In 1968, they signed to RCA Records. Due to a decline in music production, RCA did not release their songs and dropped the group. They ran from label to label hoping to be re-signed, and at 11:32 a.m. on April 22, 1969, they were signed to A&M Records by Hooper Albert. The tumultuous years were over; it was the end of the prologue and the beginning of a brilliant era of music: the Carpenter era.
The band's debut album was released in 1969, and a single from it climbed to a respectable No. 54 on the national charts, so the record was renamed again, from the modest "Give" to the more appropriate "Ticket to Ride.
This year, 1970, Carpenter ****ed with pioneering the cause of camaraderie with international audiences. "Close to You," a forgotten Bacharach Davis song, brought Carpenter his first lifetime gold record. If anyone was still surprised, the next single proved to be more than a fluke. "We're Just Getting Started" soared to the top spot selling millions. Also becoming a modern wedding anthem, the ballad provided a fitting title track for Carpenter's second year of public appearances. By the end of the year, Karen and Richard had been honored with five Grammy nominations and awarded "Best New Artist" and "Best Vocal Duo of the Era," lifting them out of the stratosphere of their musical peers.
1971 was an important year for Karen and Richard's fans, when the Carpenter Fan Club was formed. The Fan Club became the official source of advice for nearly 10,000 fans around the world. Fans learned that Karen loved spaghetti, fruit salad eggplant, and ribs; Richard enjoyed science fiction movies in his leisure time; and Karen loved horses and taxidermy. Their third album was released that year, rightfully called Carpenter, and unlike their debut orders, which reached a million dollars, the album became the number two album in the country, sitting in the top ten for the entire six months. The album went on to have three million-selling hits: "Superstar," "For All We Know," and "Rainy Days and Mondays." The band was nominated for three Grammy Awards that year, winning Best Vocal Performance for the album Carpenter, and in December, they were honored by the Artists Guild of America with the award for "Musical Group of the Year," which was presented by Ed Sullivan on a CBS special. Carpenter fans also gave away their Christmas favorites, such as "Hurt Each Other" (released Dec. 31, 1972), which became their sixth gold single and fourth No. 1 hit.
In 1972, tours to the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as the Lake Tahoe Hotel, broadened the scope of Carpenter's fanbase. The group traveled to Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, where Richard and Karen performed in a highly rated special. On the home front, Carpenter participated in a series of national softball tournaments and donated all concert proceeds to raise money for cancer research. Karen was the honorary chair of the national "Young Against Cancer" campaign, and she and her brother personally donated all the funds they raised for the White House. '72 singles included "That's Gonna Take Some Time," "Say Goodbye to Love," and "The Boss. ". The fourth album, "Send You a Song.
The year 1973 began with Richard breaking his leg and wrist as a result of a motorcycle accident. Although the TV special was forced to be delayed, work on the "Sometimes" album continued the next day, with Richard working in a cast. Meanwhile, the new single, "Sing It" went gold. Soon a new name became familiar to Carpenter fans: John Bettis. He was a friend of Carpenter's from college. Now they were passionate about songwriting, and their first hit, "Say Goodbye to Love," was followed by two more consecutive No. 1 hits, "Once Upon a Time" and "Top of the World." . Carpenter returned to the White House to perform for West German Prime Minister Willie Brown. In England, a compilation of their best-selling singles entered the charts and stayed for two years. Back home, the fifth and sixth albums: "Sometimes" and "Singles: 1969-1973," took double platinum and tied for No. 1.
In 1974, Carpenter's popularity soared in Japan, where his arrival was mobbed by 5,000 fans, and all eighteen shows sold out in an hour. In his first symphonic performance with Arthur Fedeli and the Boston Pops, Richard played the "Warsaw Symphony," realizing a long-time dream. The nationally televised concert featured Richard and a traveling orchestra with orchestral accompaniment. The July 4 issue of Rolling Stone magazine featured a cover story on Karen and Richard. In November, they scored a number one hit with their rendition of the old Marfleet song "Please, Mr. Postman."
In 1975, it was the beginning of Karen's anorexia. Poor health forced her to cancel a scheduled Carpenter tour of Japan and England. Richard, accompanied by John Beddis, flew overseas to apologize to fans in those countries via television and the press. Happily, 1975 saw two more Carpenter singles enter the charts: "Just Yesterday" and "Lonely", and the release of a new album, Horizon. Some critics felt the album showcased Karen and Richard's talents.
