KAREN CARPENTER:

Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard Carpenter, formed the 1970's duo Carpenters. Although her skills as a drummer earned admiration from drumming luminaries and peers, she is best known for her vocal performances. She had a contralto vocal range. Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that was little known at the time. She died at age 32 from heart failure caused by complications related to her illness. Her death led to increased visibility and awareness of eating disorders. (from wikipedia)

Karen was a reluctant star. As a child, she preferred dancing and playing the drums, but her brother was interested in music. When young, he was considered to be a child prodigy on the piano. As the favoured child in the family, what Richard wanted, he got, and what he wanted was to be a pop star. It is perhaps no coincidence that after the Carpenters made their first records in 1965 and 1966, Karen began seriously dieting, despite already having a slim figure.

Karen is known as much, if not more, for her battle with eating disorders and addiction to pills. But she should be revered for her beautiful, smooth, effortless singing and her award-winning drumming. When she began, she preferred to sing from behind the drum kit. But as she was just five feet and four inches tall, it was difficult for audiences to see her. So she was persuaded to give up the drums and sing, front and centre, as the "face" of the Carpenters.

In 1979, while Richard was taking time off to detox (he was addicted to quaaludes, or methaqualone), Karen made her one and only solo album, "Karen Carpenter". Its style was different from the Carpenters. It was jazzy, more "adult", and used Karen's higher register voice. But Richard did not approve, and his tepid reaction encouraged the record company to shelve it. Some of the songs were finally released in 1989, though remixed by Richard, and then the complete album was released in 1996, 13 years after Karen's death. I've heard the album and I rather like it. It would have been interesting to see what else she could have done, had her family allowed her to explore her talent further.