The Carpenters

The Carpenters
Karen and Richard Carpenter, at the White House on August 1, 1972
Karen and Richard Carpenter, at the White House on August 1, 1972
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California,
United States
Genre(s) Adult Contemporary
Years active 1969–1983
Label(s) A&M
Associated acts Karen Carpenter
Richard Carpenter
The Richard Carpenter Trio
Website Richard and Karen Carpenter
Former members
Karen Carpenter
Richard Carpenter
Joe Osborn
Danny Woodhams
Bob Messenger
Doug Strawn
Gary Sims
Tony Peluso
Cubby O'Brien

The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and press materials is simply "Carpenters", without the definite article.[1] During a period in the 1970s when louder and wilder rock was in great demand, Richard and Karen produced a distinctively soft musical style that made them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[2][3]

The Carpenters' melodic pop charted a record-breaking score of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, becoming leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary genres. The Carpenters had three #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen #1 hits on the Adult Contemporary Chart (see The Carpenters discography). In addition, they had twelve top 10 singles (including their #1 hits). To date, The Carpenters' album and single sales total more than 100 million units.[3]

During their fourteen-year career, The Carpenters recorded eleven albums, five of which contained top 10 singles (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You, Now & Then and Horizon), thirty-one singles, five television specials, and one short-lived television series. They toured in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium. Their recording career ended with Karen's death on February 4, 1983. Karen passed away due to a cardiac arrest due to complications of anorexia nervosa. Extensive news coverage of the circumstances surrounding her death increased public awareness of the consequences of eating disorders.[4][5]

Contents

Childhood (1946–1964)

The Carpenter siblings were both born in New Haven, Connecticut. Richard Lynn was born on October 15, 1946, and Karen Anne followed on March 2, 1950.[6] Richard was a quiet child who spent most of his time in the house listening to records and playing the piano.[7] Karen, on the other hand, seemed to be friendly, outgoing, and liked to play sports.[7] However, she also spent a lot of time listening to music, and she also played softball with the neighborhood kids.[7]

In June 1963, the Carpenter family moved the family to the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California, in an effort to bring Richard closer to the music industry and to escape the cold north eastern winters that both Karen and her father disliked.[8] The relocation was not easy for Karen, who struggled with leaving all of her close friends behind in New Haven.[8] In autumn of 1963, Richard attended Downey High School, and he first learned that he could switch from physical education to band, which would later affect Karen's decision to switch out of physical education. Music teacher Bruce Gifford realized Richard's talent as a pianist when Richard was asked to play "Rhapsody in Blue".[3] The following school year, Richard attended California State University, Long Beach (also known as Long Beach State), where he met future songwriting partner John Bettis, with whom he would write classics like "Top of the World", "Goodbye to Love", and "Only Yesterday"; Wesley Jacobs, a friend who played the bass and tuba for the Richard Carpenter Trio, and Frank Pooler, with whom Richard would collaborate to create the Christmas standard "Merry Christmas Darling" in 1966.[9]

Karen started Downey High School as a first-year student in the fall of 1964, and there she found a knack for playing the drums.[3] To circumvent physical education, she asked Richard, who was by then attending Long Beach State, to elicit some of his previous teachers to help Karen transfer from physical education to the marching band, as he had also done.[10] It was then agreed that Karen would be a part of Downey High School's marching band instead of physical education. When Karen was in the band, teacher Bruce Gifford, who had taught Richard in 1963, assigned Karen a glockenspiel, a quiet instrument that Karen highly disliked. In an interview, Karen stated:

I didn't really like it (the glockenspiel) because it's not a very convenient instrument to play, and it's hard to carry.... It's always a quarter-step sharp to the band, which used to drive me crazy![11]

Shortly after, though, friend and fellow band member Frankie Chavez inspired Carpenter to play the drums. Karen would often borrow Chavez's drum kit when he taught her. "She and Frankie ... must have worked down the rudiments, the cadences, and the press-rolls for hours", recalls Richard. When Karen finally got a Ludwig drum kit from her parents in late 1964, she was able to play it professionally, in what Richard had described in their documentary, "Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters" as "exotic time signatures".[12][13]

The Richard Carpenter Trio and Spectrum (1965–1968)

By 1965, Karen had been practicing the drums for a year, and Richard was refining his piano techniques with teacher Frank Pooler. The two were highly interested in creating a jazz trio which would be known as the Richard Carpenter Trio. "I was impressed and introduced myself to Wes Jacobs, and we hit it off immediately", claims Richard.[9] The siblings wanted a trio with Richard's friend, Wes Jacobs, because they envisioned a jazz trio composed of three basic jazz parts: drums played by Karen, piano played by Richard, and bass/tuba played by Jacobs.

In late 1965, Wes Jacobs, Richard Carpenter and sister Karen formed the Richard Carpenter Trio, an instrumental jazz group. The trio signed up for the annual Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands in mid-1966, in which they played an instrumental version of "The Girl from Ipanema" and their own "Iced Tea". The trio won the Battle of the Bands on June 24, 1966, and was picked up by RCA Records.[3]. There, they recorded songs such as The Beatles' "Every Little Thing" and Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night". However, RCA chose not to release their songs, and doubting their commercial potential, RCA soon dropped them.[14]

Karen then joined Richard, in 1966, to attend a late-night session in the garage studio of Los Angeles bassist Joe Osborn, where Richard was to accompany an auditioning trumpet player.[13][15] Asked to sing, Karen performed for Osborn, who was taken with her voice. On May 13, 1966, Karen landed a short-lived recording contract as a solo artist with Osborn's fledgling label, Magic Lamp Records. The resulting single included two of Richard's compositions, "Looking for Love" and "I'll Be Yours", but the label soon became defunct, bringing their promising start to a close. However, Osborn let Karen and Richard continue to record demo tapes until 1969, when they finally got an offer from A&M Records.[16]

In 1967, Richard and Karen next teamed up with four other student musicians from Long Beach State to form a sextet called "The Summerchimes". The Summerchimes was shortlived though, and they soon changed their name to "Spectra", and finally "Spectrum".[17][13] The group often performed at The Jolly Knight Steak House as well as the Whisky a Go Go.[16][18] Nevertheless, the experience proved rewarding for Richard, as fellow member John Bettis would compose many songs with him until Karen's death in 1983.

