The Carpenters [ a ] were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen β and Richard Carpenter born They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's harmonizing, arranging, and composition.
During their year career, the Carpenters recorded 10 albums along with many singles and several television specials. Richard took piano lessons as a child, progressing to California State University, Long Beach , while Karen learned the drums. They first performed together as a duo in and formed the jazz -oriented Richard Carpenter Trio along with Wesley Jacobs, then formed the middle-of-the-road band Spectrum. The duo's brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and they became leading sellers in the soft rock , easy listening , and adult contemporary music genres.
They had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot and 15 number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in addition to 12 top singles. The duo toured continually during the s, which put them under increased strain; Richard took a year off in after he had become addicted to Quaalude , while Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa. Their joint career ended in when Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Her death triggered widespread coverage and research into eating disorders.
Their music continues to attract critical acclaim and commercial success. They have sold more than million records worldwide, making them among of the best-selling music artists of all time. They married on April 9, ; their first child, Richard Lynn, was born on October 15, , while Karen Anne followed on March 2, She enjoyed dancing and began ballet and tap classes at the age of four. Karen and Richard were close, and shared a common interest in music.
In particular, they became fans of Les Paul and Mary Ford , whose music featured multiple overdubbed voices and instruments. From the age of 11, he had begun to teach himself to play by ear, and resumed studying with a different teacher. He took a greater interest in playing this time, and would frequently practice at home. By 14, he was interested in performing professionally, and started lessons at Yale School of Music.
