And like I did on February 4, 1983, I cried, because I lost a friend who could sing to my soul, even though my ears failed me.
KAREN CARPENTER GREATEST VOICE OF ALL TIME PROFESSIONAL
Karen’s disregard of professional medical advice didn’t help. Without exception, Karen had an overwhelming impact on everyone who knew her and worked with her.”Īt the end of Some Kind of Lonely Clown, Samberg discusses Karen’s untimely death due to a heart attack caused by anorexia nervosa when the singer was 32 years old.
After her death, Samberg writes, “Staffers at A&M Records had a very hard time talking about Karen, and that it wasn’t unusual at all to see tears when they did talk about her. Watch a few videos on YouTube and look into Karen’s eyes, the window to the soul. “Some Kind of Lonely Clown” by Joel Samberg It is no wonder Karen’s favorite Carpenter song was 1976’s “I Need to Be in Love.” She was a love-starved romantic, an obedient daughter, wannabe mom, generous friend, and emotional wreck. It was her private life that let her down. Karen threw herself into her music becoming the greatest female vocalist of the 1970s. And Karen had a vocal range and velvety voice that helped the Carpenters sell 100 million records. Richard created amazing orchestrations and music geared for his sister’s voice. Samberg’s biography delves into Karen Carpenter’s life showing readers her natural talent, and we learn that the Carpenter siblings were complimentary. The Schmidt book is cerebral while Joel Samberg’s book, Some Kind of Lonely Clown: The Music, Memory, and Melancholy Lives of Karen Carpenter, speaks to the heart and soul. Schmidt that exposes Carpenter family dysfunction, which led to Karen’s mental illness. Their lack of support during her treatment was a deterrent to her recovery. I read Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenterby Randy L. I still wonder why, but I also wanted to learn more about Karen Carpenter who Neil Sedaka called, “One of the greatest vocalists of all time.” It was Karen Carpenter’s voice that my mind was able to recapture and hear in all of its elegance. Saving my favorite group for last, I listened to The Carpenters. Since the virus burned the cilia in my cochlear, sound is distorted making my favorite crooners sound worse than my violin. I tried listening to some of my favorite vocalists from the 60s and 70s-ABBA, Cat Stevens, The Mama and the Papas, and James Taylor. After the hearing loss I picked up my violin and played. Nashville TN All rights reserved.It’s been 28 years since I lost most of my hearing to a virus. She passed at the age of 32Ĭ.2012 McClure & Trowbridge Publishing Ltd Offstage, away from the spotlight, she felt desperately unloved by her mother, Agnes, who favoured Richard, and struggled with low self-esteem, eventually developing anorexia nervosa from which she never recovered. Promoted from behind the drums to star vocalist, she became one of the decade's most instantly recognizable female singers.īut there was a tragic discrepancy between her public and private lives. Richard was the musical driving force but it was Karen's effortless voice that lay behind the Carpenters' hits.
Karen's velvety voice and Richard's airy melodies and meticulously crafted arrangements stood in direct contrast to the louder, wilder rock dominating the rest of the charts at the time, yet they became immensely popular, selling more than 100 million records. They notched up 10 gold singles, nine gold albums, one multi-platinum album and three Grammy awards. Between 19 brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter had 17 top 20 hits, including "Goodbye to Love", "Yesterday Once More", "Close to You" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". The Carpenters were one of the biggest-selling American musical acts of all time. Forced to take the front without her natural instrument in front of her, her stardom grew. Karen loved the drums and sang while playing intricate beats and rhythms, unheard of then and even now. Although scoring #1 hit after hit, they were shunned by the younger generation, and adored by parents. The Carpenters delivered the love songs that defined a generation, especially the older generation. Karen Carpenter's unmatched velvet alto charmed millions as the top-selling American musical act of the 1970s. [c.2012 McClure & Trowbridge Publishing Ltd Daily feature Karen Carpenter - Voice of the century