During 1968, things began to briefly decline for Richard and Karen; Spectrum had disbanded that year, and the Richard Carpenter Trio's Wes Jacobs left for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Jacobs, who played both the bass and the tuba, would eventually become the Principal Tubist in 1970.[19] Richard and Karen received an offer to be on the television program, Your All American College Show in mid-1968. The television show auditioned various groups from colleges nationwide to participate in a competition. Because Jacobs had left earlier that year, Richard and Karen needed a bass player to play the Martha and the Vandellas classic "Dancing in the Street", so they then held auditions for a bass player. Finally, they chose Bill Sissyoev to play exclusively for their TV debut appearance.[3] The new, yet temporary lineup for The Richard Carpenter Trio debuted on television on June 22, 1968. That performance was Richard's and Karen's first television performance. After their television appearance, The Richard Carpenter Trio disbanded permanently, waiting to be picked up by a record label.

Richard and Karen were rejected by the music industry because they had a very soft sound during a time when rockers like Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones were in demand. However, Richard and Karen still persevered. They and their friends sent their demo tapes to various record labels until A&M Records' co-owner and trumpeter/vocalist Herb Alpert became attracted to their distinct sound. Alpert was Richard's and Karen's lucky break, and his decision would change their lives forever.

Carpenters (1969–1983)

Richard and Karen Carpenter signed to A&M Records on April 22, 1969, under the name "Carpenters". Because Karen was technically underage (she was 19 at the time), her parents had to co-sign for her.[3][20] Richard and Karen had decided to sign as "Carpenters", without the definite article. In the album notes for their 2004 release, Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition, Richard stated:

After much thought, we decided to name the act "Carpenters" (No "The"; we thought it sounded hipper without it, like Buffalo Springfield or Jefferson Airplane.)[1]

When Richard and Karen signed to A&M Records, they were given carte blanche in the recording studio.[13] Their debut album, entitled Offering and released in 1969, featured a number of songs that Richard had written or co-written during their Spectrum period.[21] However, the most significant track on the album was a ballad rendition of The Beatles hit "Ticket to Ride", which soon became a minor hit for Carpenters, peaking at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 20 of the Adult Contemporary chart.[22][23] In an effort to cash in on the success of that track, Offering was repackaged with a different cover under the name Ticket to Ride in 1970.

Despite the lukewarm chart performance of "Ticket to Ride", Richard and Karen finally achieved success with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "(They Long to Be) Close to You", which was released in 1970. It debuted at #56, the highest debut of the week ending June 20, 1970.[24] It rose to #1 on July 25, 1970, and stayed on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.[13] It is one of two RIAA Certified Gold Singles (along with "We've Only Just Begun" (originally, recorded as a bank jingle)) featured on the best-selling album Close To You, which is placed #175 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[25]

Soon after "(They Long to Be) Close to You" reached #1, Carpenters' version of "We've Only Just Begun", written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is considered by Richard Carpenter to be the group's "signature tune."[13][23] Williams and Nichols had written the song for a television commercial for Crocker National Bank earlier that year, and Richard Carpenter realized the song's potential when he heard it on television. "We've Only Just Begun" became the first hit single for Williams and Nichols.

The duo rounded out the year with the holiday release of "Merry Christmas Darling". The single scored high on the holiday charts in 1970 and made repeated appearances on the charts in subsequent years.

A string of hit singles and albums kept Carpenters on the charts through the early 1970s. Their 1971 hit "For All We Know" was originally recorded for a wedding scene in the movie "Lovers and Other Strangers" in 1970 by Larry Meredith.[26] Upon hearing it in the movie theatre, Richard realized its potential, and subsequently recorded it in the autumn of 1970. It became Carpenters' third gold single.[27]

"Rainy Days and Mondays" became Paul Williams's and Roger Nichols's second major single with Carpenters. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.[23] According to Coleman, "Rainy Days and Mondays" is arguably one of Carpenters' most popular tracks. It became Carpenters' fourth gold single, and was only kept from becoming #1 because of Carole King's "It's Too Late."[28]

"Superstar" written by Delaney Bramlett and Leon Russell became another Carpenters classic, and is acclaimed for Karen's "haunting" vocals on the song. It is usually described as being "poignant". It, too, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.[23] Their eponymous album, entitled Carpenters was released in 1971. It became one of their best-selling albums, having earned RIAA certification for platinum four times.[29] It won a Grammy Award for Carpenters, as well as three nominations.[30]

