The Carpenters




*** Send The Carpenters Ringtone to your Cell ***

The Carpenters Biography

A 1970s vocal and instrumental duo, Carpenters were siblings namely Karen Carpenter and Richard Carpenter. Melodic pop was their brand, and with this they did a number of hit recordings that have got onto the American Top 40. They became the leading exponents of the "soft rock" or adult contemporary genre and evolved as one of the busiest recording artists of the decade.

Richard was born on October 15, 1946, and Karen on March 2, 1950 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. At the very early age, Richard showed signs of a musical genius in him and became a piano prodigy. It was mainly to hone his talents that Richard’s parents decided to go to California in 1963. And, finally the family got settled in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey. Karen’s talent remained latent until she reached high school. At high school, she joined the school band and soon mastered the drums.

From the mid to late 1960s, the siblings had been aspiring to get an entry into the music world, but in vain. In May 1966, at his garage studio of L.A., bassist Joe Osborn, happened to hear Karen sing. This introduction led to a short-lived recording contract as a solo artist with Magic Lamp (Osborn's fledgling label). The single released following this contract included two of Richard's compositions, "Looking for Love" and "I'll Be Yours".

During this period, the siblings and their friend bassist Wes Jacobs formed a jazz instrumental group under the name Richard Carpenter Trio. RCA picked up the trio, for they had won the Hollywood Bowl "Battle of the Bands" in 1966. However, doubting their commercial prospects, RCA dropped them and didn’t release their songs. Richard and Karen, next, associated with four student musicians from Long Beach State to form the sextet Spectrum. The group only got club dates and no recording deals. Nevertheless, the experience proved worth for the siblings, as Richard discovered a lyricist in fellow Spectrum member John Bettis.

After Spectrum wound up, the Carpenters decided to continue as the duo. Richard played keyboards, Karen played drums, and both contributed vocals. On the sidelines of the premiere of the 1969 film Goodbye, while performing, they came into the notice of star Petula Clark, who introduced them to Herb Alpert. He signed the siblings to his label, A&M Records. Their initial LP titled Offering lined up a number of songs, either written or co-written during their Spectrum period.

The Carpenters’ breakthrough was in 1970 with the release of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song, "(They Long to Be) Close to You". A follow-up recording, "We've Only Just Begun" was their second major hit in the fall of 1970. A series of hit singles and albums kept the Carpenters at the popularity chart through the early 1970s. A biggest hit LP, namely The Singles:1969-1973 headed the charts in the U.S. and U.K. and became a best seller of the decade. In early 1975 the Carpenters scaled the charts with a remake of the Marvelettes' hit "Please Mr. Postman". Passage, released in 1977, was an experimental album in which they were seen trespassing into other musical genres.

To facilitate their recordings, the Carpenters kept a staggering schedule of television appearances and concert tours during 70s. In May 1973, the Carpenters were invited to perform at the White House before the President Richard Nixon and his guest West German chancellor Willy Brandt. Meanwhile, the Carpenters were also bestowed three Grammy Awards. In 1973, at the first annual American Music Awards, the Carpenters were selected the Best Band Duo, or Group (Pop/Rock).

In the latter half of 1970s, the siblings developed professional difficulties due to their busy schedules. Karen who is said to have read a review in Billboard magazine that dubbed her "Richard's chubby sister, started dieting obsessively and got afflicted by anorexia nervosa. The disorder manifested while she collapsed onstage in Las Vegas in 1975. Physically unfit, she cancelled further foreign tours. Richard, by this time, became an addict to Quaaludes. Their state of affairs eventually led to the end of their live concert appearances in 1978.

Personal troubles, however, hampered their attempt to retool their image. Though Richard recovered from addiction, her sister suffered from a failed 1980 marriage life and worsening anorexia nervosa disorder. On February 4, 1983, Karen bid adieu to the world at her parents' home in Downey at the age of 32. At the Downey Memorial Hospital, she was pronounced dead and the reason was stated to be cardiac arrest.

After Karen's death, Richard has continued with some new and pending recording projects. Today, Richard Carpenter lives with his family in Thousand Oaks, California, promoting arts there. Interestingly, the Carpenter is also an ardent collector of award winning classic cars, nowadays.

Artists who inspired The Carpenters

The Carpenters has influenced:

Similar Artists

The Carpenters Options

MetroLyrics
  • Lyrics Forum