Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter #49 - August, 1976

Hi Fans!

Carpenters and staff hope that all of you are enjoying pleasant and safe summer vacations. The present vacation outlook for R&K is not too good. They are presently working on another single and by the time this goes to press they will be well into a Midwest tour. Their new show is now more than just a concert. Mr. Weintraub was well aware of their potential as great entertainers and brought in Mr. Layton to work with them and create a show that would reveal their other talents. K's natural flair as a comedienne has been brought to light and her costume changes help to interpret the songs she sings. All reviews since the opening of their new show have been rave notice.

I'm sure that those of you that have already received some of the color ad photographs will agree with me that they are beauties. These are not paper: pictures. They are on photographers silk photo paper and the natural colors are beautiful. We have a single of Karen, a single of Richard and one of them together. The price is $X.XX each for U.S. Members and $X.XX each for foreign members. The presses of "PEOPLE" Magazine are now rolling off an issue which will feature K&R and will hit the stands July 27, even before you read this newsletter. Perhaps you have already noticed their picture on the cover in your favorite store or market. Plans for the Christmas TV Special are still on so if all goes well it will be taped this fall and televised sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Karen's condominium is nearing completion and she will be moving in sometime thin fall. It's custom built to her specifications and she saw to it that she will have sufficient closet space to accommodate her expanding wardrobe. Her kitchen, too, will be spacious and will harbor all the appliances and handy kitchen gadgets that make cooking so much fun. Karen loves to cook and bake and is quite adept at turning out a gourmet meal. Richard is in to collecting cars - mostly those of 50 and 60 vintage. His recent purchase of a 1963 Studebaker Avanti brings the total of his collection to 17. Oldest car in the collection is a 1954 Corvette and the newest of the old is a 1969 Jaguar XKE. Dad Carpenter has been helping aim to get them all in tip-top condition by seeing that the servicing they may need is properly completed. Plans for a European tour this fall have not been completed but they are tentatively scheduled for a week's engagement at the London Palladium beginning November 22nd.

Questions for a question and answer session have been piling up, so here goes:

Q. Have Carpenters ever recorded Make Your Own Kind Of Music?
A. No.
Q. What was your first TV appearance and what age?
A: The All American College Show, Karen was 17. Richard was 20.
Q. Who takes K&R to the airport to catch their planes?
A. They hire a limo.
Q. Do they prefer baths or showers?
A. They both prefer showers.
Q. Are any of their grandparents living?
A. No.
Q. Who takes care of Karen's dogs when she is on tour?
A. Mom and Dad, and if they go away at the same time, Ev takes care of them.
Q. Are they fans of Jim Croce?
A. Yes.
Q. Are gold and platinum records really made of gold and platinum?
A. The gold records are indeed, made of gold. Platinum records are non existent. Though sales of albums (or singles) may continue to climb to the point of earning a platinum record, one is never presented. K&R do posses 2 real platinum records each which were presented to them by Eurodisc Benelux in Holland. The plaques reads: "This platinum record marks the sale of over 50,000 copies of _______ one month after your Benelux visit, March 5th, 1974." One record was for The Singles and the other was for Now & Then.
Q. What are K & R's middle names?
A. Karen Anne, Richard Lynn.
Q. Did Horizon hit gold?
A. Yes. Both Horizon and A Kind Of Hush" (the album) were shipped gold. This means that over a million dollars worth of records were shipped out on the very first shipment to stores.
Q. I recently noticed that Bless The Beasts climbed to No. 67 on the charts. Was this released as a single?
A. Bless The Beasts was on the flip side of "Superstar" but the DJs picked it from the album Carpenters and played it so much it was soon on the charts.
Q. May I purchase concert tickets from the Fan Club?
A. No. Neither the Fan Club or Karen or Richard are allowed to sell concert tickets. All tickets are sold through ticket agencies or by the concert hall direct.
Q. Which schools did K&R attend in New Haven?
A. Elementary, Nathan Hale and Wilbur Cross High.
Q. What aspect of the music business do K&R enjoy most?
A. Presenting concerts.
Q. How long did Karen take drum lessons before becoming part of the Carpenter Trio?
A. She played snare drum in high school for 8 weeks but as soon as she purchased her first drum set she was part of the trio. Her talent was inborn and she had no need for private lessons.
Q. Did K or R ever work in anything other than the music field when they were in high school or college? (Stores, gas stations, offices etc.?)
A. No. Their jobs were always in the field of music. However, Karen did have a paper route when she was still in elementary school.
Q. Who created the beautiful Carpenters logo?
A. The A & M Art Department.
Q. What is their biggest selling single to date? Album?
A. Single - Close To You with Top Of The World a close second. Album - Close To You with Carpenters running second.
Q. Do K&R follow the record charts?
A. Yes, very closely.
Q. What are K's views on woman's lib?
A. To quote Karen - "I'm happy and proud to be a woman - doing what I'm doing, I don't (have a) need to prove anything."

Since I began this letter, Richard added another car to his collection. So for auto buffs, here is a list of cars that Richard now owns - new ones as well as the oldies:

Due to the increased cost of postage (third class) and keepsake items, membership fees and keepsake item prices will be increased. New price, will be noted in the next newsletter. Also upcoming in the next newsletter will be a complete list of all K & R's gold records - both from, the U.S. and Foreign countries. A new shipment of pens just arrived and now sell for 75 cents each. Your comments on the new album A Kind Of Hush" have been calculated and it seems that the favorite song is "Goofus". So look for it as the next single in your favorite music store soon. Note: If you expect a reply to question you send to the Fan Club, please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope. Foreign members - send a self-addressed envelope and 2 international reply coupons. Rap again, EV

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