Hi Fans,

Karen and Mom Carpenter send much thanks for your thoughtfulness in remembering their birthdays. The lovely cards arriving from fans throughout the world are being secured in their "Books of Memories". We never refer to these books as scrapbooks because the material contained in them is NOT scrap. From the day of their birth, Mom Carpenter has been very diligent in saving clippings concerning them, printed programs from various performances in which K & R participated, school awards and certificates, and of course, family snapshots and photos. For the past 7 years your contributions of letters, greeting cards, stories, plays, poems, artwork, telegrams, snapshots, etc. have increased the Memories collection from a few books to well over a hundred. Visitors in the Carpenter home are delighted to be shown the collection and are amazed at the lovely numerous items that have been preserved for them. Thank you for helping to make this remarkable "Memories" library possible.

ATTENTION COLIECTORS: We have some brand new colored photos of K & R taken from their TV Special. They are 8" X 10" and will enhance any wall in any home. Price is the same as the earlier ones ($X.XX each for U.S. members and $X.XX each for foreign). There's beautiful shot of Karen in the lovely chiffon and sparkly dress she wore, another of Richard in blue sweater at the Wurlitzer piano, and a third of the two of them together standing. These are available only through the Fan Club and will be a collector's item.

Now with new questions:

Q. What kind of car does Karen own?

A. Unlike her brother, she owns only one. It is a Mercedes Benz 350 SL. (1972)

Q. Has Richard added any cars to his collection since the last newsletter?

A. Yes, five more. (1) 1963 Chrysler - 300J (2) 1955 Chrysler - C300 (3) 1977 Pontiac Transam Firebird (4) 1959 Dodge - Custom Royal (5) 1958 Chrysler - 300D. He also has a '76 Ferrari on order.

Q. What has been their most memorable occasion?

A. There have been a number of memorable occasions, but the one that means the most to them is the day that their single Close To You became number one on all charts.

Q. If they were not entertainers, what career would they have chosen?

A. Both would have chosen some segment of the entertainment field.

Q. Who plays castanets and vibes on their albums?

A. Karen & Richard.

Q. Did Karen or Richard ever participate in sports when they attended high school?

A. No. They were members of the marching band whose members were excused from gymnasium classes. Karen played glockenspiel, then snare drum. Because of Richard's superb piano ability, he was given classical piano assignments and was left at the piano to practice while the band members were practicing marching.

Q. How old was Karen when she began playing drums?

A. Sixteen.

Q. Do they object to pictures being taken while they are performing?

A. Absolutely NOT.

Q. When sales are counted for possible gold and/platinum records, are the sales of 8 track tapes and cassettes counted too?

A. Yes, they are counted.

Q. What does A. & M. stand for?

A. The last names of the owners of the recording studio. A is Alpert (Herb) and M Moss (Jerry).

Q Does Karen read music?

A. Yes.

Q. What is the name of K & R's Publishing company?

A. They have two. One is Ars Nova and the other is Hammer and Nails.

Q. Have either of them ever had a complexion problem?

A. No. Their skin has always been soft and clear; possibly due to the fact that neither of them were great "sweets eaters" during their adolescent years.

Q. What is the longest Karen's hair has ever been?

A. About three inches below her shoulders.

Q How many members are there in the fan club?

A. About 10,000. We wish is to keep it small so it can be handled on a personal bases. Large fan clubs become very impersonal and many are computerized.

Q. That are the ages of Mush and Lady?

A. To new members - Mush and Lady are Karen's dogs, Lady, her Belgian Shepherd is 12 years old and Mush, her Samoed will be 6 years old in October.

Q. From overseas - What is a sitcom -- a condominium -- Bleachers?

A. Sitcom and condominium are new U.S.A. words. Bleachers has been used for quite some time. Sitcom is a Situation Comedy on T.V. A condominium is a flat or apartment which has been purchased by the tenant. Karen purchased two (side by side) in a very elegant building and tore down the wall between them to make one huge luxurious suite. Bleachers are wooden stands that serve as seats for spectators.

Q. That are the white spots that appear on their house on the Now And Then album cover?

A. They are white rocks that have been worked into the design of the exterior.

NOTE: just received more information concerning the Spanish version of Sing. It is called CANTA and is on the flip side of Jambalaya.

The days they spent in Canada taping the Dorothy Hamill Special were cold. Weather below zero. From Canada, they flew to Lake Tahoe where they appeared at Harrah's Club for four days. The day they were to return home, Mother Nature detained them for hours by sending a blizzard that grounded all planes in Tahoe. It took some time for roads to be cleared and a 1imo took them to Reno where weather conditions were a bit better and they were able to leave. Mr. Harrah generously furnished one of his private planes for the flight home. Karen's birthday was a quiet one, spent with family and to close friends. A birthday dinner was enjoyed at home and all viewed the Dorothy Hamill show. Richard has been spending most of his time researching songs for another album and arranging those he finds suitable. It will be awhile before another album is released a their performance schedule will interrupt the work that Richard must complete before actual record starts. Karen has been busy arranging her new home to her satisfaction and enjoys shopping for the household items she needs. Her favorite room is her huge bright kitchen where she loves trying out recipes from the wealth of cook books she has accumulated. Like her mom, she is an excellent cook.

NOTE: The 76 Ferrari mentioned on page 1 has arrived, bringing the number of cars in his collection to 45. This Ferrari is a beautiful silver-gray with black interior.

There's been a number of requests for a thumbnail bio of Mom and Dad Carpenter so if a goes well, I will try to honor this request in the next issue. They are so busy helping Richard in the refurbishing of his cars, it is very difficult to get them to sit still long enough for an interview. I'll see what I can do between now and May 1st. Rap then, EV

Last changed: Mon Jun 27 22:28:33 EDT 2005