In 1976, Carpenter set a new audience record when he played a delayed performance at the Temple of Wisdom in London. A commemorative live album of the show was released in Britain. Back home, the new album "There's a Kind of Stillness" went gold in June. Karen's private home in Century City, designed to her liking, is nearly complete. She begins an extensive collection of Mickey Mouse memorabilia. Richard's collecting fervor is also reflected in the rising numbers of classic cars, mostly from the '50s and '60s, which have led to a long list of awards in non-musical fields. He keeps the cars in his vault.
The big event of 1977 was the gathering of 50 members of the Gregg Smith Chorale and the entire Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra*** to perform what was perhaps the biggest live performance of a pop album ever, with Karen's successful performance of excerpts from Wilbur Rice's opera "Eva." The show received a great deal of media attention and was the highlight of the show, leading to Carpenter's ninth album, which was by far their most diverse. They also recorded their second television special, "Carpenters at Christmas," with special guests Christy McNichol and the choir of the University of California, Long Beach.
In 1978, their U.K. album "Singles: 1974-1978" went platinum. In addition the Carpenter Academic Foundation was founded at California State University, Long Beach, their alma mater. They also released a Christmas album, including "Merry Christmas, Darling," which Richard had written a few years earlier. "A Christmas Portrait" became their eighth multi-platinum homegrown album.
Karen and Richard celebrated the 10th anniversary of their career on April 22, 1979, but that year they canceled all events, such as a TV special featuring the story of their first decade in the recording industry. They also canceled work on their new album. Richard tried to regain his health and took an extended vacation to visit old friends. Karen traveled to New York to work on her debut solo album with producer Fern Ramone. Then again, she decided to press on with the release.
In 1980, they released Touch Me when We're Dancing. The big event of the year was the TV program "Music, Music, or Music." Richard and John Bettis produced the song "Because We Love Each Other" for Karen's wedding. Karen married Tom Bruce on August 31 at the Beverly Hotel after a short engagement period. Eventually, the tenth album "Made in America" was released. They began gathering material for their next album. Distracted by her personal affairs, Karen divorced her husband after 15 months of marriage.
In 1981, Karen came to New York for a season of psychiatric treatment in an attempt to break free from anorexia. Karen stayed mostly in New York during this time afterward, undergoing therapy.
In 1983, the fatal destruction finally occurred. During a brief sabbatical, she flew to Los Angeles to record songs. Recording wrapped up on Feb. 4, and Karen died at her parents' home, the cause of death being an anorexia nervosa, triggered by a heart attack caused by a long period of dieting and taking light laxatives to maintain her slim figure. A superstar had perished at the age of 32. As John Bettis said, "She sang for our hearts. Too soon, our Karen was so young, but her song still echoes ......"
After the gray and sad days, Richard remained active, releasing the Heartbeat album (1983), which included Karen's final songs recorded in 1982.1987 In 1987, he also recorded the solo album "Time", and in 1989, he became executive producer of the TV movie "The Karen Carpenter Story", and in the same year released the album "Lovely", which included Karen's previously recorded, unreleased songs, as well as some songs from her solo album. He also re-synthesized and recorded some of the Carpenter tracks for the album "From the Top" (1991). Rae Coleman published a full biography with Richard's help in 1994. A number of artists released a tribute CD to Carpenter, "If I Were Carpenter". A little later, Richard published his final album, "Richard Carpenter. Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor," an orchestra version of Carpenter's Golden Hits.
Looking back at the Carpenters, the 1970s saw them release several world-famous singles and recordings including Goodbye to Love (1972) and Top of the World (1973), both of which were written by Richard and his songwriting partner, John Bettis )**** co-wrote. The group's hits also included the Lennon and McCartney composition Ticket to Ride (1970), the Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell composition Superstar (1971), the Brian Holland composition Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please. Holland for Please Mr Postman (1974) and HANK WILLIAMS for Jambalaya (1974). Their most sought-after classic by fans around the world, "Yesterday Once More," is from the concept album Now and Then (1973).
The brother-sister duo were the idols of America and the world in the 1980s, and were the dream girls of countless teenage boys and girls.
The Carpenters' voice was a gift from the Creator: ethereal, serene, and slightly melancholic, and it could easily capture you. Every time I listen to a Carpenters song, I feel like I've been in a drought for a long time and I've met an old friend from another country, and it's hard to describe the warmth and kindness of her voice. This kind of music can easily move your emotions, to the depths of your soul, to your heart, this time you will find yourself unknowingly become a slave of Carpenter, become a slave of the music.