“A builder of pianos with a long and storied history - Steinways posses a quality of tone that, to the trained ear, is at once recognizable, and to this day, remains unequaled.”
Richard Carpenter
Musical legend, Richard Carpenter gained worldwide fame in the 1970s as half of the Grammy-winning duo, the Carpenters. Richard and his sister Karen combined their talents on a long string of hits, including such classics as “Close To You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Top of the World,” and “Yesterday Once More.”
Carpenter is the recipient of eight Grammy nominations, and three Grammy Awards. He won an American Music Award; an AGVA “Georgie Award;” and two Japanese Grand Prix Awards. He was inducted to the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame; received the USC Thornton School of Music Legacy Award; the City of Long Beach “Hero of the Year” Award; an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from CSU Long Beach; and boasts countless gold and platinum records. His arrangements have been studied in numerous college music departments, including the prestigious Berklee College of Music and Stanford University.
Carpenter is renowned for his ability to create memorable instrumental textures, with delicately interlocked string, horn, and background vocal parts. In addition to his work in the studio, Richard took charge of finding the duo’s material, spotting future hits in a wide range of sources, from major Hollywood movies to children’s television shows. Richard found the Carpenters’ signature song, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” on Los Angeles television – as a bank commercial. The Carpenters’ recording transformed the song from jingle to a standard.
Though they recorded as the Carpenters for just 13 years, Karen and Richard made a deep and lasting impact. A compilation of their hits topped the U.K. chart for seven weeks in 1990. A similar collection became the bestselling release of 1996 in Japan.
A generous philanthropist, he funded the Carpenter Family Foundation to benefit a wide range of worthy charities. He was also a founder and prime benefactor of the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, at the duo’s alma mater, Cal State University at Long Beach.
Richard Carpenter is a Steinway Artist
Photo: Charles Bush