Karen Anne Carpenter was born at 11:45 a.m. on
Thursday, March 2, 1950 to Harold Bertram
(b. 11/8/08, d. 10/15/88) and Agnes Reuwer (Tatum) Carpenter
(b. 3/5/15, d. 11-10-96), of New Haven,
Connecticut.
Karen's brother Richard had arrived four years
earlier on October 15, 1946
"They Long to Be Close to You," which became
their best selling single in the United States.
In late 1969, A&M co-founder Herb Alpert asked the
Carpenters to cover this little-known
Burt Bacharach/Hal David song.
Richard found just the right approach to the song,
and with their unforgettable vocals, "(They Long to Be)
Close to You" raced to #1 in just six weeks.
It was the first of many hits for Karen and Richard,
and established the Carpenters as a household name.
The two arrangements on display are "Goodbye To Love"
and "Yesterday Once More." These were the first two
Richard Carpenter/John Bettis songs to be released as
singles. Both became Top 10 hits in both the U.S. and
the U.K.-as did two subsequent Carpenter/Bettis originals:
"Top of the World" and "Only Yesterday."
Their musical career gained momentum after
winning the Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl
on June 24, 1966, as an instrumental group called the
Richard Carpenter Trio - Richard on piano, Karen on
drums and Wes Jacobs on bass and tuba.
Within the first two years of recording, the Carpenters
were nominated for five Grammy Awards-and won two.
They went on to win another Grammy the following year.
The Carpenters' #1 hit single, "(They Long to Be) Close to
You" is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, as is
their million-selling single "We've Only Just Begun."
In 1971, the Carpenters were awarded a Trendsetter Award
from Billboard magazine. In early 1974, they received the
first American Music Award ever presented for Favorite
Pop Group.
Like the Beach Boys before them, the Carpenters created an
all-American sound that became internationally famous.
They were recognized for breaking box office records at the
London Palladium in 1976. The Carpenters have enjoyed
tremendous fan loyalty through the years. Their appeal was,
and still is, especially strong in the United States,
Japan and England.
Karen Carpenter died February 4, 1983 of heart
failure caused by chronic anorexia nervosa
