Hello Friends,

The Carpenters Music Video has been completed and will be released February 28. The long hours Richard spent at A & M Studios resulted in a beautiful tape of Carpenters hits entitled Yesterday Once More. The video will include clips from some of their TV Specials, plus many rare photographs. You will also see their star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Total running time is 55 minutes, 13 seconds. PLEASE! BE ADVISED THAT THE VIDEO TAPE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FROM THE FAN CLUB, but will be distributed to local video outlets. The price will be $XX.XX.

A new music book has been published which is available from the fan club priced at $XX.XX to U.S. members and $XX.XX for overseas members. Carpenters Greatest Hits is for piano, vocal and chords. The lovely photo from the sleeve of the album Made In America, graces the cover and there are three beautiful pictures of the duo within the book.

Richard, with his wife, Mary, and his parents, Harold and Agnes Carpenter, flew to the East Coast, Friday February 8, at the request of the Air Force. Richard performed with the Air Force Band as guest pianist, Sunday, February 10 in Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. Selections included Slaughter on Fifth Avenue, Dizzy Fingers, Flat Baroque, Warsaw Concerto, and Star Wars / Close Encounters. At the close of the concert, the party drove to Baltimore to visit relatives.

I just received a call from the publisher of the Carpenter Music Books. He informed me of the publication of Carpenters Complete, a two volume edition of their songs. At this writing, I can not give you a description of the books , nor the price of them, but an order is on the way to the fan club office and will be available very soon.

February 4 marked the second anniversary of the passing of our beloved Karen. Your kind remembrances and beautiful floral gifts placed at her crypt, tells us of your love or her. The Carpenter family sends sincere thanks for your continued devotion and for these lovely memorial offerings.

NOTE TO JAPANESE FANS: Work is now in progress for the release in Japan, of a new Carpenters album for Japanese fans. It will be a four record set, the name of which, has not yet been decided. It will be released in the near future. WE REGRET THAT THIS ALBUM WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES.

We selected a number of questions often asked by fans, and Richard took time from his busy schedule to reply to them.

Q. When the Carpenters first started out, did they play all one nighters or a week at a time?

A. Both.

Q. In their early public appearances did the Carpenters have their music memorized or did they have it in front of them?

A. Memorized, of course.

Q When can we expect Richard's solo album to be released?

A. Late 1985, early 1986.

Q. Why wasn't Christmas Alphabet from the first Christmas Special, included on An Old Fashioned Christmas?

A. It is a unison duet with Kristy McNichol. Karen and Kristy's voices were recorded on the same track.

Q. Will the songs Little Girl Blue, Dancing in the Streets, Make It Easy On Yourself, and When I Fall in Love that K & R recorded for a TV Special, ever be included on a future Carpenters album?

A. Possibly.

Q. What album was Karen's favorite?

A. Made In America.

Q. For which Las Vegas hotel/casinos did Richard and Karen perform?

A. The Sands, Riviera, and the MGM Grand.

Q. That are Richard's feelings on the increasingly popular compact Disc?

A. Richard owns two "CD" players and is delighted with the "CD" frequency response, lack of distortion, and absence of surface noise. He feels they are here to stay.

Q. How many copies has the classic "Merry Christmas, Darling" sold to date?

A. Approximately 600,000.

Q. Would Richard ever consider forming his own record label?

A. No.

Q. The February 21, 1983 edition of "People" magazine, quotes Karen's hairdresser, Arthur John, as saying, "Karen had started writing songs", What has become of them?

A. "People" magazine was mistaken. Karen had never written any songs.

Q. Who originally recorded Beechwood 4-5789?

A. The Marvelettes.

Q. How many promotional films were made, and of what songs?

A. Love is Surrender, Close to You, Superstar, Rainy Days and Mondays, Hurting Each Other, Please Mr. Postman (filmed at Disneyland), Only Yesterday, I Need to be in Love, Calling Occupants, All You Get from Love is a Love Song, There's a Kind of Hush, Beechwood 4-5789, Those Good Old Dreams, Touch Me Then We're Dancing. Eleven of these are among the fifteen selections featured in the Carpenter's video, Yesterday Once More.

Q. What and when were The TV Specials?

A. The Carpenters Very First Television Special 1976. The Carpenters at Christmas 1977. Space Encounters 1978. Christmas Portrait 1978. Music, Music, Music 1980. All were aired on ABC.

Q. Who is the H. B. Carpenter whose signature appears on my membership card?

A. For the few who may not know, H. B. Carpenter is the inimitable Harold Bertram Carpenter, Karen and Richard's father.

Q. In Reverend Charles Neal's "In Remembrance" for Karen, he stated that Karen was born into the home of Harold, Agnes, Richard and Joan. Who is Joan and what is her current status?

A. Joan is one of the Carpenter's cousins and was raised from the age of eighteen months by Harold and Agnes. She is presently married and resides in Downey just a few miles away from the Carpenter home.

Dear Friends,

I now approach the most difficult segment of this, my final newsletter to you. As incomprehensible as it appears to me, mother nature dictates the time for my retirement has arrived. It is with deep and mixed emotions that I "officially" sever my connections with the Carpenters International Fanclub at the end of this month. I have been very privileged to have held such a unique position for the past 11 1/2 years, and I thank you all most sincerely for having made my job such a pleasant one through the warmth of your friendly correspondence.

Most of all I thank you for your awesome dedication and loyalty to our mutual idols ever the years, (no artist could hope for better fans), and I derive comfort from knowing you will continue to support Richard as he embarks on his solo career.

I will cherish forever the happy memories of my association with the Carpenters and their wonderful fans.

Thank you so much, and may God Bless You All. Rosina.

Last changed: Thu Sep 15 09:34:33 EDT 2005