The Carpenters were a musical duo made up of American vocalist and percussionist Karen Anne Carpenter and her older brother Richard (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983).
She stood out among her peers, who praised her vocal prowess, thanks to her three-octave contralto range. Eating disorders and body dysmorphia and their possible causes would later receive more attention as a result of Carpenter’s years-long fight with anorexia and subsequent death from heart failure.
In a local production of the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls, Karen and Richard made their debut in front of the general audience. Carpenter’s first band, an all-girl trio called Two Plus Two, was started with fellow Downey High School students.
They split up when one of the mothers objected to her daughter going to their debut performance. Karen, Richard, and his college friend Wes Jacobs, a bassist and tuba player, formed the Dick Carpenter Trio in 1965.
What was so special about Karen Carpenter’s voice?
Karen often sang in the contralto range, but she had the exceptional ability to shift into a considerably lower range, which she referred to as her “basement.”
Thanks to Richard’s composing and song selection, her basement voice was utilized effectively on songs that tended toward the gloomy, “rainy days and Mondays always get me down” type of song.
