March 14, 2025 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, the rock band Boston has sold over 75 million albums with classic hits like "More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Rock and Roll Band,” “Smokin',” and “Don't Look Back.” Here’s Greg Hengler with the story about a Home Depot employee and his favorite rock n roll band.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. The rock band
Boston has sold over seventy five million albums with classic
kits like more Than a Feeling, Peace of Mind, rock
and roll band, Smokin' and Don't Look Back. Here's Greg
Hengler with his story about a home depot employee and
(00:30):
his favorite rock and roll band.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
When our favorite songs are played, we all do the
same thing. We turn it up and we sing along.
But the idea of living a rock and roll fantasy
and being the lead singer in your favorite band is
only played out on the big screen and on television
right for everyone who ever dreamed of being a rock star.
(01:00):
Meet Tommy de Carlo. He sings every night to tens
of thousands of screaming fans. But only months before his
gig as the lead singer of the legendary rock band Boston,
forty two year old Tommy wore the orange apron and
worked on the floor at Home Depot in Charlotte, North Carolina,
(01:22):
where his singing was confined to the shower and karaoke bars.
Here's de Carlo.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I remember doing karaoke at Bowling Alley. There was maybe
thirty or forty people that most of them were bowling.
They weren't even listening to karaoke.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So how did Tommy's life go from this we.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Can help you okay to this.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Shot.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Like most kids who came of age in the late seventies,
Tommy Di Carlo was struck by Boston in the summer
of seventy six, when the band released the momentous debut album,
which perfectly packaged progressive rock with melodic pop. Back when
I was around twelve or thirteen, a friend of mine
bought the debut and lent it to me, and I
(02:38):
never gave it back. To Carlo says, I fell in
love with the music, and especially Brad Delp's vocals. Boston
never toured as much as its seventies counterparts, so De
Carlo didn't get to see Boston until the mid nineties.
My first show, he says, I was able to meet
Brad Delp. I wasn't among thirty or forty people at
(03:01):
a meeting greet, but after the show, I hung around
by the buses and yelled Brad's name and we talked
for a minute. I'm really thankful I got to meet him.
You got to tell him how much he loved Boston.
But he was so wrapped up in the moment he
didn't even remember to have Delp sign the CD he
was holding in his hand. Here's Tommy describing what life
(03:25):
was like before living out his rock and roll fantasy.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
Pretty average.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
She worked a forty our week job at the home
depot and still am. I'm on the leave of absence
there right now.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
De Carlo's gig began with an unfortunate incident back on
March ninth, two thousand and seven, when Boston's lead singer
Brad Delp took his own life at age fifty five,
leaving a note clipped to his shirt that said, I
am a lonely soul. The band posted on its website,
(03:58):
We've just lost the nicest in rock and roll. Here's
de Carlo.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
A lot of the fans, including myself, felt terrible about that,
you know it. It was a pretty rough time for
a lot of folks. And I decided to go ahead
and write a tribute song in memory of Brad. And
it was a very short piece, just a couple of
minutes long. But I didn't really know how to go
about sharing that with the other fans, which is what
(04:24):
I really wanted to do, so I went ahead and
my daughter, my daughter Talia, told me, hey, Dad, wyn't
you try MySpace? So I'm like, all right, I'll try it. Well,
I got a message from another fan. That's the beauty
of my space and the friends you could make through
through the MySpace page. A Boston fan had sent me
(04:48):
an email saying, I love your tribute song. Would you
consider sending it to the band? I have an old
email address, and I'm like, okay, sure, I'll try it.
That's funny because back when I was a young teenager,
I had a lot of folks, a lot of friends
would tell me that I had a very similar voice
(05:10):
to the lead singer of Boston. They didn't know his
name was Brad Delt back then. But and I says, yeah,
you know, thanks. That was a great compliment. And over
the years I would sing a lot of the Boston
music and still get those same compliments. So when that
person sent me that email and told me, why don't
you try sending your stuff over to the Boston camp,
(05:31):
I was like, you know, maybe.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Here's that cover of Peace of Mind the Carlo posted
on MySpace.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Just kill It.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Tommy's cover eventually reached the founder of the band m
I T Mastermind and guitar geek Tom Sholes. Here's shoals
with the story.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
Actually through my wife Kim. I was walking through the
kitchen and she was listening to something on her computer
that was up on the internet, and I was and
she said, what do you think of this? And I said, well,
I've never heard that recording of Brad before. What show
(06:50):
is that from? And she said it's not Brad and
I said, oh, yes, that's Brad and she said, no,
this is not Brad, and I didn't realize. I put
it up on some big speakers and listened to the
background music that it was, in fact not Boston and
it was some sort of a karaoke track, and then
(07:11):
I realized this wasn't Brad, but it sounded just exactly
like him. And I know every nuance of Brad's voice,
worked with him for thirty five years, so I was shocked,
but yes, I did the moment I heard that start
to think, all right, maybe there is another future for Boston.
