After Dinner Speakers: The Carpenters, Earvin Johnson, Richard E. Grant

Brother-sister duo the Carpenters were one of the most successful pop groups of the 1970s, scoring many Top 10 hits before their career came to an end in the early '80s. Siblings Richard and Karen Carpenter were born in New Haven, Conn. in 1946 and 1950, respectively, and began singing and playing instruments while still in high school (Richard played piano, Karen, drums). The Carpenter family relocated to Los Angeles in the early '60s, and in 1966 Richard and Karen Carpenter and friend Wes Jacobs won a local talent contest, coming to the attention of RCA Records. Unfortunately their initial demos didn't pan out, and by 1968 the siblings were performing together as a duo, playing clean pop-rock. A new demo won the pair a contract with A&M in 1969, and the label released their debut album, Offering, later that year. With their 1970 follow-up Close to You the Carpenters broke into the big time, scoring a No. 1 hit with the Bacharach-David title track. During the early 1970s the Carpenters' momentum only grew, as they became one of the most popular musical acts in the world, scoring numerous Top 10 hits such as "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Goodbye to Love," "We've Only Just Begun," and "Top of the World," while winning two Grammy awards along the way. By 1975 the soft pop that made the duo so famous had somewhat fallen out of fashion, compounding various personal problems that both Richard and Karen suffered. After releasing a 1977 live album and a platinum-selling 1978 Christmas album, the pair went on hiatus while Karen Carpenter worked on a solo album with Phil Ramone; within months she was once again performing with her brother, the solo album put aside unreleased. The Carpenters' next effort, 1981's Made in America, became their biggest hit in years thanks to the Top 20 single "Touch Me When We're Dancing." Sadly, just as they seemed to be making a comeback, the Carpenters once again went on hiatus as Karen Carpenter battled anorexia, finally succumbing to it in February 1983. After her death Richard Carpenter went on to compile several "best of"-type albums, also working with other acts as a producer; he did not return to performing until 1987, when he released a solo album called Time. Karen Carpenter's unfinished solo album was finally released in 1996.