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Initially rejected as being too “soft,” the brother sister team of the Carpenters were finally given a musical shot and turned it into a slam dunk, selling millions of hit records in the 1970s. Richard started taking piano lessons at age 12 and studied classical piano at Yale before the family relocated to Downey, California, in 1963. Karen became a member of band Richard founded shortly after, but with a lack of success the group disbanded. Karen and Richard’s richly layered pop sound eventually caught the ear of Herb Albert and in 1969 he signed them to his A&M l Continued...

abel. Offering, the Carpenters' first album, was released in November 1969 to little fanfare, but they broke out with the album Close To You which contained a version of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David penned tune"(They Long to Be) Close to You." It became the group's first number one song, spending four weeks on the top of the U.S. charts. "Close to You" became an international hit, beginning a five-year period where the duo was one of the most popular recording acts in the world. During that period the Carpenters won two Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist of 1970, and had an impressive string of Top Ten Carpenters’ songs, including "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," "Hurting Each Other," "Goodbye to Love," "Yesterday Once More," and "Top of the World."
After 1975’s hit “Only Yesterday,” the duo’s popularity began to wane. They were also beset by personal problems including Richard’s addiction to prescription drugs and Karen’s struggle with anorexia. The duo released their last album of new material, Made in America, in 1981. The album marked a commercial comeback, as "Touch Me When We're Dancing" made it #16 on the charts. However, Karen's health continued to decline, forcing the duo out of the spotlight. On February 4, 1983, Karen was found unconscious at her parents' home in Downey; she died in the hospital that morning from a cardiac arrest, which was caused by her anorexia. With time, the duo’s saccharine image has receded somewhat, and Karen Carpenter is acknowledged by women rock musicians, including Chrissie Hynde and Madonna, as a pioneer. Sonic Youth, Sheryl Crow, Matthew Sweet, Cracker, and the Cranberries were among the fourteen acts who contributed to the 1994 Carpenters tribute album If I Were a Carpenter, finally giving the duo their props.