And we proceeded cautiously but quickly and invited him to
(07:38):
Boston to make an appearance with us on stage at
a tribute show last summer for Brad.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
So, what was it like for this fan of Boston
to pick up the phone and hear it was Tom
Sholes on the other end.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. It was
it's almost hard to put in the words. Really, I
just could not believe it. I was shocked and I
was excited. It was. It was just an amazing It
was an amazing day, believe me.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
To Carlo's wife of twenty one years was his number
one groupie, and his two teenagers saw their dad as
the real American idol. For Tommy, it was tough to
leave his job at Home Depot in Charlotte. He liked
his co workers and rather enjoyed helping people find hardware,
and he doesn't rule out going back to it at
(08:25):
some point. In terms of lifestyle, not much has changed
to Carlo, says. We live in the same house and
the best part of my day is my kids and wife,
and I get a lot of support from the people
at the store. For the time being, though, He's just
enjoyed the ride.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
You know, just like what the Boston saw him, just
taking my time, just moving along.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
And what a story. A terrific job on the production,
editing and storytelling by Greg Engler. I'll never forget the
first time I heard more than a feeling. I was
in high schoo I didn't even drive yet, but boy,
I had my tape recorder with me, and I was
rolling around the neighborhood hold of my radio, blasting it
at ten all the time. No record played more in
(09:12):
my high school than the Boston Record. And what a
story about my goodness, living way beyond anything you could
dream of. Tommy de Carlo just recording a tribute to
the man he adored, Brad Depp, who took his life
sadly in two thousand and seven, and Tom Schultz, the
band leader, going well, there goes Boston. And then his
wife Pops opened this my Space recording. Before Facebook, folks,
(09:37):
there was my Space and there it was, and well
we had a lead singer for Boston once again. The
story of Tommy de Carlo from home depot to the
lead singer of Boston. Here on our American Stories
And we continue with our American stories. The rock band
Boston has sold over seventy five million albums with classic
kits like more Than a Feeling, Peace of Mind, rock
and roll band, Smokin' and Don't Look Back. Here's Greg
Hengler with his story about a home depot employee and
(00:30):
his favorite rock and roll band.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
When our favorite songs are played, we all do the
same thing. We turn it up and we sing along.
But the idea of living a rock and roll fantasy
and being the lead singer in your favorite band is
only played out on the big screen and on television
right for everyone who ever dreamed of being a rock star.
(01:00):
Meet Tommy de Carlo. He sings every night to tens
of thousands of screaming fans. But only months before his
gig as the lead singer of the legendary rock band Boston,
forty two year old Tommy wore the orange apron and
worked on the floor at Home Depot in Charlotte, North Carolina,
(01:22):
where his singing was confined to the shower and karaoke bars.
Here's de Carlo.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I remember doing karaoke at Bowling Alley. There was maybe
thirty or forty people that most of them were bowling.
They weren't even listening to karaoke.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So how did Tommy's life go from this we.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Can help you okay to this.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Shot.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Like most kids who came of age in the late seventies,
Tommy Di Carlo was struck by Boston in the summer
of seventy six, when the band released the momentous debut album,
which perfectly packaged progressive rock with melodic pop. Back when
I was around twelve or thirteen, a friend of mine
bought the debut and lent it to me, and I
(02:38):
never gave it back. To Carlo says, I fell in
love with the music, and especially Brad Delp's vocals. Boston
never toured as much as its seventies counterparts, so De
Carlo didn't get to see Boston until the mid nineties.
My first show, he says, I was able to meet
Brad Delp. I wasn't among thirty or forty people at
(03:01):
a meeting greet, but after the show, I hung around
by the buses and yelled Brad's name and we talked
for a minute. I'm really thankful I got to meet him.
You got to tell him how much he loved Boston.
But he was so wrapped up in the moment he
didn't even remember to have Delp sign the CD he
was holding in his hand. Here's Tommy describing what life
(03:25):
was like before living out his rock and roll fantasy.