In 1972, Richard decided to reinvent the power ballad and is arguably the creator of pop ballads accompanied by electric guitar solos, although the album version of Let It Be by the Beatles is a power ballad with a distorted electric guitar solo by George Harrison recorded three years earlier. . "Goodbye to Love", written by Carpenter and Bettis on a Learjet, was Carpenters' third single that year, peaking at #7.[23] "Goodbye to Love" was inspired by an old film, "Rhythm on the River", starring Bing Crosby.[31] The movie, made in 1940, had a songwriter, played by Basil Rathbone, who was well-known for writing the most beautiful song in history: "Goodbye to Love". According to Richard, the supposed song was never heard during the film, but the title inspired him to write a song named "Goodbye to Love", so he kept it in his head until he and Bettis composed the song together.[31][13] The two found lead guitarist Tony Peluso to play the lead guitar (Peluso was called by Karen herself and asked to play for the song. Tony recalls that he thought someone was playing a joke on him at the time. He saw both Karen and Richard as idols), and A&M crew lauded Peluso for his daring solo. Peluso would be a part of Carpenters until their end in 1983. However, not all fans were pleased with an electric guitar solo on a Carpenters record. Some fans were so angry at Richard and Karen, they sent in hate mail to them for doing so.[32][13]

"Top of the World" was the group's biggest country hit. Lynn Anderson had heard the album cut version in 1972 (Anderson's cover is considered a virtual carbon-copy by Richard of the album version of the song) and decided to record her own version. Anderson released her version in early 1973, and Richard and Karen debated as to whether or not they should release their version on a single. Gil Friesen, an A&M co-worker, argued that they had released too many records from the A Song for You album already (Hurting Each Other, It's Going to Take Some Time, Goodbye to Love, and later, I Won't Last a Day Without You).[33] Regardless, they released "Top of the World" as a single in May 1973 in response to the heavy public demand. The public's response to "Top of the World" was enormous. It became Carpenters' second Billboard #1 hit,[23] and to this day, it is known by people internationally.

Their Now & Then album from 1973 was named by mother Agnes Carpenter. It contained the Sesame Street tune "Sing", and the reminiscent "Yesterday Once More". Even though internationally their biggest selling single is "Please Mr. Postman", their biggest selling single in Britain and Japan remains "Yesterday Once More".[34]

Their first compilation album was entitled The Singles: 1969-1973 and it topped the charts in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and became one of the best-selling albums of the decade, ultimately selling more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone. [29]As of today, it is certified platinum seven times.[29] According to Ray Coleman, The Singles: 1969-1973 went to number one[23] on February 9, 1974 and exited #1 sixteen weeks later, on June 1, 1974, because of Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth.[35]

The late 1970s (1975–1978)

The Carpenters did not release a new album in 1974. In Richard's words, "there was simply no time to make one. Nor was I in the mood."[36] Instead, the pair released a single, a Paul Williams/Roger Nichols composition called "I Won't Last a Day Without You". Originally recorded as an album track for their 1972 LP, A Song For You, the Carpenters finally decided to release the song two years after its original LP release.[37] In March 1974, the single version became the fifth and final selection from that album project to chart in the Top 20, reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the summer of 1974.

Also in 1974, the Carpenters achieved a massive international hit with an up-tempo remake of Hank Williams's "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", which, while not released as a single in the US, reached the top 30 in Japan and sold well in United Kingdom. In the Netherlands, it became their biggest hit of all time.[38] In late 1974, a Christmas single followed, a jazz-influenced rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".

In 1975, the Carpenters gained another hit with a remake of The Marvelettes' chart-topping Motown classic from 1961 entitled "Please Mr. Postman". Released in late 1974, the song soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1975, becoming the duo's third and final #1 pop single.[39][40] It also earned Karen and Richard their record-setting 12th million-selling Gold single in America.[40]

Richard Carpenter's and John Bettis's song "Only Yesterday" followed "Please Mr. Postman", and peaked at #4.[41][40] Carpenter and Bettis did not believe that "Only Yesterday" would become a hit single, and bet against Roger Young that it would not enter the top 5. They each lost a thousand dollars to Young.[42]

Both singles appeared on their 1975 LP Horizon, which also included covers of The Eagles' "Desperado" and Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire", which became a moderate hit for the duo that year. Horizon was certified platinum, but owing to the disc's late release (after the second single was already dropping off the charts) it was their first album to fall short of multi-platinum status.

Their subsequent album A Kind Of Hush, released on June 11, 1976, achieved gold status, but again owing to its late release, became the first Carpenters album not to become a platinum certified record since Ticket to Ride from seven years earlier. Their singles releases in 1976 were successful, but at this time, contemporary hit radio was moving forward with changing musical styles, which ultimately made the careers of most "soft" groups like the Carpenters suffer. The duo's biggest pop single that year was a cover of Herman's Hermits' "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)", which peaked at #12. "I Need to Be in Love" (allegedly Karen's favorite song by Carpenters) charted at only #25 on Billboard's Hot 100 and followed "There's a Kind of Hush" to the top spot and became the duo's 14th #1 Adult Contemporary hit, which was far and away more than any other act in the history of the chart.

Although not fairly credited for it, the Carpenters were among the first American recording acts to produce music videos to promote their records. In early 1975, they filmed an amusing performance of "Please Mr. Postman" at Disneyland as well as "Only Yesterday" at the Huntington Gardens, in which Karen looked fit and trim. There was a noticeable difference in her appearance for the video of "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" a year later.

The disco craze was in full swing by 1977, and adult-appeal "easy listening" artists like the Carpenters, John Denver, Helen Reddy, James Taylor, and Olivia Newton-John were getting somewhat less airplay. Their experimental album, Passage, released in 1977, marked an attempt to broaden their appeal by venturing into other musical genres. It was and undoubtedly partially inspired by the science fiction craze of the late 1970s, spawned by films like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, both of which were from 1977. The album featured an unlikely mix of Latin American rock ("B'wana She No Home"), calypso ("Man Smart, Woman Smarter"), and pop ("I Just Fall in Love Again", "Two Sides"), and included the hits, "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" and "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft". The most notable tracks included cover versions of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" (from the rock opera Evita) and Klaatu's "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft", both complete with choral and orchestral accompaniment. Although the single release of "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" became a major hit in the United Kingdom, it peaked only at number 32 on the U.S. pop charts, and for the first time a Carpenters album failed to cross the gold threshold of 500,000 copies sold in the United States.[43]

Richard has said that he felt another track from Passage, "I Just Fall in Love Again", could have become a success had A&M decided to release it as a single. The song did become a double #1 AC and Country hit in 1979 for Anne Murray, proving Richard's feelings about the song's appeal. The Carpenters' music videos of "All You Get from Love is a Love Song" and "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" for the Passage album can be seen on the DVD Gold: Greatest Hits.

