Started: late '60s
City and Country of Origin: Downey, CA
Music Training:
Awards: 1971 Grammy Best New Artist; 1971 Grammy Best Vocal Performance
Top Recordings: "(They Long to Be) Close to You," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," "Top of the World"
The Carpenters Biography: The brother and sister duo of the '70s were originally from New Haven, CT, but moved with their family to Downey, CA in the late '60s. Richard had played the piano in a number of local clubs and cocktail lounges in Connecticut before they moved. Once in California Richard began studying piano while backing up sister Karen in a trio. Karen was signed to a local California recording label Magic Lamp that released 2 unsuccessful singles. After the group won a battle of the bands contest in the Hollywood Bowl the group was signed to a recording contract by RCA. Performing under the name The Richard Carpentar Trio the group cut 4 singles which were never released. After the departure of bassist Wes Jacobs they formed Spectrum with Richard's college friend John Bettis, but the group didn't last. Finally some demos that they cut at the house of sessions musician Joe Osborn made its way to the desk of Herb Alpert, the head of A&M Records who signed them to a recording contract in early '69. Their first album as The Carpenters, Offering, was released in November of that year. The album flopped as did a cover of the Beatles "Ticket to Ride." Little did they know that their fortunes were about to change with the release of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "(They Long to Be) Close to You" extracted from the album of the same name the single spent 4 weeks on the top of the charts. This effort was followed by an impressive string of hit songs: "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," "Hurting Each Other," "Goodbye to Love," "Yesterday Once More," and "Top of the World." After their 1975 top ten hit "Only Yesterday" their popularity began to wane. Both brother and sister became plagued by personal problems, Richard became addicted to prescription drugs and Karen was afflicted with anorexia nervosa. Karen set out on her own with Phil Ramone recording a solo album which was never completed. In 1981 the group reuntied to release Made in America and the single "Touch Me When We're Dancing" which made it all the way to number 16 on the charts. On February 4, 1983 Karen Carpenter died in the hospital from cardiac arrest.

Music by the Decade:

Sounds of the Fifties

Sounds of the Sixties

Sounds of the Seventies

Sounds of the Eighties

Sounds of the Nineties