySpace, which was a popular music platform at the time.

His daughter encouraged him to send the recordings to Boston’s management. DeCarlo didn’t expect much. At best, he hoped he might get to perform at a tribute event for Delp. At first, nothing happened. But eventually the recordings reached Boston’s founder and mastermind, Tom Scholz. When Scholz heard DeCarlo sing Boston’s song “Don’t Look Back,” he was stunned. The voice sounded uncannily like Brad Delp’s. So Scholz invited DeCarlo to perform at a tribute concert honoring Delp. Here’s the unbelievable part: That show was the first time Tommy DeCarlo had ever sung onstage with a professional band.

The tribute concert went incredibly well. Fans loved hearing Boston’s songs performed with a voice that captured the spirit of Brad Delp. After the show, Tom Scholz made a surprising decision. He asked Tommy DeCarlo to join Boston as their touring lead vocalist. Just like that, a man who had been working a regular retail job was suddenly traveling the world performing classic rock songs in front of thousands of fans.

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