Chris Carrabba
Christopher Andrew Carrabba[2] (born April 10, 1975) is an American musician who is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Dashboard Confessional, lead singer of the band Further Seems Forever, and lead vocalist for the folk band Twin Forks.
Chris Carrabba
Christopher Andrew Carrabba
Chris "Ender" Carrabba[1]
April 10, 1975
West Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
1991–present
Early life and education[edit]
Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, Carrabba's parents divorced when he was three. At age 16, he moved with his mother Anne, brother Nick, stepbrother and stepfather to Boca Raton, Florida.[3] Carrabba remains close to some relatives on his paternal side, but is not close to his father Andrew.
As a teenager, Carrabba was interested in skateboarding and passionate about music. In high school, he started singing in his choir. At 15, his two cousins found a guitar in their basement, presumably belonging to their father but the true owner is unknown. Carrabba ended up with the guitar when one of them figured he would be the only one who could play it. After graduating from Boca Raton Community High School, Carrabba became more serious about music and joined his first band, The Vacant Andys, and matriculated to Florida Atlantic University to study education.
At college, alongside studies, Carrabba played with The Vacant Andys and, later, with The Agency, which featured Chris Carrabba on their second LP, ENGINES. This was the first recording to feature both Mike Marsh and Chris Carrabba before Mike Marsh became Dashboard Confessional's full-time drummer. For several years, Chris taught at an elementary school in South Florida and played with the group Further Seems Forever.
Dashboard Confessional was born when Chris recorded the Drowning EP with Fiddler Records. "I started (Dashboard) as a side project from the band I was in," says Carrabba. "I was going through something really tough at the time and since I don't write in a journal, this is what I did with it. It was a good way to get it out of my system. I never thought anyone would hear these songs, but I played some for my friends and one of them who owned a little label talked me into recording." The name Dashboard Confessional comes from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears." The lyric "On the way home, this car hears my confessions" brought to mind the phrase "Dashboard Confessional."
Carrabba was a special education teacher prior to his success with Dashboard Confessional, often keeping a guitar in his office to write songs during downtime.[4]
Personal life[edit]
In 2008, just as he was wrapping up work on the sixth Dashboard Confessional album, Carrabba's sister was in a serious car accident that put her in a coma for several months. "I was torn between being with her through most of her waking hours until we were kicked out of the hospital at the end of their shifts and going home and doing my work," he said.[5]
Carrabba required double shoulder surgeries following a motorcycle accident in 2020.[6][7]