Speaker 5 (03:30):
Pretty average.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
She worked a forty our week job at the home
depot and still am. I'm on the leave of absence
there right now.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
De Carlo's gig began with an unfortunate incident back on
March ninth, two thousand and seven, when Boston's lead singer
Brad Delp took his own life at age fifty five,
leaving a note clipped to his shirt that said, I
am a lonely soul. The band posted on its website,
(03:58):
We've just lost the nicest in rock and roll. Here's
de Carlo.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
A lot of the fans, including myself, felt terrible about that,
you know it. It was a pretty rough time for
a lot of folks. And I decided to go ahead
and write a tribute song in memory of Brad. And
it was a very short piece, just a couple of
minutes long. But I didn't really know how to go
about sharing that with the other fans, which is what
(04:24):
I really wanted to do, so I went ahead and
my daughter, my daughter Talia, told me, hey, Dad, wyn't
you try MySpace? So I'm like, all right, I'll try it. Well,
I got a message from another fan. That's the beauty
of my space and the friends you could make through
through the MySpace page. A Boston fan had sent me
(04:48):
an email saying, I love your tribute song. Would you
consider sending it to the band? I have an old
email address, and I'm like, okay, sure, I'll try it.
That's funny because back when I was a young teenager,
I had a lot of folks, a lot of friends
would tell me that I had a very similar voice
(05:10):
to the lead singer of Boston. They didn't know his
name was Brad Delt back then. But and I says, yeah,
you know, thanks. That was a great compliment. And over
the years I would sing a lot of the Boston
music and still get those same compliments. So when that
person sent me that email and told me, why don't
you try sending your stuff over to the Boston camp,
(05:31):
I was like, you know, maybe.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Here's that cover of Peace of Mind the Carlo posted
on MySpace.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Just kill It.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Tommy's cover eventually reached the founder of the band m
I T Mastermind and guitar geek Tom Sholes. Here's shoals
with the story.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
Actually through my wife Kim. I was walking through the
kitchen and she was listening to something on her computer
that was up on the internet, and I was and
she said, what do you think of this? And I said, well,
I've never heard that recording of Brad before. What show
(06:50):
is that from? And she said it's not Brad and
I said, oh, yes, that's Brad and she said, no,
this is not Brad, and I didn't realize. I put
it up on some big speakers and listened to the
background music that it was, in fact not Boston and
it was some sort of a karaoke track, and then
(07:11):
I realized this wasn't Brad, but it sounded just exactly
like him. And I know every nuance of Brad's voice,
worked with him for thirty five years, so I was shocked,
but yes, I did the moment I heard that start
to think, all right, maybe there is another future for Boston.
And we proceeded cautiously but quickly and invited him to
(07:38):
Boston to make an appearance with us on stage at
a tribute show last summer for Brad.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
So, what was it like for this fan of Boston
to pick up the phone and hear it was Tom
Sholes on the other end.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. It was
it's almost hard to put in the words. Really, I
just could not believe it. I was shocked and I
was excited. It was. It was just an amazing It
was an amazing day, believe me.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
To Carlo's wife of twenty one years was his number
one groupie, and his two teenagers saw their dad as
the real American idol. For Tommy, it was tough to
leave his job at Home Depot in Charlotte. He liked
his co workers and rather enjoyed helping people find hardware,
and he doesn't rule out going back to it at
(08:25):
some point. In terms of lifestyle, not much has changed
to Carlo, says. We live in the same house and
the best part of my day is my kids and wife,
and I get a lot of support from the people
at the store. For the time being, though, He's just
enjoyed the ride.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
You know, just like what the Boston saw him, just
taking my time, just moving along.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
And what a story. A terrific job on the production,
editing and storytelling by Greg Engler. I'll never forget the
first time I heard more than a feeling. I was
in high schoo I didn't even drive yet, but boy,
I had my tape recorder with me, and I was
rolling around the neighborhood hold of my radio, blasting it
at ten all the time. No record played more in
(09:12):
my high school than the Boston Record. And what a
story about my goodness, living way beyond anything you could
dream of. Tommy de Carlo just recording a tribute to
the man he adored, Brad Depp, who took his life
sadly in two thousand and seven, and Tom Schultz, the
band leader, going well, there goes Boston. And then his
wife Pops opened this my Space recording. Before Facebook, folks,
(09:37):
there was my Space and there it was, and well
we had a lead singer for Boston once again. The
story of Tommy de Carlo from home depot to the
lead singer of Boston. Here on our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.