American vocalist and percussionist Karen Carpenter was a part of the renowned musical group the Carpenters together with her brother Richard.
She was particularly well-known for her contralto singing, and both musicians and writers were extremely complimentary of her drumming abilities.
Harold Bertram Carpenter (1908 – 1988) and Agnes Reuwer (1915-1996) were her parents. On March 2, 1950, she was born in New Haven, Connecticut.
What was the age difference between Richard and Karen Carpenter?
Richard, Karen’s only sibling and three years older than her, was a piano prodigy who developed an early interest in music.
Karen admitted that she initially felt anxious about performing in front of an audience, but she “was too immersed in the music to care about it.”
Two Plus Two was her first group, an all-girl trio made up of classmates from her high school. She recommended her brother Richard join, and they broke up.
Together with his undergraduate buddy Wes Jacobs, Richard Carpenter formed the Richard Carpenter Trio, which A&M Records finally signed as the Carpenters in 1969.
