Post by Rick Henry on Nov 25, 2004 13:15:45 GMT -5
Here's a good article I found written on the Carpenters. I found it on a television website.
The Carpenters
In 1965 Richard and Karen Carpenter formed an instrumental trio with one of Richard's friends, Wes Jacobs, who played the bass. The trio won first prize in 1966 in the Hollywood Bowl Battle Of The Bands. Unfortunately, Wes Jacobs left the trio to join an orchestra.
Karen (born on Mar 2, 1950), the younger sister of Richard, who later together with her brother formed the famous vocal and instrumental duo. She was a drummer, a associate producer and the lead singer of the group.
"Karen was just as talented as her brother Richard, however, her interest for music was dormant until she was introduced into her school band by her brother that she "fell in love" with the drums. Karen was playing so well that she still considered herself primarily a drummer who sang, but Richard sensed there was a lot more potential in her vocals."
Richard (born on Oct 15, 1946), is a talented pianist, arranger, composer, singer, and producer. He arranged, played piano, and sang backup vocals along with his sister Karen, who drummed and sang lead vocals.
"Richard began studying classical piano at the age of nine and continued while attending Yale. The Carpenter family moved to Downey, CA, in 1963, and Richard continued his studies at the University of Southern California and California State College at Long Beach."
The Wonder Years ....
Richard Carpenter learned to play piano at age 11 while growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, while his younger sister Karen took up the drums. By the time he was 17, Richard was performing with an instrumental trio in various clubs. After the Carpenter family moved to California, Karen was signed to a recording contract with a small local label, Magic Lamp, in 1965. She recorded the single "I'll Be Yours" for the label, with her brother on piano, Wes Jacobs on bass and tuba, and Joe Osborn as session bassist. After this record and a subsequent single went nowhere, the Carpenters formed a jazz instrumental group with Jacobs called the Richard Carpenter Trio. The group's talent earned them a victory in a "Battle of the Bands" competition at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966, with first prize a recording contract with RCA Records. However, the two RCA albums they cut never made it to record stores; at the time, the group's sound was considered "too soft."
Jacobs left the group to study music after the connection with RCA was severed, and the Carpenters formed a new band called Spectrum with four students from California State University. Featuring John Bettis on bass and Danny Woodhams as guitarist, the group was short-lived and broke up after a few gigs at Disneyland and Los Angeles clubs such as the Troubadour and the Whisky A-Go-Go. At this point the Carpenters began focusing on vocal harmonies and over dubbing effects, and Richard continued developing what would become his formidable skills as an arranger.
So Karen and Richard formed a new group in 1967 which consisted of 4 additional members, who were all university friends. They called themselves Spectrum. However, Spectrum met little success and were soon dissolved. Still fighting to be discovered, Karen and Richard now formed a duo - The CARPENTERS. Karen was at this time considering singing to be as important as her drums and Richard was therefore making a new sound for them, a soft, upbeat harmony with multi-track recording, the special choir in the back only consisting of Karen and Richard. The new sound was created in the garage of their musician friend Joe Osborn. At last came the break The Carpenters had been waiting for. It was the end of frustrating years trying to be discovered and a new beginning of wonderful music. The break came when Herb Alpert, the leader and trumpet player of the Tijuana Brass and the co-founder of A&M Records, heard the Carpenters and their new sound.
Alpert was so overwhelmed with Richard's arrangement and Karen's unique and clear voice that they were signed to A&M Records on April 22, 1969. Their musical career had finally begun. They had their first gold record in 1970 with "Close to you" which climbed to number one on all national charts.
This was just the beginning of a string of 10 gold records and many hit songs, here among "We've only just begun", "Rainy days and Mondays", "Goodbye to love" and "Top of the world".
The cynics said that they were unfashionable, "squeaky-clean" and "Mom's apple pie". However, this judgment was a mistake by the cynics, as The Carpenters were not meant to be judged alongside hard rock 'n' roll. Some cynics also said that their music sounded simple and not complex. The best music always does.
The Carpenters made 12 albums and won several awards, both in the US as well as abroad. Sadly the Carpenters' career was to have a tragic ending on February 4, 1983, when Karen was found unconscious by her mother in her parents' home in Downey. That morning Karen died of heart failure caused by the long battle with the disease Anorexia Nervosa. Karen Anne Carpenter is greatly missed, but fortunately we are still able to hear The Carpenters' timeless music and the voice of her heart."
"A unique sound is not easy to make with all the wonderful music and artists in the world. However, The Carpenters made just that, a unique and beautiful sound. The famous sister, brother duo consisted of Richard and Karen born in New Haven, Connecticut.
Richard, who had always been very interested in music, listening to his father's records, started playing piano at the age of twelve.
As a teenager Karen was very interested in sports, especially baseball and her musical interest didn't appear until she was in high school, where she developed an interest in the drums.
