Christian music veteran Carman, who was diagnosed with
incurable cancer earlier this year, has raised more than $233,000 to fund his
first independent album in a decade.
He credited kickstarter.com, a "crowd-funding"
website that raises money for creative projects, to help pay for his first independent
album and music video.
Launched April 19, Carman's campaign exceeded its $200,000
goal in 25 days, making it the second most-funded music project on Kickstarter,
the singer and evangelist said. The campaign's deadline is June 18, and fans can
continue to make donations.
"I'm so excited about this incredible opportunity we
all have through Kickstarter to make something happen as a team and a
family," Carman said. "Cancer pronounced a death sentence, but you
have been life to me, rallying me back into the fight and praying me back to my
feet. As one fan said on my Facebook page, 'Look at what Jesus did in three years.'
So as for you and me, with this new project and us working together, the next
three years are going to be a blast."
In addition to the music project, Carman has announced a
60-city, 28-state summer tour, with concerts planned for New York City, Los
Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Dallas.
Carman, 57, announced on his Facebook page Feb. 14 that he
had been diagnosed with myeloma cancer, and was given "a three- to
four-year window of time.
His latest album, Anthems of a Champion, was released in
January by Sparrow Records/Capitol Christian Distribution. Carman, whose full
name is Carmelo Domenic Licciardello, is known for concerts, that "are
more like a rock 'n' roll Billy Graham crusade than a Christian music
event," his website noted.
For more information on Carman's concert tour, for which
tickets go on sale July 1, visit carmanlive.com.
