The Carpenters
Being inducted into my personal Recording Artist Hall of Fame (DRAHoF) today are... The Carpenters
Here are some known and unknown but interesting tidbits about the Carpenters I have gathered up...
Karen (1950-1983) and Richard Carpenter (b. 1946) were the brother and sister group known as the Carpenters who achieved major success in the early '70's... Their brand of melodic pop produced a run of hit recordings including three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100. They sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The duo's smooth harmonies and clean-cut image were not in step with contemporary music, which was dominated by heavy rock at the time. The Carpenters strove for a rich and melodic sound, along the same vein as the Beach Boys and the Mamas & the Papas, but with greater fullness and orchestration including frequent use of small string and horn sections.
Richard's production work with Karen was influenced by the music of Les Paul, whose overdubbing of the voice of wife and musical partner Mary Ford allowed her to be used as both the lead and harmony vocals. By multi-tracking, Richard was able to use Karen and himself for the harmonies to back Karen's lead. The overdubbed background harmonies were distinctive to the Carpenters, but it was the soulful, engaging sound of Karen's lead voice that made them so recognizable.
Karen Carpenter has been called one of the greatest female vocalists of all time by Rolling Stone and National Public Radio. Paul McCartney has said she was "the best female voice in the world: melodic, tuneful and distinctive". She was an accomplished drummer, which was her original musical role, and considered herself a "drummer who sang". However, while Karen's vocals became the centerpiece of the group's performances, at 5 ft 4 in tall, performing behind her drum kit made it difficult for audiences to see her and it was soon apparent to Richard and their manager that the audience wanted to see more of Karen. Although unwilling, she eventually agreed to sing the ballads standing up front, returning to her drums for the lesser known songs. As the group's popularity increased, demand for Karen's vocals at the expense of her drumming overshadowed her abilities and gradually, she played the drums less.
The Carpenters were often criticized for their "clean cut" image and their popularity confounded critics. With their output focused on ballads and mid-tempo pop, the duo's music was often dismissed as being bland and saccharine. The recording industry, however, bestowed awards on the duo, who won three Grammy Awards during their career. In 1974, the Carpenters were voted Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group at the first annual American Music Awards.
While the Carpenters were not a rock band, they were often reviewed by the rock press; in 1971, Rolling Stone's Lester Bangs described them as having "the most disconcerting collective stage presence of any band I have seen". And though the Carpenters had mass popular appeal and were recognized as being musically talented, people felt embarrassed and stigmatised about liking their records. Regardless, musicians have cited the Carpenters as a key influence. Despite contentions that their sound was "too soft" to fall under the definition of rock and roll, major campaigns and petitions exist toward inducting the Carpenters into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Although the Carpenters' greatest success was with record sales, most of their professional career was spent on the road. 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 (about subsequent health issues), he would not have agreed to it, and was persuaded to do so by the belief that the Carpenters would not be financially stable without the touring.
The Carpenters played over 800 concerts from 1971 to 1975. Touring pressures put a strain on Karen, who later struggled with an eating disorder, and Richard who became addicted to quaaludes and sought treatment.
After a slow down of musical output in the late '70's and early '80's, their career together ended in 1983 following Karen's death from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Her death brought media attention to anorexia nervosa and related conditions such as bulimia nervosa, which were little known about at the time.
Here are some known and unknown but interesting tidbits about the Carpenters I have gathered up...
Karen (1950-1983) and Richard Carpenter (b. 1946) were the brother and sister group known as the Carpenters who achieved major success in the early '70's... Their brand of melodic pop produced a run of hit recordings including three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100. They sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The duo's smooth harmonies and clean-cut image were not in step with contemporary music, which was dominated by heavy rock at the time. The Carpenters strove for a rich and melodic sound, along the same vein as the Beach Boys and the Mamas & the Papas, but with greater fullness and orchestration including frequent use of small string and horn sections.
Richard's production work with Karen was influenced by the music of Les Paul, whose overdubbing of the voice of wife and musical partner Mary Ford allowed her to be used as both the lead and harmony vocals. By multi-tracking, Richard was able to use Karen and himself for the harmonies to back Karen's lead. The overdubbed background harmonies were distinctive to the Carpenters, but it was the soulful, engaging sound of Karen's lead voice that made them so recognizable.
Karen Carpenter has been called one of the greatest female vocalists of all time by Rolling Stone and National Public Radio. Paul McCartney has said she was "the best female voice in the world: melodic, tuneful and distinctive". She was an accomplished drummer, which was her original musical role, and considered herself a "drummer who sang". However, while Karen's vocals became the centerpiece of the group's performances, at 5 ft 4 in tall, performing behind her drum kit made it difficult for audiences to see her and it was soon apparent to Richard and their manager that the audience wanted to see more of Karen. Although unwilling, she eventually agreed to sing the ballads standing up front, returning to her drums for the lesser known songs. As the group's popularity increased, demand for Karen's vocals at the expense of her drumming overshadowed her abilities and gradually, she played the drums less.
The Carpenters were often criticized for their "clean cut" image and their popularity confounded critics. With their output focused on ballads and mid-tempo pop, the duo's music was often dismissed as being bland and saccharine. The recording industry, however, bestowed awards on the duo, who won three Grammy Awards during their career. In 1974, the Carpenters were voted Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group at the first annual American Music Awards.
While the Carpenters were not a rock band, they were often reviewed by the rock press; in 1971, Rolling Stone's Lester Bangs described them as having "the most disconcerting collective stage presence of any band I have seen". And though the Carpenters had mass popular appeal and were recognized as being musically talented, people felt embarrassed and stigmatised about liking their records. Regardless, musicians have cited the Carpenters as a key influence. Despite contentions that their sound was "too soft" to fall under the definition of rock and roll, major campaigns and petitions exist toward inducting the Carpenters into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Although the Carpenters' greatest success was with record sales, most of their professional career was spent on the road. 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 (about subsequent health issues), he would not have agreed to it, and was persuaded to do so by the belief that the Carpenters would not be financially stable without the touring.
The Carpenters played over 800 concerts from 1971 to 1975. Touring pressures put a strain on Karen, who later struggled with an eating disorder, and Richard who became addicted to quaaludes and sought treatment.
After a slow down of musical output in the late '70's and early '80's, their career together ended in 1983 following Karen's death from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Her death brought media attention to anorexia nervosa and related conditions such as bulimia nervosa, which were little known about at the time.