Acclaimed songwriter, composer, musician, and actor Carl D’Errico passed away on January 3th, 2023. He is best known for writing the music for ‘It’s My Life’ by The Animals and collaborations with superstars Neil Diamond and Bruce Springsteen.

Being an active songwriter for six decades, he wrote a number of very well known tunes. A lot of them were written along with lyricist Roger Atkins, best known being the 1965 ‘It’s My Life’. From his beginning in the early 60s, when he teamed with Neil Diamond to collaborations with Bruce Springsteen. His wife, Didi D’Errico kindly shared some light on who he was behind the scene.

Would you like to discuss Carl D’Errico upbringing? Was he from a musical family?

Didi D’Errico: Carl’s father was a police officer, his mother a waitress. His father passed when Carl was in high school (he had a scholarship) and had to work after school on weekends and after school to help support his mother. He had two older sisters who were out of the house and married with families of their own. His father walked the beat and found him a piano teacher when he saw his son’s musical talent. Carl dug ditches…worked in the Keebler cookie factory, was a busboy and a waiter and managed to get a scholarship to Penn State which he eventually lost because of his jobs. In those days there was not much of a pension for cops’ families. His father liked to sing old Italian songs, but that was about it regarding a musical family.

What about you?

I was deserted by my parents. My upbringing was a terrifying 8 years in an abusive catholic boarding school upstate N.Y. of which I have written a book about that experience and I am now looking for a publisher.

I was in and out of different homes after that time and at 18 years old lived in the streets of New York City in empty apartments hanging around with great artists and writers, selling my paintings on the streets. I met Carl D’Errico after a short failed marriage being too young … Carl was my light and great love and soul mate who would say he would make up for my disastrous childhood. Which he did.

A year before I met Carl I went to L.A. painted and sang with Mark Holly as a duo. My friend Steve Ciro was the choreographer of Where the Action Is, a Dick Clark production where I sang back-up in the studio when they needed extra voices in Paul Revere & the Raiders. Mary Arnold was one of my roommates and she was the girl singer with Kenny Rogers in The First Edition. She later married Roger Miller (‘King of the Road’ fame). I came back to N.Y. and met Carl at a party through a press agent for Columbia Records. It was love at first sight.

Didi and Mark Holly of “Mark and Didi” singing in L.A. (1967)

Tell us more how you two met?

Carl and I met on May 20, 1967 at a party at his house full of musicians, songwriters et cetera. I was modeling, (as the Barbie doll) acting, singing with a group, The Iguanas and painting at the time. I walked into the party with David Merrick’s press agent and my cousin who spotted Carl in the middle of the living room surrounded by girls. My cousin said: “Wow, I like that guy…” I said “No, he’s mine.” He was 6′ 4″ and had a gentle classiness about him, he was my “dream” man. So I followed him into the bathroom and asked if he was married. He was 29 years old and he said “no.” I gave him my phone number and we have been together ever since…until he passed away on January 3, 2023.

What led him to start a musical career?

He loved music since he was born and played clubs, weddings, concerts in school, wherever he could. He went to Temple, got a degree in music, teaching, then came to NY in the early sixties where he met Neil Diamond and they shopped their songs in the Brill Building. They signed with Screen Gems then Carl met Roger Atkins who wrote ‘It’s My Life’ with Carl. Carl still sent money home to his mother every week.

Carl D’Errico on piano with David Johansen, Patti Scialfa and Cast performing Carl & David’s ‘Poet’s Cafe’ (1982)

‘It’s My Life’ became such a classic. What kind of memories does it bring when hearing it?

I did not know Carl as yet when I heard the song. I was in L.A. singing and acting rooming with Mary Arnold of the Kenny Rogers group Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. We would play it and sing it all day as we loved the musical lines. As all our other 12 friends did who we hung out with. We worked on Where the Action Is, a TV show produced by Dick Clarke in the 60’s. I sang backup for Paul Revere & the Raiders when they appeared on the show.

Carl Carl D’Errico and Roger Atkins (2014)

What was Carl’s approach when it comes to music making?

About music making, he would say it came from God. He would sit at the piano and it would just come out of nowhere. Bruce Springsteen (and Patti) were big fans, they sent me a beautiful letter praising Carl’s talent. Carl was unique. He was laid back and never spoke about himself. He always helped others. Actually after we went out a few times, he still never mentioned that he wrote ‘It’s My Life’ as I was always humming it. One day he decided to play it on the piano for the two of us to sing it together… I sang a line and he stopped playing and said to me “that’s the wrong note.” I argued with him telling him we all sang that forever. So, “how do you know?” He said, “because I wrote it.” I laughed and told him that was a good answer. So he took out the sheet music, and showed me his name as the writer. That’s how laid back and modest he was. He was a sweet giant of goodness, a musical genius, very spiritual, loved being married, was friends with everyone and kind and helpful to younger musicians who asked for advice. He was quite good looking and did some acting and modeling as well. He is in my heart and soul and I still weep everyday for my wonderful husband. We would have celebrated 49 years of marriage this year. We lived together first. Actually that makes it almost 60 years that I am grateful for. I play his music everyday. I wrote some songs with him which he felt were very special, sort of spiritual to him.