Despite their somewhat disappointing performance on the domestic charts, the Carpenters continued to enjoy popularity. In early 1978, they scored a surprise Top 10 country hit with the up-tempo, fiddle-sweetened "Sweet, Sweet Smile", written by future country and pop star Juice Newton (on the Billboard pop chart it came up just short of the Top 40, but hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Country charts). A second compilation, "The Singles: 1974-1978", was released in the UK. Meanwhile, in the United States, their first holiday album, Christmas Portrait, proved to be an exception to their faltering career at home and became a seasonal favorite, returning Karen and Richard to platinum status.

Eroding popularity (1979–1983)

Richard sought treatment for his addiction to quaaludes at a Topeka, Kansas facility for six weeks starting in January 1979. He then decided to take the rest of the year off for relaxation and rehabilitation. Karen, on the other hand, not wanting to take a break from singing or seek help for her anorexia, decided to pursue a solo album project with renowned producer Phil Ramone in New York. The choice of more adult-oriented and disco/dance-tempo material represented an effort to retool her image. The resulting product met a tepid response from Richard and A&M executives in early 1980, and Karen eventually wavered in her dedication to the project. Unfortunately, the debt for its production (more than half a million dollars) was charged against Carpenters' royalties after the decision was made not to release it.

Angry, but for the most part unfettered by the decision, Karen decided to launch a new LP with her brother, who had now recovered from his addiction. The solo LP, Karen Carpenter, remained unreleased until October 1996, although Karen's fans got a taste of the album in 1989 when four of its tracks, "Lovelines", "If We Try", "Remember When Lovin' Took All Night" and "If I Had You", turned up, albeit remixed, on their second posthumous album Lovelines. "If I Had You" was released as a single and reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The Carpenters produced a final television special in 1980 called Music, Music, Music!, with guest stars Ella Fitzgerald and John Davidson. This event was filmed the same year Karen married Tom Burris and she had temporarily returned to a healthier weight. However, ABC was not at all happy with their special, as it was just music from start to finish. ABC felt it was too much like a PBS program.[13]

On June 16, 1981 the Carpenters released their next LP as a duo, Made in America. The album was a sales failure, selling only around 200,000 copies, before Karen's death in early 1983. However, it did spawn a final top 20 pop single, the romantic "Touch Me When We're Dancing", which reached #16 on the Hot 100. It also became their fifteenth number one Adult Contemporary hit.

Personal troubles dimmed the prospects of this modest return to the charts. After a whirlwind romance, Karen married real estate developer Thomas James Burris in a lavish wedding held in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel on August 31, 1980. A new song performed by Karen at the ceremony, "Because We Are In Love", surfaced in 1981 on Made in America[44] (as well as the B-side of "Touch Me When We're Dancing"). Karen's physical appearance had changed drastically since her wedding a year earlier. The music videos produced to promote the Made In America album were ample evidence that Karen was now seriously ill. The marriage turned out to be a disaster, and the couple separated at the end of 1981. In 1982, Karen sought therapy with noted psychotherapist Steven Levenkron in New York City for her disorder and returned to California in November that year, determined to revive her professional career and finalize her divorce. Karen, who had a normal thyroid, was found to be taking ten times the normal daily dose of thyroid medication in order to speed up her metabolism. This, combined with large amounts of laxatives (between 90 to 100 a day), weakened her heart.

Karen's sudden death

Karen Carpenter gained a total of 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) over a two-month stay in a New York hospital, but the sudden weight gain further strained her heart, which was already damaged by years of dieting and abuse. On the morning of Friday, February 4, 1983, at the age of 32, Karen suffered cardiac arrest at her parents' home in Downey and was taken to Downey Community Hospital,[45] where she was pronounced dead twenty minutes later. Karen had been planning to sign her divorce papers on the day she died.

The autopsy stated that Karen's death was due to emetine cardiotoxicity due to, or as a result of, anorexia nervosa. Under the anatomical summary, the first item was heart failure, with anorexia as second. The third finding was cachexia, which is extremely low weight and weakness and general body decline associated with chronic disease. Emetine cardiotoxicity implies that Karen abused Syrup of Ipecac, or Ipecacuana Wine, a then easily-obtained medicine that is intended to induce vomiting for people who have accidentally ingested a poison. However, there is no definite evidence that Karen did abuse ipecac.[46]

Her funeral service took place on Tuesday, February 8, 1983, at the Downey United Methodist Church. Karen Carpenter lay in an open white casket, dressed in pink, as a thousand mourners paid their last respects, among them her friends Dorothy Hamill, Olivia Newton-John, Petula Clark, Cristina Ferrare and Dionne Warwick. Karen's estranged husband appeared at her funeral, and took off his wedding band and threw it in the casket (according to the Ray Coleman Book The Carpenters: the Untold Story).{citation}

On October 12, 1983, the Carpenters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a few yards from the Kodak Theater. Richard, Harold, and Agnes Carpenter attended the inauguration, as did many fans.[47]

Karen's death brought lasting media attention to anorexia nervosa and also to bulimia. Karen's death encouraged celebrities to go public about their eating disorders, among them Tracey Gold and, later, Diana, Princess of Wales. Medical centers and hospitals began receiving increased contacts from people with these disorders. The general public had little knowledge of anorexia and bulimia prior to her death, making the conditions difficult to identify and treat.

