Tommy DeCarlo, who became the lead singer of classic rockers Boston for nearly 20 years based on a Myspace tribute to the band's original singer, has died.
DeCarlo's children, Annie, Talia and Tommy Jr., said in posts on his Facebook and Instagram pages that their father, who had been struggling for months with brain cancer, died Monday. They said, “He fought with incredible strength and courage right up until the very end.” He was 60.
Brad Delp, the original singer of the band that was founded in 1975 and had hits including “More Than a Feeling” and “Peace of Mind,” died in 2007.
DeCarlo, then a 43-year-old working at a Home Depot in North Carolina, wrote, sang and recorded a tribute song to Delp. He posted that song along with a few Boston covers to his Myspace page and sent the link to the band.
DeCarlo initially got a polite rejection, according to Rolling Stone. But founding guitarist and songwriter Tom Scholz, struck by his voice's resemblance to Delp, invited DeCarlo to perform at a tribute concert for the late singer. Scholz then asked him to join the band.
“It wasn’t like I was trying to sing like Brad,” DeCarlo said in a bio on the band's website, “it was just that I loved to sing along with him.”
DeCarlo toured with Boston for nearly 20 years and sang on their 2013 album, “Life, Love and Hope.”