inspired by http://www.mirai.or.jp/~gpda/cp/
Richard Carpenter 1946~
Richard Carpenter, a talented
pianist and producer, is the older of the Carpenters. Although we usually
identify Karen's amazing voice as the dominate "sound" of the group,
it is Richard's contributions (in terms of the arrangement) that allowed them
to achieve the unique sound we have come to know. Many songs exhibit this
beautiful blend of sounds and my personal favorite is "Close to You".
Karen Carpenter 1950~1983
Karen started as a drummer and it wasn't
until later that her unique vocal talent surfaced. A record company producer
was the first to realize that Karen possessed a unique and beautiful voice. The
most fascinating thing about Karen's voice is that it is completely pure and
natural even without formal training. Although Richard's talent was the
foundation for the Carpenters, Karen's wonderful voice quickly became the
reason for the group's success. Karen passed away at the age of 32 on February
4th, 1983. She died of a heart failure which arose from complications from 8
year battle with anorexia nervosa. Although she's gone, her rich and
fascinating voice still haunts millions. An excellent example of her rich vocal
quality can be heard in the song "You're the One"
Carpenters 1969~
After being rejected by other
record producers for being too "Soft" for the market at that time,
Jack Daugherty, the A&M record producer was attracted to Richard and
Karen's demo-tape. "The Carpenters" signed their first recording
contract with A&M in April of 1969, and began a long and relationship with
Herb Alpert's (The A in A&M) record company. They made their debut in
November of 1969 and their second release, "Close to You", reached the
top of the American charts. In a career which saw them win 3 Grammy's, the
Carpenters never broke up, though Karen did work for a time with Phil Ramone on
a solo album. A number of tracks from this album will be released this
September, so look out for it.
For
more information, visit the site at http://www.mirai.or.jp/~gpda/cp/