Showcasing Karen's pleasing contralto in both a solo setting and combined with Richard's baritone, they recorded a series of demo tapes in bassist Osborn's garage and began hawking them to record companies. One of the tapes made its way to Herb Albert, the trumpet player and founder of A&M Records. Albert signed the Carpenters to a contract, and by 1969 the group had recorded Offering, their debut album. A cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" on the album reached Number 54 on the U.S. charts.
Recorded by Dionne Warwick some seven years earlier, "(They Long to Be) Close to You," by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was transformed in the studio by the Carpenters in 1970. The duo's version became one of pop music's seminal demonstrations of boy/girl harmony and the "easy listening" sound. It featured an understated piano arrangement by Richard, as well as first-rate production by Jack Daugherty. Listener approval for "Close to You" was overwhelming, and the song soared to Number One. It was soon followed by the hit "We've Only Just Begun," which, according to the Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "highlighted Karen's crystal-clear diction, overladen with intricate harmonies and a faultless production." Thus began the Carpenters' incredible hit parade, which landed 20 of their songs in the Top 40 during the next 11 years.
From 1970 to 1972 alone, the Carpenters generated six Top Five hits- -"Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "For All We Know," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," and "Hurting Each Other." Along with Richard's arranging and musical direction, much of this success was due to the high quality of material the Carpenters were getting from songwriters such as Bacharach, Paul Williams, and Roger Nichols. They also employed the services of top sidemen like virtuoso guitarist Tony Peluso. Richard also wrote some hits for the group in partnership with former Spectrum bassist Bettis. As a result of this output, the group's compilation album, The Singles 1969-73, became one of the best-selling albums of all time and was on the LP charts for an amazing 115 weeks.
One success after another kept the Carpenters working relentlessly in the early 1970s, both in the studio and on the concert circuit. Their fame also won them their own brief television series, Make Your Own Kind of Music, in 1971. The show featured trumpet player Al Hirt and Mark Lindsay, former lead singer with Paul Revere and the Raiders. The Carpenters were also asked to perform at the White House in 1974 during a state dinner. While Richard continued to play the piano on their recordings, Karen's drum work became restricted to their stage act.
Inevitably, the performance grind began to take its toll: in 1975 a major tour of Europe was canceled as Karen was reported to be suffering from nervous and physical exhaustion. Reports of her weight having dropped to 90 pounds raised suspicions about crash diets; it was later revealed that she was afflicted with anorexia nervosa. In 1993 Richard Carpenter told Entertainment Weekly, "I still have no idea why this disorder struck Karen."
continued in the next post...
The Carpenters
In 1965 Richard and Karen Carpenter formed an instrumental trio with one of Richard's friends, Wes Jacobs, who played the bass. The trio won first prize in 1966 in the Hollywood Bowl Battle Of The Bands. Unfortunately, Wes Jacobs left the trio to join an orchestra.
Karen (born on Mar 2, 1950), the younger sister of Richard, who later together with her brother formed the famous vocal and instrumental duo. She was a drummer, a associate producer and the lead singer of the group.
"Karen was just as talented as her brother Richard, however, her interest for music was dormant until she was introduced into her school band by her brother that she "fell in love" with the drums. Karen was playing so well that she still considered herself primarily a drummer who sang, but Richard sensed there was a lot more potential in her vocals."
Richard (born on Oct 15, 1946), is a talented pianist, arranger, composer, singer, and producer. He arranged, played piano, and sang backup vocals along with his sister Karen, who drummed and sang lead vocals.
"Richard began studying classical piano at the age of nine and continued while attending Yale. The Carpenter family moved to Downey, CA, in 1963, and Richard continued his studies at the University of Southern California and California State College at Long Beach."
The Wonder Years ....
Richard Carpenter learned to play piano at age 11 while growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, while his younger sister Karen took up the drums. By the time he was 17, Richard was performing with an instrumental trio in various clubs. After the Carpenter family moved to California, Karen was signed to a recording contract with a small local label, Magic Lamp, in 1965. She recorded the single "I'll Be Yours" for the label, with her brother on piano, Wes Jacobs on bass and tuba, and Joe Osborn as session bassist. After this record and a subsequent single went nowhere, the Carpenters formed a jazz instrumental group with Jacobs called the Richard Carpenter Trio. The group's talent earned them a victory in a "Battle of the Bands" competition at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966, with first prize a recording contract with RCA Records. However, the two RCA albums they cut never made it to record stores; at the time, the group's sound was considered "too soft."
Jacobs left the group to study music after the connection with RCA was severed, and the Carpenters formed a new band called Spectrum with four students from California State University. Featuring John Bettis on bass and Danny Woodhams as guitarist, the group was short-lived and broke up after a few gigs at Disneyland and Los Angeles clubs such as the Troubadour and the Whisky A-Go-Go. At this point the Carpenters began focusing on vocal harmonies and over dubbing effects, and Richard continued developing what would become his formidable skills as an arranger.
