LeAnn's Richard and Karen Carpenter Web Site

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You have just reached LeAnn's Carpenters Home Page. Right now, it is under major construction, so hang in there! It is dedicated to my favorite singers: Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Both of the Carpenter kids were born in New Haven, Connecticut to Harold and Agnes. Richard Lynn, the oldest of the duo, was born Tuesday October 15, 1946 at 12:53 a.m. Karen Anne, his younger sister, arrived four years later on Thursday March 2, 1950 at 11:45 a.m. Of course, at that time, Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter had no idea that their two children would become one of the most famous brother/sister pop duos ever.

Richard had started playing the piano at a very young age. His parents decided he would have a better chance in music if the family were in California. Also, Harold didn't like New Haven's cold winters. So, the Carpenter family packed their bags and moved west to sunny California. They settled in Downey. There, Karen's musical talent started to blossom. She was a real tomboy and loved sports, but she disliked Downey High's P.E. class. With Richard's help, she was able to substitute the class for band. Karen started off playing the flute, but soon developed a true love for the drums. She played her Glockenspiel in the school's marching band. There was one drawback, though. Karen's parents couldn't afford to buy Karen her own home set. So for a while Karen practiced on a bar stool!

The Carpenter kids got together, got a bass player and, set out to form their own band: The Richard Carpenter Trio. Well, the trio competed in The Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands and won! Later, the group went rock and changed the name to Spectrum.

***Due to the major crowding on the homepage, I have decided to make a page that links you to all the special things on this site...ex. voting booth, e-mail form, mailing list, ect.***

SPECIAL FEATURES

Info on Richard

Info on Karen

In 1969, Karen and Richard released thier first album, Offering. The name was later changed to Ticket to Ride. 10 of the songs were written by Richard. Often, we think of The Carpenters as Karen Carpenter and her brother. That's it. Most hardly ever give Richard any credit. Truly, Richard was the brains and arranging master of the group. He co-wrote many of the songs, arranged the albums, conducted, mixed, overdubbed, produced, sang backup and lead (in the first several albums), and he also played piano. Now, I'm not saying Karen was just there. She played drums for the first few years, sang lead, and co-produced. In my opinion, The Carpenters were an independent group. In 1970, when the Close to You album was released,...whoosh! The band shot to the top of the charts. First, with Close to You, then, with We've Only Just Begun. That was the true beginning of their career. From then, they had many other hits. Superstar, Rainy Days and Mondays, and For All We Know just to name a few.

But, in 1975, the problems began. Karen was unhappy with her hourglass figure. She started excercising more and eating less. Richard was worried. Karen said she just wanted to get to 110, but 110 came and went. She used laxitives and later turned to Ipecac, an over-the-counter drug used to induce vomiting. Now, Richard wasn't perfect during all this either. He had an addiction to sleeping pills. Fortunately, he overcame his habit, but Karen's outcome wasn't as good. In 1983, after almost 10 years of starving herself, Karen died. She collapsed in a wardrobe closet in her parents' house on Newville Ave. in Downey, California. The cause of her death was Cardiac Arrest. She had been suffering from Anorexia Nervosa.

Karen's spirit and music still lives on today through Richard and devoted Carpenter fans. I don't think some of the musicians of today would be what they are if it weren't for that quiet little group from the 70's that everone said would never make it. The Carpenters.

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN ACCESSED

TIMES SINCE APRIL 24, 1999.

In memory of the lovely Karen Anne Carpenter.

March 2, 1950 - February 4, 1983

"A star on Earth; A star in Heaven"

Thank-you for the music, Karen!

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NEW ADDITION!

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MINI COMMENTARY
With a "new" cd with old favorites out (Singles 1969-1981...2000 A&M Records), Richard and Karen Carpenter are still going strong, in my opinion. As some of our music today grows better and better as far as sophistication, and the rest take a plunge for the worst, Carpenters music reminds us of the beautiful symphonies created by pop artists of years past. It some how tells us to keep hope high in the music industry because someday, someone like Richard and Karen may come along. Even if they do, though, The Carpenters music will always remain unsurpassed.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Or just want to say "HI!"?

As I said before, all of the pages on this web site are under construction.

E-Mail Me!

Hey guys. You all know what? This has got to be my luckiest site ever! It's the only one that hasn't fallen apart on me! But, I promise I'm going to start trying harder to get my pages back on the right track. As always, I've been super busy. Keep checking back because the updates will [hopefully] begin being more frequent. Keep it real, guys!

YOURS - LeAnn 12-30-00
p.s., you all have a Happy New Millenium (2001 will begin the real one, actually) and don't party too hard! :o)

What? You want to know more about ME? I can help you there, too! Click HEREto go to my personal homepage!

Playing now: Thank-You For The Music

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LeAnn's Lambs Inc. is proud to present their new official web site! Click HERE to go there!

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Okay guys, another semester is gone. No more Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Sentence Diagramming, Algebra, Desktop Publishing, or SEX ED (halleiluia). Who knows what next semester has in store for me? Accounting? We'll see.

I have a few pages on the drawing board. Hopefully I can get them up. Look for, Tim Curry, Rocky Horror, Saturday Night Live, LeAnn's Life and Party Page, Gilda Radner, Olivia Newton-John, and I Love Lucy!

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Last updated December 31, 2000