Looking for the Carpenters chords? You will find them here! The American pop duo the Carpenters consisted of Karen, born in 1950, and her older brother Richard Carpenter, born in 1946. They spent their childhood in Connecticut, during which they both developed a liking for music. Richard would start playing the piano aged eight, while Karen took on the drums during her high school years. The Carpenter family moved to California in 1963, seeking to benefit from a higher supply of musical opportunities offered by the “Sunshine State.” Two years later, the siblings formed their first group, the Richard Carpenter Trio, completed by Richard’s college friend Wesley Jacobs. They played instrumental jazz, with Richard arranging all of their songs. The group dissolved after Jacobs left, yet the two of them would form a new band, Spectrum, together with student musicians. They would be unsuccessful though and disbanded. In the meantime, Karen had started taking singing lessons, a craft she turned out to perform exceptionally well. Combining this asset with Richard’s musical arrangement skills, they decided to become a duo in 1968, calling themselves the Carpenters.
Breakthrough
After being impressed by one of their demo songs, the Carpenters were signed to Herb Alpert’s label, A&M Records, in 1969. They released their debut album, Offering, later the same year. Although received favorably by critics, the record achieved minor sales. It was decided the duo were to focus on producing a hit single in order to establish themselves with the mainstream audience. This proved to be an excellent move, as their rework of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “(They Long to Be) Close to You” would top the charts in the summer of 1970. Featuring Richard’s beautifully arranged chords, the Carpenters included the song on their second album, Close to You. Also containing the top two single “We’ve Only Just Begun,” the album would later be considered a classic. Continuing with their soft rock sound, accommodated by light melodies and lush chords, the Carpenters subsequently released a host of hit singles and albums. The siblings toured extensively and also performed at the White House. They won four Grammy Awards and amassed a total of twelve top 10 singles. Yet as the 70s dragged on, their fortunes began to slowly turn around.
Karen’s death
From 1975 onwards, the Carpenters’ songs started to fail to storm the charts and their record sales gradually decreased. In addition, the duo began experiencing personal problems. Richard developed an addiction to prescriptive drugs, which required him to take a year off to receive treatment and rehabilitate. At the same time, Karen’s weight started to drop as she suffered from the eating disorder anorexia. The Carpenters were to release their last album, Made in America, in 1981. Unfortunately, Karen died in 1983 from cardiac arrest resulting from her disease.
