Carman Lucciardello...simply know to millions as Carman.
He was one of the most influential forces in contemporary Christian music for decades. He was a friend of mine. We are not besties, but we were friends. I was the crusade coordinator for Carman in our city for many years. It was a relationship started in the 1980's when I worked for a Christian music station in Phoenix, KRDS.
I think his ability to connect to an audience with literally every style of music was, and is, unmatched.
Tragically, Carman died as a result of complications from a routine surgery in February 2021. But his music stays with me and us. Here's what I played this morning to start the show.