Credit: Wikipedia

American band, The Carpenters, was a brother and sister duo who released 46 singles and 27 albums during their highly successful career that spanned 14 years. Richard and Karen Carpenter were active from 1969 to 1983, becoming the seventh top-selling artist in the world during the 1970s. Their biggest hits went four-times platinum and they enjoyed total global sales of more than 100 million records. Early years Richard and Karen were born on 15th October 1946 and 2nd March 1950 respectively in New Haven, Connecticut. They shared a love of music and Richard learned to play the piano as a child. He took lessons at the Yale School of Music from the age of 14, at which time he said wanted to be a professional pianist. Enrolling at California State College in 1964, he met his future song writing partner John Bettis, tuba and stand-up bass player Wesley Jacobs and Frank Pooler, who later gave Karen singing lessons. In the autumn of 1964, Karen enrolled at Downey High School. She learned how to read music and began to take drumming lessons. Her parents bought her a Ludwig drum kit and she mastered complex drumming techniques. She also learned how to play electric bass. The siblings first played in public together in 1965, at a local theatre production of the musical Guys and Dolls. Later that year, they formed their own band, the Richard Carpenter Trio. Richard was lead singer and played the piano, Karen was on drums and Wesley Jacobs played tuba and bass. Frank Pooler began giving Karen singing lessons - he described her as a "born pop singer". Professional career In 1966, Los Angeles bass player Joe Osborn invited Karen and Richard to join a session in the studio. He asked Karen to sing and was so impressed that he signed her to his record label, Magic Lamp Records. He also signed Richard to the publishing arm of his company, Lightup Music. Two of Richard's songs, Looking for Love and I'll Be Yours, were released, featuring Karen on lead vocals and backed by the Richard Carpenter Trio. In June 1966, the trio won the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands, which led to them being signed by RCA Records. They released a few cover versions, including Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra, but with little commercial success. Jacobs accepted an invitation to join the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, so the trio disbanded. The Carpenters In 1968, Richard and Karen formed The Carpenters as a duo and signed a new record deal with A&M Records on 22nd April 1969. Their original name was simply "Carpenters", without "the" as a prefix. This was following the trend of the day, influenced by bands such as Jefferson Airplane and Buffalo Springfield, but they soon became "The Carpenters". They had a massive hit in 1970 with a cover version of the famous Burt Bacharach song, (They Long to Be) Close to You. It was number one in the United States for four weeks. Throughout the 1970s, they enjoyed a succession of hit singles, including We've Only Just Begun in September 1970 and Rainy Days and Mondays in 1971 - both of which reached number two in the US singles chart. These were followed by Top of the World in 1973, their massive number one Yesterday Once More the same year and Please Mr Postman in 1974. Their songs struck a chord with the American and British public and they became stars on both sides of the Atlantic. Rainy Days and Mondays topped the US Billboard Easy Listening chart and also charted in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. It was written by the song writing duo of Paul Williams and Roger Nichols. Lyrics Some critics thought it was an odd song choice to give to a young woman who was only 21 at the time, as the lyrics were melancholy, with the narrator feeling depressed by humdrum everyday life. The song opened with the words, "Talking to myself and feeling old," with the narrator adding, "Nothing to do but frown, rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Karen managed to make them her own, and more importantly believable, in her own unique fashion. The song was about someone who felt alienated from society, as they admitted, "Feeling like I don’t belong, walking around like some kind of lonely clown." The lyrics were particularly poignant and sad in that Karen really did suffer from “what they used to call the blues” for most of her life. She never felt confident or good enough and battled the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, for many years, although she hid it from the public. Accolades The Carpenters' success was so monumental that they were even invited to meet US President Richard Nixon at the White House in 1973, when they played a concert in honour of Willy Brandt, the West German Chancellor, who was on a state visit. They also won three Grammy Awards and hosted their own NBC television variety series, Make Your Own Kind of Music. Their 1976 tour of Japan was the nation's highest-grossing concert tour in history. They are the third best-selling band in Japan to date. Everything they touched turned to gold and they released hit after hit all over the world. Tragically, Karen lost her battle with anorexia nervosa in 1983, at the age of just 32. Richard had tried to seek help for his sister in 1979, but she denied she had an eating disorder and refused professional help. In 1982, she finally agreed to have therapy and was treated by New York psychotherapist Steven Levenkron. During this period, The Carpenters recorded what would be their final song, Now, in April 1982. Despite her poor health, Karen's singing voice was as melodic as ever. She died from heart failure, as a result of complications surrounding her anorexia. The Carpenters' songs remain as popular today, 36 years after Karen's death, with many being re-released, ensuring her beautiful voice lives on in our memory. MA Griggs has plenty of warm and waterproof outdoor clothing - we stock many top brands for rainy days and other inclement weather, including Hunter. Please contact us for further information on our wide range of high-quality garments, or pop in to see us in person.