Karen Carpenter

Singer

• Born: March 2, 1950
• Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
• Died: February 4, 1983
• Place of death: Downey, California

American singer

As female vocalist and drummer in the brother-sister act the Carpenters, Carpenter scored a series of hit singles and albums throughout the 1970’s, demonstrating that “easy-listening” and “middle-of-the-road” music could still break into the Billboard Hot 100. Her close harmonies with brother Richard and their knack for choosing great material made them one of the most influential recording groups of the decade.

Member of The Carpenters

The Life

Karen Anne Carpenter was the second child of Harold and Agnes Carpenter. Their first child, Richard, four years older, was a prodigy on the piano, and in 1963 the family moved to Downey, California, to aid Richard’s career by being close to the recording industry. At Downey High School, Karen played drums in the marching band and for the first time discovered her own musical talent. At fifteen she joined her brother’s jazz group, the Richard Carpenter Trio, on the drums. In 1969 she and her brother signed with A&M Records as The Carpenters, releasing Ticket to Ride, which barely scratched the Billboard Hot 100 (the title song peaked at number fifty-four). The next album began a decade of Top 40 hits. She and her brother were, as their hit single put it, “On Top of the World.” By the middle of the decade, however, it became evident that Karen was battling anorexia nervosa, a then little-known eating disorder. She married real-estate developer Tom Burris in August, 1980; the couple separated the following November. In 1982 she received treatment for anorexia, but the strain on her heart from the disorder led to her death a few months later in 1983.

The Music

Karen spent her teen years in the shadow of her brother Richard, though she did not seem to resent it: Even as a part of his musical groups, she remained one of her brother’s staunchest fans. In the Richard Carpenter Trio and the more pop-oriented Spectrum, Karen played drums so well that Herb Alpert of A&M Records noticed her and signed the duo to his label. (Jazz drumming legend Buddy Rich, Modern Drummer magazine, and the Playboy jazz poll would later join Alpert in praising Karen’s work.) Their first album, Ticket to Ride, did not have a song in the Top 40, but their second album had two.

Close to You.The second Carpenters album collected twelve songs that sounded great alone and worked well together, including three original songs by Richard and one of his guitarists from Spectrum, John Bettis. Karen began a career-long association with Burt Bacharach by including two of his songs: the title track and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” from the Broadway show Promises, Promises. The latter was overshadowed by Dionne Warwick’s version, which hit number six, but “Close to You” hit number one, stayed at the top for four weeks, and remained on the charts for fifteen. Their second gold single from the album, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” demonstrated the Carpenters’ ear for good material. Composed by Paul Williams for a local bank commercial in California, it struck the Carpenters as a potential hit, and it became one: number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and for six weeks number one in the Billboard adult contemporary category. Karen’s contralto vocals on both hits became key to the duo’s success. In 2003 Rolling Stone listed this album in the Top 500 of all time at number 175.

The Carpenters.Richard and Karen followed their success with “We’ve Only Just Begun” by cutting another Paul Williams composition, “Rainy Days and Mondays,” again with Karen singing lead. It, too, soared on the charts. It was their third gold record. The B side of the album was unified by a six-song Burt Bacharach-Hal David medley. “Superstar,” which had been successful for both Joe Cocker and Bette Midler, again capitalized on Karen’s solo voice against a contrasting bass line. The song did not quite fit the group’s wholesome image, but Richard changed the line “I can hardly wait to sleep with you again” to “I can hardly wait to see you again.” Once again, the Carpenters went to number-two pop, number-one adult contemporary, and a gold single.

A Song for You.With the highest concentration of hit singles—six—ever for the Carpenters, their fourth album saw four songs reach the Top 12. “Top of the World” became their second number one. The album made Cash Box’s Top 100 for 1972 at number twenty-six.

Now and Then.When Ricky Nelson’s song “Garden Party” prompted an interest in “oldies” music, the Carpenters responded with their first concept album (though Richard had originally conceived their previous album that way). The B side was a medley of hit songs from the early 1960’s, with Karen and Richard duplicating the arrangements and vocal styles of the originals. Their guitarist, Tony Peluso, played a DJ weaving the songs together, and the whole side was introduced with the Richard Carpenter-Bettis nostalgic original “Yesterday Once More” (which became another number-two pop, number-one adult contemporary hit). From the A side, “Sing,” which advisers warned would not overcome its association with the children’s television show Sesame Street, became a gold single and peaked at number-one adult contemporary.

Musical Legacy

Though Karen died before the compact-disc medium became standard, her hits continue to be packaged on compilation compact discs—including her 1979 solo album, which was not released in its entirety until 1996. Karen’s success on drums has proven an inspiration for female aspirants to one of the last male-dominated instruments in pop music. Her clear and strong contralto became a trademark. Her homey image helps to make the Carpenters’ two Christmas albums, Christmas Portrait and An Old-Fashioned Christmas, continue to sell, and her vocal leads on “The Christmas Song” and “Merry Christmas, Darling” remain radio and Muzak perennials during the holiday season. Although Karen attempted to shed her clean-cut image in her solo album, there is no doubt she primarily will be remembered as the smiling girl next door on the Carpenters’ album covers. Seven months after Karen’s death, the Carpenters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Principal Recordings

albums (with the Carpenters): Offering, 1969; Close to You, 1970; The Carpenters, 1971; A Song for You, 1972; Now and Then, 1973; Horizon, 1975; A Kind of Hush, 1976; Passage, 1977; Christmas Portrait, 1978; Made in America, 1981; Voice of the Heart, 1983; An Old-Fashioned Christmas, 1984.

Bibliography

Coleman, Ray. The Carpenters: The Untold Story. An Authorized Biography. Boston: HarperCollins, 1994. The author had access to Carpenter family records and memories.

Garcia, Ronald. Close to You: The Story of Richard and Karen Carpenter. Chicago: The Good Reading Company, 1995. Well-written basic coverage, mostly of the years of the Carpenters’ success, 1970-1982.

Schmidt, Randy. Yesterday Once More: Memories of The Carpenters and Their Music. New York: Tiny Ripple Books, 2000. Music-oriented biography, a good source for commentary on individual songs and albums.

Stockdale, Tom. Karen Carpenter. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000. Brief biography, with a good selection of photographs from all stages of Karen’s short life.