In December 2003, the remains of Karen and her parents were exhumed from Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Cypress, California and reinterred in Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.

Post-Carpenters (1983–present)

The Carpenters' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Following Karen's death, Richard Carpenter has continued to produce recordings of the duo's music, including several albums of previously unreleased material and numerous compilation albums. Voice of the Heart, an album that included some finished tracks left out of Made In America and earlier LPs, was released in late 1983.[48] It peaked at #46 and was certified Gold. Two singles were released. "Make Believe It's Your First Time", a second version of a song Karen had recorded for her solo album (and a song which had been a minor hit in 1979 for Bobby Vinton), reached #7 Adult Contemporary but only got to #101 on the pop side. "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" got to #12 AC, but failed to even "Bubble Under". Richard Carpenter married his adopted first cousin, Mary Rudolph, on May 19, 1984. Kristi was born on August 17, 1987, Traci on July 25, 1989, Mindi Karen (named after her late aunt) on July 7, 1992, followed by Colin and Taylor.

In 1984, using outtake material from the duo's first Christmas album (A Christmas Portrait) and recording new material around it, Richard constructed a "new" Carpenters Christmas album, An Old-Fashioned Christmas. In 1987, Richard released his first solo album, Time, which generated one hit single, "Something in Your Eyes", sung by Dusty Springfield.

His dedication to protecting the Carpenters's image and recording legacy has sparked criticism, as Richard has insisted on substantial project oversight in any documentary or drama about them. In 1987, he intervened to limit the distribution of the Todd Haynes short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (which used Barbie dolls to relate a perspective on Karen's untimely death). Although critics found Karen's portrayal sympathetic, the film depicted the Carpenter family in an unflattering light, and Richard prevailed in pulling the film from distribution on the basis that Carpenters's tracks were used without permission. A 1989 TV movie, The Karen Carpenter Story, (with Cynthia Gibb), produced with Richard's cooperation, gained favorable notices and reached a wide audience. In the first few weeks after the movie's airdate, many record stores sold out of their Carpenters stock.

Karen Carpenter, Karen's solo album, was released in October 1996, with an explanation in the CD's liner notes from Richard addressing the decision by A&M records to shelve the album in 1980. The collection of songs on the CD covers a wide range of musical styles, from rock ("Making Love in the Afternoon" with guest vocalist Peter Cetera) to blues ("Last One Singing the Blues"). Coincidentally, the album's producer, Phil Ramone, produced many of the tracks for Cetera's former band, Chicago.

'Bootleg' copies of nine additional solo songs Karen Carpenter recorded between 1979 and 1980 are in the possession of many Carpenters fans, since there is no possibility of the recordings getting an official release. In 1997, Richard recorded and released an album that displayed his talents as a pianist, arranger, and composer, aptly titled Pianist Arranger Composer Conductor.

In Japan, the Carpenters's popularity reached large proportions and continued after Karen's death. Singles by non-Japanese artists typically do not sell well in Japan (although albums often do), but the Carpenters were an exception. Three of the Carpenters's singles ("Superstar", "Yesterday Once More", and the double-sided "I Need to Be in Love"/"Top of the World") made the top 10 on Japan's Oricon chart, and seven others reached the top 40. In 1995, a compilation assembled by Richard for the Japanese market, 22 Hits of the Carpenters, topped the charts and sold over two million copies, and received a tenth-anniversary re-release in 2005.

Richard Carpenter lives with his wife, Mary Rudolf-Carpenter, and their four daughters and one son in Thousand Oaks, California, where the couple are supporters of the arts. In 2004, Carpenter and his wife pledged a $3 million gift to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation in memory of Karen Carpenter. The first annual "Richard Carpenter Scholarship Competition Award Show" was held at the Civic Arts Plaza on September 20, 2006. Richard and daughters Traci and Mindi performed after the show. Richard and his wife won the Philanthropists of the Year Award of Ventura County in 2007.[3]

More recently, Richard is affiliated with the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center located at California State University, Long Beach. He continues to make concert appearances, including fund raising efforts for the Carpenter Center. In 2001, he was a guest on the "Petula Clark: A Sign of the Times" concert in Norfolk, Virginia and portions were recorded for CD and DVD release and for a PBS special. In 2002, he introduced Clark at the Carpenter Center and appeared on her Ultimate Collection CD.

In 2007, Chinese radio show China Drive invited listeners to name the first English song they ever heard. Well over fifty percent of listeners responded by naming "Yesterday Once More".[49] The Carpenters were one of the first Western musicians sanctioned in China. [50]

During February 2008, fans created an awareness campaign for the impending demolition of the Carpenter family home on Newville Avenue in Downey, California, which was made famous on the album cover of the 1973 release, Now & Then.[51]

Musical and lyrical style

One of the elements that made the music of the Carpenters distinctive was Karen's use of her low register. Though present in jazz and country music, there were few alto singers in popular music at the time. However, Karen did have a wide vocal range that spanned about three octaves.[52] Richard's voice was said to be very complementary to that of Karen's. Although Karen had an upper range to her voice, it didn't have the same quality as her lower range (or her "basement", as Karen called it).[52] "Both Karen and I felt the magic was in her 'chest voice' (a.k.a. 'basement'). There is no comparison in terms of richness in sound, so I wasn't about to highlight the upper voice", states Richard in the "Fans Ask" section of the Carpenters' official website.[52]

Because Karen's magic was in the "basement", Richard always rearranged cover songs and his own songs in a key that would suit her. Many of the Carpenters' songs are located in the keys of D ("You", "There's a Kind of Hush"), E ("Yesterday Once More"), E flat ("Only Yesterday"), F ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again", "Top of the World"), and G ("And When He Smiles", "Reason to Believe", "For All We Know", "You'll Love Me").

