2 languages
Carpenters
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Carpenters were an American duo of brother and sister: Karen (1950 to 1983) and Richard Carpenter (born in 1946). They were born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California, in 1963. Richard took piano lessons and studied at California State University in Long Beach, while Karen learned to play the drums. In 1965 they performed together for the first time, with the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio and later the band Spectrum. In 1969 they signed to A&M Records as Carpenters.
Music and breakthrough
Success came a year later with the singles (They Long to Be) Close to You and We've Only Just Begun. Their albums included Offering in 1969, Close to You in 1970, A Song for You in 1972, Horizon in 1975 and Made in America in 1981. They had three number one hits and five number two hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and fifteen number one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart. The duo's soft style grew out of Karen's alto voice and Richard's arrangements, compositions and harmonies. In the 1970s they toured relentlessly, which put them under pressure. In 1979 Richard took a year off because of an addiction to Quaaludes, and Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa. In 1983 Karen died of heart failure resulting from that illness, which brought a great deal of attention to eating disorders.
Influence
The Carpenters were leaders in soft rock and easy listening. Their smooth, warm sound shows how little it took to make a hit: a voice that sounds close by, strings and a simple melody.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1969Offering
- 1970Close to You
- 1971Carpenters
- 1972A Song for You
- 1973Now & Then
- 1975Horizon
- 1976A Kind of Hush
- 1977Passage
- 1978Christmas Portrait
- 1981Made in America
- 1983Voice of the Heart
- 1984An Old‐Fashioned Christmas
- 1989Lovelines
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 5NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Soft rock and AOR Genre
Soft rock, with its polished production and strong vocal melodies, lay close to pop and was heard from the early 1970s with the Carpenters, Bread and James Taylor; Rumours (1977) by Fleetwood Mac became one of the best-selling albums ever.