So Karen and Richard formed a new group in 1967 which consisted of 4 additional members, who were all university friends. They called themselves Spectrum. However, Spectrum met little success and were soon dissolved. Still fighting to be discovered, Karen and Richard now formed a duo - The CARPENTERS. Karen was at this time considering singing to be as important as her drums and Richard was therefore making a new sound for them, a soft, upbeat harmony with multi-track recording, the special choir in the back only consisting of Karen and Richard. The new sound was created in the garage of their musician friend Joe Osborn. At last came the break The Carpenters had been waiting for. It was the end of frustrating years trying to be discovered and a new beginning of wonderful music. The break came when Herb Alpert, the leader and trumpet player of the Tijuana Brass and the co-founder of A&M Records, heard the Carpenters and their new sound.
Alpert was so overwhelmed with Richard's arrangement and Karen's unique and clear voice that they were signed to A&M Records on April 22, 1969. Their musical career had finally begun. They had their first gold record in 1970 with "Close to you" which climbed to number one on all national charts.
This was just the beginning of a string of 10 gold records and many hit songs, here among "We've only just begun", "Rainy days and Mondays", "Goodbye to love" and "Top of the world".
The cynics said that they were unfashionable, "squeaky-clean" and "Mom's apple pie". However, this judgment was a mistake by the cynics, as The Carpenters were not meant to be judged alongside hard rock 'n' roll. Some cynics also said that their music sounded simple and not complex. The best music always does.
The Carpenters made 12 albums and won several awards, both in the US as well as abroad. Sadly the Carpenters' career was to have a tragic ending on February 4, 1983, when Karen was found unconscious by her mother in her parents' home in Downey. That morning Karen died of heart failure caused by the long battle with the disease Anorexia Nervosa. Karen Anne Carpenter is greatly missed, but fortunately we are still able to hear The Carpenters' timeless music and the voice of her heart."
"A unique sound is not easy to make with all the wonderful music and artists in the world. However, The Carpenters made just that, a unique and beautiful sound. The famous sister, brother duo consisted of Richard and Karen born in New Haven, Connecticut.
Richard, who had always been very interested in music, listening to his father's records, started playing piano at the age of twelve.
As a teenager Karen was very interested in sports, especially baseball and her musical interest didn't appear until she was in high school, where she developed an interest in the drums.
Showcasing Karen's pleasing contralto in both a solo setting and combined with Richard's baritone, they recorded a series of demo tapes in bassist Osborn's garage and began hawking them to record companies. One of the tapes made its way to Herb Albert, the trumpet player and founder of A&M Records. Albert signed the Carpenters to a contract, and by 1969 the group had recorded Offering, their debut album. A cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" on the album reached Number 54 on the U.S. charts.
Recorded by Dionne Warwick some seven years earlier, "(They Long to Be) Close to You," by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was transformed in the studio by the Carpenters in 1970. The duo's version became one of pop music's seminal demonstrations of boy/girl harmony and the "easy listening" sound. It featured an understated piano arrangement by Richard, as well as first-rate production by Jack Daugherty. Listener approval for "Close to You" was overwhelming, and the song soared to Number One. It was soon followed by the hit "We've Only Just Begun," which, according to the Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "highlighted Karen's crystal-clear diction, overladen with intricate harmonies and a faultless production." Thus began the Carpenters' incredible hit parade, which landed 20 of their songs in the Top 40 during the next 11 years.
From 1970 to 1972 alone, the Carpenters generated six Top Five hits- -"Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "For All We Know," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," and "Hurting Each Other." Along with Richard's arranging and musical direction, much of this success was due to the high quality of material the Carpenters were getting from songwriters such as Bacharach, Paul Williams, and Roger Nichols. They also employed the services of top sidemen like virtuoso guitarist Tony Peluso. Richard also wrote some hits for the group in partnership with former Spectrum bassist Bettis. As a result of this output, the group's compilation album, The Singles 1969-73, became one of the best-selling albums of all time and was on the LP charts for an amazing 115 weeks.
One success after another kept the Carpenters working relentlessly in the early 1970s, both in the studio and on the concert circuit. Their fame also won them their own brief television series, Make Your Own Kind of Music, in 1971. The show featured trumpet player Al Hirt and Mark Lindsay, former lead singer with Paul Revere and the Raiders. The Carpenters were also asked to perform at the White House in 1974 during a state dinner. While Richard continued to play the piano on their recordings, Karen's drum work became restricted to their stage act.
Inevitably, the performance grind began to take its toll: in 1975 a major tour of Europe was canceled as Karen was reported to be suffering from nervous and physical exhaustion. Reports of her weight having dropped to 90 pounds raised suspicions about crash diets; it was later revealed that she was afflicted with anorexia nervosa. In 1993 Richard Carpenter told Entertainment Weekly, "I still have no idea why this disorder struck Karen."
continued in the next post...
Yes Rob I am sorry to say that