Although he played many keyboard instruments during the band's existence, including grand piano, harpsichord, Hammond organ and synthesizer, Richard is best known as an endorsee of Wurlitzer's electric pianos, whose sound he described as "warm" and "beautiful". He would often double his acoustic piano parts with a Wurlitzer in the studio to thicken the sound, creating one of the 1970s' most distinctive keyboard sounds. From the mid-1970s Richard also used Fender Rhodes pianos, often having an acoustic grand as well as both Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos on stage for different songs.

Apart from being a singer, Karen was also an accomplished drummer, and often played the drums on their pre-1974 songs. According to Richard, she considered herself a "drummer who sang".[13] Given her petite stature at 5'4", Karen was barely visible behind the drums during live performances. Although unwilling, she and Richard eventually reached a performance compromise: during the ballads she would sing standing and through the lesser known songs she would sit. As the years progressed, demand for Karen's vocals began to overshadow her drumming time, and gradually she played the drums less. By the A Kind of Hush album in 1976, Karen did not play the drums at all.[53]

Their music is often praised for being well-arranged. Richard often arranged the Carpenters' music, and many praise his arranging skills. Most of the arrangements are classical in style, with many strings, and sometimes brass and woodwinds ("Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" used over 160 singers and musicians[3]). Acclaimed music critic Daniel Levitin described in Electronic Musician that "one of the most gifted arrangers to emerge in popular music is Richard Carpenter."[54]

In 1971, the A&M graphics department hired Craig Braun and Associates to design their third album cover for their newest album, entitled Carpenters.[55] "I recognized it to be a great logo as soon as I saw it", says Richard.[55] A fan asked Carpenter on his "Fans Ask" section why there was no logo on Passage, and he replied: "To keep things consistent, ... every Carpenters album from the logo's inception shows the logo; it's on the back of the Passage album, bottom center."[55]

Promotion and touring

Even though the Carpenters had a rough start in 1969 with the lukewarm reviews of their first album, Offering, they tried to promote themselves by being Burt Bacharach's opening performance.[56] In a live concert in 1974 at The Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Karen Carpenter explained:

One night, we were doing a benefit dinner after the premiere of "Hello, Dolly!", and Burt Bacharach walked up to us, and he asked us if we would like to open the show for him at another dinner that he was going to be doing later on in the year. And he asked us to do something that turned out to be very, very special for us.[57]

Then, Richard took over, and said:

He wanted us to put together a medley of his songs; any tunes of his that we wanted to do, and it took a couple of months. We arrived at 8 tunes.[57]

The medley eventually was abridged and released on their eponymous album, Carpenters in 1971. The song was shortened from almost 13 minutes to only 5 minutes.[57]

The band maintained a demanding schedule of concert tours and television appearances. Among their numerous television credits were appearances on such popular series as The Ed Sullivan Show,[58] The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,[59], The Carol Burnett Show in 1971 and 1972, The Mike Douglas Show in 1971,[60] and The Johnny Cash Show, also in 1971, where they played their hits "For All We Know" and "Rainy Days and Mondays".[61] The duo appeared in a television special on the BBC where they performed songs "live." They were also the featured performers in a summer replacement series, Make Your Own Kind of Music, which aired on NBC every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. in the United States. Both Karen and Richard would later state in a 1980 radio interview that they were often taken advantage of in their dealings with television during the early Seventies and wanted more control in the production of future projects.[62]

In May 1973, the Carpenters accepted an invitation to perform at the White House for President Richard Nixon and visiting West German chancellor Willy Brandt.[13]

The Carpenters played numerous concerts from 1971–1975. They are taken straight from Richard's archived itineraries.[63]

Year Number of concerts Number of TV appearances
1971 145 concerts[36] 10 TV appearances (as well as "Make Your Own Kind of Music")
1972 174 concerts[36] 6 TV appearances
1973 174 concerts[36] 3 TV appearances
1974 203 concerts[36] Not applicable
1975 118 concerts + 46 postponed shows[36] Not applicable

By the mid-1970s, extensive touring and lengthy recording sessions had begun to take their toll on the duo and contributed to their professional and personal difficulties during the latter half of the decade. Karen dieted obsessively and developed the disorder anorexia nervosa, which first manifested itself in 1975 when she collapsed during a show in Las Vegas. Exhausted, Karen was forced to cancel concert tours in the Philippines, UK and Japan. Richard has said that he regrets the six and seven day work schedules of that period, adding that had he known then what he knows now he wouldn't have agreed to it. Karen looked noticeably thin - although not sickly - in the music video produced for the "Only Yesterday" single. Richard developed an addiction to quaaludes, which began to affect his performance in the late 1970s and led to the end of the duo's live concert appearances in 1978.

The "Pepsodent image"

The Carpenters' popularity often confounded critics. With their output focused on ballads and mid-tempo pop, the duo's music was often dismissed by critics as being bland and saccharine. The recording industry, however, bestowed awards on the duo, who won three Grammy Awards during their career (Best New Artist, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus, for "(They Long to Be) Close to You" in 1970;[64] and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for the LP Carpenters in 1971.[30] In 1973, the Carpenters were voted Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group at the first annual American Music Awards.[65]

Richard would often state in interviews, that many critics usually judged them to "drink milk, eat apple pie and take showers."

