Hi Fans!

This is EV apologizing for the lateness of this letter. Twice in April I was called back to Wisconsin because of the illness and then the death of a very dear aunt. Congratulations from Carpenters and staff to those of you who will be graduating next month. We all wish you much success in whatever you choose to do, whether it is to continue your education or start a career.

You are all probably aware by now of Karen & Richard's latest single All You Get From Love Is A Love Song which was released May 2, 1977. They chose for the flip side, the beautiful love ballad written by John Bettis and arranged by Richard I Have You taken from their last album A Kind Of Hush. In keeping with the current mode, the new single has a swinging upbeat style guaranteed to get you dancing and tapping your toes! We have high hopes for it's success on the charts in the very near future.

Karen and Mom wish to convey once again their very grateful thanks for the lovely cards they received from you all for their recent birthdays. A dinner party at home with close friends of the family was the highlight of both birthdays. Richard recently entered eight cars from his collection in the Long Beach Concours D'Elegance car show which was an elegant spectacle. It was held in the Shipside parking lot of the beautiful Queen Mary which served as an elegant background for picture taking. Though he received no awards, he enjoyed the novelty of participation in his first competition. He also enjoyed conversing with other car enthusiasts. Spectators derived much pleasure from viewing the cars while listening to Carpenters music which was played on the public address system. Richard's entries were: 1929 Desoto Deluxe coupe in Vintage vehicle Class. 1954 Corvette Roadster, 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible & 1958 Chrysler 300.D Convertible entered the "Nifty Fifties" class. 1965 Plymouth Convertible in "Modern Motorcars". 1965 Corvette Convertible and 1969 Jaguar XKE Coupe entered the "Contemporary" Division.

The latest additions to his collection (which now numbers 50) are a 1960 Pontiac Bonneville, 1961 Lincoln Continental, 1970 Plymouth Hemicuda, 1977 Chevrolet Caprice and 1957 Plymouth Golden Fury. Mom and Dad were delighted to receive a 1930 model A Ford Roadster as a gift from Karen and Richard to mark the occasion of their 42^nd Wedding Anniversary, April 9th. Numerous friends helped them celebrate by attending a lovely party in their home, hosted by Karen and Richard. Buffet tables were set up in the huge music room where guests dined and were treated to beautiful piano renditions by Richard.

In response to numerous requests, we now have a supply of new T-shirts featuring the new logo/silhouette available as follows: Children's size 16 only, white shirt/red logo. White shirt/green logo. Adult sizes, small, medium, large. ex-large. White shirt/red trim neck and sleeves with matching logo. White shirt/navy blue trim neck, sleeves with matching logo. Also, all sizes (adult) except ex-large white shirt/no trim, but a beautiful color green logo Prices as follows: U.S.A. children's shirts XX.XX. U.S.A. Adult's shirts XX.XX. Overseas children's shirts XX.XX. Overseas adult's shirts XX.XX. These are a superior quality 100% cotton, pre-shrunk and very attractive.

It is with much regret that in order for Karen and Richard to complete their new album, they have been compelled to cancel all tours for the month of June. They apologize to all disappointed fans.

I apologize for omitting in an earlier newsletter the lovely gift the Dutch Carpenters Fan club presented to Karen and Richard while touring Holland last November. It was a magnificent delft porcelain plate depicting one of Holland's famous windmills, and set on to a wooden plaque which is appropriately engraved in remembrance of their visit. A very charming gesture which is cherished with happy memories.

The following additions to the schedule are now at hands June 30 through July 13, MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. August 2 through 15, Harrah's Lake Tahoe, Nevada. A tour of Japan is scheduled for September 14 through October 6, but no list of cities is available at this time.

Memorial Day weekend promises to be a very memorable fun time for Karen and Richard. They have been invited to Las Vegas to be a part of a Celebrity baseball team who has challenged The Press. Other celebrities who will participate include Kenny Rogers, John Denver, Roy Clark, Rich Little, Alice Cooper, Ann Margaret, Connie Stevens, Ronnie Shore, Bruce Jenner will be there and may participate if his broken leg completely heals. Others who have been invited are Lee and Farah Faucett Majors, Wayne Newton, Jerry Lewis, Henry Winkler (The Fonz), Cindy Williams, Tom Jones, Don Ho, Ethel Kennedy, Bernadette Peters, Steve Martin, Robert Goulet, Don Henley (of The Eagles), Johnny Carson and Chip Carter (that's right-the President's son.) The game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Sunday, May 29th at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in aid of Nevada Mentally Handicapped Special Olympics. Celebrity appetites shall be satisfied at a 6:00 p.m. dinner at the Golden Nugget Casino, the Club that is sponsoring the game.

Wedding bells will soon ring for group member Doug Strawn. He will marry Nancy Christensen May 21 at the First Christian Church of Anaheim, Calif.

Plans for another t.v. Special later this year are in the preliminary stage as this goes to press, but I will keep you in touch with further developments in a future newsletter.

Due to the large influx of questions pertaining to mom and Dad Carpenter their bio will be postponed to a later newsletter. Thank you for sending in very interesting and intelligent questions. They will help me in conducting a more interesting interview. Please let me know what you would like to know about them, and I will try to honor all reasonable requests.

Q. Did Richard ever own a 1969 Roadrunner?

A. The 1969 Roadrunner was purchased as a family car, but became Karen's when she attended the University of California at Long Beach. This was her first car.

Q. How old was Richard when he got his first car and what kind was it?

A. Richard's very first car was a 1957 Plymouth a door hard top Savoy, purchased for him when he was 15 in New Haven (1962.) It was left behind when the family moved to California in 1983.

Q. Are there any plans for an Australian tour?

A. Not at this time.

Q. Have any of their singles or albums sold over 2 million in the U.S.A.?

A. Singles - No. Albums - Yes. Close To You, Carpenters, and The Singles- 1969-1973 sold over 2 million copies each in the U.S.A.

Q. What is Richard's favorite Spike Jones song?

A. Holiday For Strings.

Q. Does Gayle Levant play the harp on all their albums?

A. Yes, except for 2 tracks, Heather and Sandy, Dorothy Renser was the harpist on these.

Q. What does Karen do for voice warm-up's?

A. Nothing.

Q. Approximately how many records does Richard own?

A. 3,000.

Q. Are any members of the road family into the current C.B. craze?

A. Yes - Doug Strawn and Danny Woodhams.

We wish you all a Happy and Safe Summer. Rap later. EV.

Last changed: Wed Jul 6 10:40:33 EDT 2005