Hal Blaine

the missing Carpenters chapter from his autobiography

Submitted by Ronald Garcia in November 1996.

Hi, everyone:

As requested by many, here is the complete, missing Carpenters chapter from Hal Blaine's autobiography:

"THE CARPENTERS"

by Hal Blaine

"Way back in the good old days of 1969-1970, Joe Osborn and I were inseparable in the studios. We were working every conceivable date imaginable.

It was during this period that Joe said that he had been recording a group in his garage studio. He kept touting these kids as a new and someday up and coming group that would certainly hit the big time in the near future.

Joe kept asking me to think about producing these kids. I had been producing some non-descript acts to no avail. Good records, just a series of personal and management problems that kept these great records off the charts.

Joe, Larry Knechtel and I were doing a Neil Diamond date at Sound Recorders when Joe asked me to come outside on a break and meet some people... these were the Carpenters.

Two sort of chunky kids that seemed in their teens. Richard was a nice looking young man dressed in semi-western garb and Karen wore a leather fringed western jacket. They were both obviously a little nervous at our meeting. We were in a hurry in the middle of a Neil Diamond date and they were on cloud nine just being outside of a studio where Neil was recording.

Karen and Richard both had a rather strange lisp to their speech. Not at all bad but quite noticable. Probably from their braces as children I surmised. The meeting was brief and the voice of Armin Steiner soon bellowed out of the front door that Neil was ready to go back to work. We all shook hands, and said our goodbye's.

Later that night after work, Joe and I sat down to discuss these kids. "Joe, I'm sure that these kids are great kids, but an organ player and a girl drummer just doesn't make sense, who the hell will want them, they're not country and their not rock, and besides, where the hell are we gonna find the time to really do a good job on them?"

Joe agreed and that was that. Talk about losing a goldmine. Well, it wouldn't be my first time.

The Carpenters were not heard of again for some time and then as if by miracle, I happened to hear their first recording on the A&M label. They had been signed. I was really happy for them and for Joe who played bass. Unfortunately, nothing happened with their first couple of records. Then I got a call from Jack Daugherty. Great trumpet player and producer. He wanted me and Joe to come in and make some Carpenter records. We did and of course the rest was history. We've Only Just Begun, the Paul Williams, Roger Nichols Crocker Bank commercial was now climbing the charts.

In the studio the kids were great. Karen sang her pretty buns off and Richard was wonderful on the piano. He was also one of the most prolific arrangers I had ever worked with.

We were recording constantly and it was hit after hit with these kids from Downey, California. They became the golden geese that were laying all of the golden eggs for A&M. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, my old partners in crime, couldn't have been happier. I of course was kicking my butt all the way home after each session knowing that I was the boob that turned down the Carpenters.

After about the third hit Karen came to me and asked me to have a drum kit made exactly like mine so that she could play the same arrangments on the road. I had been using my monster octoplus custom drums on all their hits.

I very diplomatically asked, "When the hell are you gonna stop playing the drums and start fronting this outfit??" (For some reason females always look rather awkward playing a set of drums, and don't get me wrong, she was a great drummer, just had that strange look sitting at the drums).

I obviously said the wrong thing because Jack and Richard kind of jumped me, "Don't make waves." I was told very nicely, "Richard is the star of this outfit, that's the way the folks want it and that's that!!!"

The senior Carpenters were pretty upset at me in the beginning as it was, they felt that Karen should be making the records. I was told that Mrs. Carpenter said, "I've seen many drummers on TV and Karen is as good as any of them!!" She didn't understand the technical side of recording and she was of course trying to protect her daughter, the drummer. But only the drummer. Richard was the star of the show, but not for long I guess.

Howie Oliver built her a set and she was most pleased.

Richard & Karen had now been around the country on promo tours, personal appearances and were really into the big time. They both lost their baby fat and looked great. They started buying beautiful jewelry and cars. They were quickly becoming part of the Hollywood gang. Their records were number ones and they were feted whereever they appeared or went. Fan magazines, Billboard, Cash Box and all of the industry trades were hailing them as the new super group, and they were.

Well after so many hits and so many bucks, the Carpenters chose to start making their own records... as is the case with so many groups and statistically, this is usually the beginning of the end. "Why should we spend so much on producers and musicians when we can do it ourselves." They continued to do personals and they did their own records, but it seems like the top ten was now out of their reach. In retrospect, I guess you could say that they had had their run. They were always working, Richard's arrangements were still magnificent and Karen was of course singing better than ever. They really matured as musicians and entertainers, Karen in front of the band and Richard playing and conducting. They hired a fine drummer and all seemed pretty smooth to most of us.

I would see Karen from time to time in the studio when I was doing the Captain & Tennille or some other A&M act and we were always as friendly as day one but I did notice that when hugging Karen I could feel her rib cage from behind and she was getting thinner all the time. I wasn't in on the home scene of course but rumor had it that she had finally met the man of her dreams but that he soon took her for a bundle and ran off. That was the rumor mind you. Karen seemed to disinegrate before everyone's eyes. We didn't know about her anorexic condition, a very hard disease to overcome.

The rest is history I guess, she passed away so young and vital. But I'll always remember her as the kid in the fringed jacket.

A few years ago Richard called me in to do some updating on some of the older tracks and I worked about 5 or 6 hours crying all the way. There wasn't a dry eye in the studio. We all had a good cry that day but I'm sure that Karen was smiling down on us from up there with that Mona Lisa smile of hers.

It's rather ironic but after Nat King Cole's death some years ago Capitol Records had me come in and add drums to all of his tracks, one of them was Mona Lisa."

Ron G.
"If that bee shows up - I'm leavin'" - Karen Carpenter (1981)

Just Released: Version 2006 of Derek Gehl's best-selling system, "Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet."

Get over 1,300 pages of case studies and strategies that have been tested and proven in over 1,000 businesses!

If you want to start your own profit-generating Internet business in less than 48 hours... increase the profits of an existing web business by 437% (or more)... or take an offline business online to take advantage of the global marketplace...

... then "test drive" this powerful new system to generate massive profits on the Internet RISK FREE! Click here now.

Return to Other Musicians

Last changed: Mon Oct 22 22:05:34 EDT 2007