I don't even like milk. Not that we're totally opposite from that, we're not. But there is an in-between - I don't drink ... a lot. I do have wine with dinner. I voted to make marijuana legal....[66]

In Coleman's "The Carpenters: The Untold Story", Richard stressed repeatedly how much he disliked the A&M Executives for making their image "squeaky-clean", and the critics for critiquing them for their image rather than their music.[67]

I got upset when this whole "squeaky clean" thing was tagged on to us. I never thought about standing for anything! They (the critics) took Close to You and said: "Aha, you see that number one? THAT's for the people who believe in apple pie! THAT's for people who believe in the American flag! THAT's for the average middle-American person and his station wagon! The Carpenters stand for that, and I'm taking them to my bosom!" And boom, we got tagged with that label.[67]

Television specials

Their television specials also garnered solid ratings and kept them in the public eye during the late 1970s. They had a total of five television specials, all of which aired from 1976 to 1980. The Carpenters' Very First Television Special, which aired on December 8, 1976, was a hit, and went to #6 on the Nielsen's.[13] Their TV specials usually contained "schticks", which Richard highly disliked. However, Karen seemed to enjoy it, and her personality shone on camera. Their next one was Carpenters at Christmas which aired on December 9, 1977. The following TV special was Carpenters Space Encounters which aired May 17, 1978. Their third Special was The Carpenters: A Christmas Potrait which aired December 19, 1978.

The Carpenters's final television special Music, Music, Music!, was aired in May 1980. It contained no "schticks" and only included music "from start to finish".[13] Television host John Davidson and renowned standard singer Ella Fitzgerald guest starred, and performed various songs. Many of the songs performed on this television special were released on CD in 2004 on their album As Time Goes By. As evidenced on the Carpenters' official website, five of the fifteen songs on As Time Goes By were from Music, Music, Music!. However, ABC wasn't satisfied with the Carpenters' decision to go purely musical. On their documentary, Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters, Richard quotes them, saying: "What the hell do they think this is? A PBS special?" Ironically, the documentary originally was aired on PBS until MPI Home Video released it on DVD a year later, in 1998.

Legacy

A critical re-evaluation of the Carpenters occurred during the 1990s and 2000s with the making of several documentaries produced in the United States, Japan, and Great Britain, like "Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters" (United States), "The Sayonara" (Japan), and "Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story" (Great Britain). The superior technical quality of the recordings, the sorrowful undercurrents in many of their songs and the pain in Karen's voice as well as her life have attracted many fans. It's been said that her signature vocals helped spur more alto singers into pop music such as Anne Murray, Rita Coolidge, and Melissa Manchester. Even '90s R&B group Boyz II Men list the Carpenters among their influences. In 1990, the alternative rock band Sonic Youth recorded "Tunic (Song for Karen)", which depicted Karen saying goodbye to relatives as she got to play the drums again and meet her new "friends", Dennis Wilson, Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin.[68] Despite some criticism that their sound was "too soft", major campaigns and petitions exist toward inducting the Carpenters in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[69]

A tribute album, If I Were a Carpenter, by contemporary artists such as Sonic Youth, Bettie Serveert, Shonen Knife, Grant Lee Buffalo, Matthew Sweet, and The Cranberries, also appeared that year and provided an alternative rock interpretation of Carpenters hits.[70]

Several of their songs have achieved the status of popular standards. In particular, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" is frequently sung in karaoke bars. This song is heard in the film Parenthood,[71] and is used in two episodes of The Simpsons as well as The Simpsons Movie.[72] The duo's "signature tune", "We've Only Just Begun", is popular at weddings and receptions, and was memorably featured in the film version of Starsky & Hutch[73] and 1408.[74] "Superstar" has been covered by numerous artists, with popular recordings from Luther Vandross and Ruben Studdard to Bette Midler and Sonic Youth. Clay Aiken performed "Solitaire" on American Idol and introduced the song to a new generation.[75]

Nicolas Cage is an enthusiast for Carpenters music. He received permission to use some of their music in the Ghost Rider (film).

Both "We've Only Just Begun" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You" have been honored with Grammy Hall of Fame awards for recordings of lasting quality or historical significance.[76]

Modern contemporaries like Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Anastacia, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Leann Rimes, Kelly Jones of Stereophonics, Johnny Borrell of Razorlight, Jo O'Meara from S Club and Madonna have stated Karen Carpenter as a huge influence on their careers.[77][78]

Albums and singles

The Carpenters released 30 singles during their career. Of the thirty, thirteen were RIAA certified Gold, and twenty-two peaked in the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Charts. In addition, the Carpenters also had ten albums from 1969-1983. Six of the albums contained two or more top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You, Now & Then, and Horizon).

Grammy Awards and nominations

Throughout the 1970s, Richard and Karen were nominated numerous times for Grammy Awards. Richard Carpenter was also nominated for a Grammy Award for their instrumental song, "Flat Baroque".[79] They won three Grammy Awards, and had two songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[76]

Year Type of Award Won/Nominated Title
1970 Best New Artist
Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus
Record of the Year
Album of the Year
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals
Song of the Year
Best Contemporary Song
Best Engineered Recording		 Won
Won
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated

Carpenters
"(They Long to Be) Close to You"
Close to You
Close to You
"(They Long to Be) Close to You"
"We've Only Just Begun"
"We've Only Just Begun"
Close to You
1971 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group
Album of the Year
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals
Best Album of Original Score, Written for a Motion Picture
Best Engineered Recording		 Won
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated
Nominated

Carpenters
Carpenters
"Superstar""Bless the Beasts and Children"
Carpenters
1972 Best Instrumental Arrangement Nominated

"Flat Baroque"[79]
1973 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Vocal
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals		 Nominated
Nominated

"Sing"
"Sing"
1974 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals Nominated

"We've Only Just Begun"
1977 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals Nominated

"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Carpenter, Richard (2004). Album notes for The Carpenters Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition by The Carpenters. A&M Records. The Carpenters Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition at MusicBrainz.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Billboard - The Carpenters Biography". Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Carpenter, Richard (2005). "Carpenters Biography 2005". The Carpenters official website 1-10. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
  4. ↑ Costin, Carolyn (1999), The Eating Disorder Sourcebook, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, ISBN 1565658531 
  5. ↑ Zerbe, Kathryn J. (1995), The Body Betrayed: A Deeper Understanding of Women, Eating Disorders, and Treatment, Carlsbad, California: Gürze Books, LLC., ISBN 0936077239 
  6. ↑ Carpenter, Richard. Carpenters Biography. 2005. The Carpenters Official Website. September 8, 2008. http://richardandkarencarpenter.com/biography-1.htm
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Edwards, Ralph (Executive Producer). (1971-02-14). This Is Your Life [Television production, DVD]. Los Angeles, California: Ralph Edwards Productions.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Coleman (1994) 47
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Coleman (1994) 53
  10. ↑ Coleman (1994) 51
  11. ↑ "Downey, California". LeadSister. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  12. ↑ Coleman (1994) 52
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 Surratt, Paul and JoAnn Young (Executive Producers). (1998-03-31). Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters [Videotape, DVD]. MPI Home Video. ISBN 3030672782.
  14. ↑ Coleman (1994) 59
  15. ↑ Coleman (1994) 58
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Richard Carpenter, Karen Carpenter. (1997-04-13). E! True Hollywood Story [Television broadcast]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  17. ↑ Coleman (1994) 63
  18. ↑ Coleman (1994) 54
  19. ↑ Detroit Symphony
  20. ↑ Coleman (1994) 76
  21. ↑ Carpenter, Richard (1969). Album notes for Ticket to Ride by The Carpenters. A&M Records. Ticket to Ride at MusicBrainz.
  22. ↑ Coleman (1994) 81
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 Allmusic
  24. ↑ Coleman (1994) 85
  25. ↑ Rolling Stone Magazine: 500 Greatest Albums
  26. ↑ Cy Howard (Director), David Susskind (Producer). (1970-08-12). Lovers and Other Strangers [DVD]. Buena Vista Pictures. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  27. ↑ Coleman (1994) 100
  28. ↑ Coleman (1994) 104
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 "RIAA Official Home Page". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Coleman (1994) 108
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Coleman (1994) 124
  32. ↑ Coleman (1994) 127
  33. ↑ Coleman (1994) 132
  34. ↑ Coleman (1994) 135
  35. ↑ Coleman (1994) 165
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 36.5 Coleman (1994) 137
  37. ↑ Carpenters •• I Won't Last A Day Without You
  38. ↑ Carpenters •• Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
  39. ↑ Hot 100 number-one hits of 1975 (USA)
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 The Carpenters discography
  41. ↑ Carpenters •• Only Yesterday
  42. ↑ Coleman
  43. ↑ Coleman (1994) 231
  44. ↑ Coleman (1994) 343
  45. ↑ DRMCI.org
  46. ↑ Coleman (1994) 21-24
  47. ↑ Coleman (1994) 323
  48. ↑ Voice of the Heart review
  49. ↑ Talk China
  50. ↑ 1998 'Newsweek' magazine "The Rebirth of Shanghai" article
  51. ↑ Los Angeles Times, February 16, 2008.. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-carpenters16feb16,0,4160096,full.story
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 Carpenter, Richard (2005). "Carpenters Fans Ask". The Carpenters official website. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  53. ↑ Carpenter, Richard (1976). Album notes for A Kind of Hush by The Carpenters. A&M Records. A Kind of Hush at MusicBrainz.
  54. ↑ Levitin, Daniel (May 1995). "Arranging Master Class: Richard Carpenter". Electronic Musician. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Carpenter, Richard. "Fans Ask Archive". Richard and Karen Carpenter's official website. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  56. ↑ onamarecords.com
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 Richard Carpenter, Karen Carpenter. (1997). Burt Bacharach Medley (Live Version) [CD Box Set]. Reader's Digest. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. Event occurs at 0:00-14:39.
  58. ↑ Ed Sullivan, The Carpenters. (1970-10-18). Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics: Chart Toppers, Volume 2 [DVD]. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  59. ↑ "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  60. ↑ YouTube - The Carpenters and WRC bumper 1971
  61. ↑ YouTube - The Carpenters On The Johnny Cash Show
  62. ↑ thecarpenters.tv
  63. ↑ Coleman (1994)
  64. ↑ Coleman (1994) 95
  65. ↑ "American Music Awards of 1974". Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  66. ↑ Superstars of the 70's. London, England: Octopus Books Limited. 1976. ISBN 0706404475. 
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Coleman (1994) 109
  68. ↑ sonicyouth.com
  69. ↑ gocarpenters.com
  70. ↑ music-city.org
  71. ↑ "Parenthood (1989)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  72. ↑ Brooks, James L.; Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Scully, Mike; Silverman, David; Castellaneta, Dan; Smith, Yeardley. (2007). Audio commentary for The Simpsons Movie [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  73. ↑ "Starsky & Hutch (2004)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  74. ↑ "1408 (2007)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  75. ↑ realitytvworld.com
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 grammy.com
  77. ↑ VH1's Greatest Women of Rock and Roll
  78. ↑ Shania Twain Interview
  79. ↑ 79.0 79.1 Wallace, Evelyn (1973). The Carpenters' Official Fan Club Newsletters, Issue #26. June, 1973.

Bibliography

External links