Little Girl Blue (55 page)

In December 2003, Karen Carpenter's body, along with the bodies of her parents, was exhumed from the crypt at Forest Lawn Cypress and reinterred in a new Carpenter family mausoleum in the Tranquility Gardens at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake
Village, California.
Entertainment Tonight
explained that the cemetery in Cypress was more than an hour's drive for Richard, while the Westlake Village location was only minutes from his home in Thousand Oaks. “
With room for six
,” they reported, “the 46,000-pound Partenope-style structure was constructed in Texas over seven months. It is polished sunset red with beautiful warmth and color and lively crystal patterns. Similar structures have a price range of $600,000.”

Unaware of the move, a number of visitors arrived in Cypress that Christmas to pay their respects but were shocked to find the empty grave. Forest Lawn employees were unable to disclose any details but offered a rather palpable statement: “Miss Carpenter is no longer with us.”

“I
RREPLACEABLE
.” A
LWAYS
a master at crafting words into poetic song lyrics, John Bettis offered this one word recapitulation of Karen Carpenter. “
Irreplaceable
. Not just the voice, but the person. . . . She was just beginning to blossom as a person. There was so much there that very few people got to see: the sense of humor, the sense of life. There was a certain profundity to Karen. If you believe in all this old soul stuff, there was always a sense that Karen knew more than she had any right to know. She had a sense of feeling and understanding about people that was remarkable.”

Olivia Newton-John cherishes her memories of Karen, their friendship, and their admiration for one another as fellow pop singers. She recalls her “perfect pitch, beautiful tone, beautiful interpretation of a lyric, and a very simple, very soothing sound” and says that the feeling in Karen's voice “can't be taught. It's a gift that she had that came from within.”

Recalling Karen as an incredibly spirited person, Phil Ramone expresses regret that someone so feisty and vivacious never fully succeeded in breaking free and establishing a singular identity. “Her dreams of what a family and her life could be weren't accomplished,” he says. “The top two things in her life—interchangeably—were her music and her family. There's no question how much she cared for her
family, but they were a close-knit family with things that frustrated her. At the end of the day, no one really ever understood that she had some kind of an eating disorder. If life were reasonably fair, therapy would have been there for her ten years earlier. It just wasn't there.”

Not a day goes by that Itchie Ramone does not think of Karen or is not reminded of her in some way. “What can one say about losing your best friend?” she asks, struggling to articulate the void. “In terms of her voice and her music, I still have her there, but I miss the company. I miss her wit. She was
very
witty! I miss us pulling jokes on each other. What can I say? She will forever remain in my heart. She was Lucy and I was Ethel.”

“I feel very, very robbed. We all do,” says Frenda Franklin. “Karen touched your life and embraced it with such laughter and fun and happiness. Her take on everything was so left of center, and she was
special
. It's an overused word, no question, but not in her case. She really, really was as unique a person as her voice was unique. I don't know how else to say it. You can't replace that.”

I
N WRITING
this biography I have been assisted by hundreds of people and consider it to be a collaboration between the individuals who agreed to be interviewed and others who contributed to my research in a number of ways. Some shared articles, interviews, concert reviews, audio, and video footage. Others provided important documents, transcripts, photographs, and additional material. All played an important role in the telling of Karen Carpenter's life story.

Several important teachers supported my interest in the Carpenters as a youth and encouraged me to write about their lives and music: Elaine Garvin, Zonelle Rainbolt, Shannon Cunningham, Rebecca Gilchrist, and Billie Goetsch. I also wish to recognize several music educators who shared with me their passion for the art: the late JoAnn Carlson, Jennifer Wedel, Mike Plunkett, Suzanne Aylor, and Charles “Skip” Klingman.

I am grateful to Chicago Review Press for believing in
Little Girl Blue
, and to my meticulous editors, Yuval Taylor and Lisa Reardon, whose passion for this project has remained strong. Their endless support and thorough attention to detail is greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to artist Chris Tassin for his lovely rendering of Karen created exclusively for this book; to Dionne Warwick for her heartfelt foreword; to Petula Clark for her assistance; to Carrie Mitchum for inadvertently introducing me to Karen Carpenter's life story and
music; to Barry Morrow, who, in addition to providing files, script revisions, and other important documents, gave this project a much-appreciated change of direction; to Cynthia Gibb and Mitchell Anderson; and to Cynthia Cherbak for sharing additional script revisions and correspondence.

My thanks to Karen's childhood friends Debbie Cuticello and husband C.J. for years of support and for the guided tour of Hall Street and Nathan Hale School in 1996; to Frank Bonito for his encouragement and contribution of previously unseen photos; to Frankie Chavez for sharing his memories of Karen and her inscription in his yearbook; to Leslie Johnston, who recalled the Spectrum era; and to choral music legend Frank Pooler for his contribution of various resources and photos from his personal archives.

Evelyn Wallace deserves a resounding thank-you, due in part to her willingness to recall enough “Karen stories” to fill eight audiotapes. I first met Ev in 1994. Three years later she personally guided me through the Carpenter estate at 9828 Newville Avenue, by then a time capsule akin to Elvis's Graceland. (The property remained in the Carpenter family until June 1997. Sadly, in 2008 a large portion of the home was demolished.) Ev was the personal connection to the Carpenters for fans of their music for nearly three decades. Collectively, her fan club newsletters serve as one of the most comprehensive resources for information about the Carpenters' lives and their music.

Words cannot express my gratitude to two of Karen's closest friends, Frenda Franklin and Karen “Itchie” Ramone. Extremely private and fiercely protective of her memories, Frenda (with rare exception) has not granted interviews regarding her friendship with Karen. As for Itchie, she became a cheerleader for my efforts with this book, just as she had been a cheerleader for Karen since the two first met in 1979. I am indebted to both Frenda and Itchie for their honesty and openness.

My thanks to Carole Curb for years of support and for encouraging Frenda to participate after six or seven years of my subtle but persistent efforts; to Mike Curb for taking time from his busy schedule as head of Curb Records to talk with me; to Maria Luisa Galeazzi, who shared numerous photographs and made herself readily available by phone and
e-mail; to Terry Ellis, who surfaced just in time to share his remarkable insight and stories; to Cherry Boone O'Neill for her memories and observations; to Olivia Newton-John, whose initial phone call succeeded in permanently brightening my life; to Phil Ramone for a great interview and several much-appreciated follow-ups; and to Liberty DeVitto, Bob James, Russell Javors, and Rob Mounsey for recalling the 1979–1980 solo sessions.

Thanks to journalist Jon Burlingame, who interviewed Richard Carpenter on November 18, 1988. I appreciate Jon's willingness to dig for the tape and am especially grateful for his permission to transcribe and use the interview in this book. Thanks also to John Tobler for permission to use transcripts of his in-depth interviews with Herb Alpert, Sherwin Bash, and John Bettis.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following individuals and their respective institutions and organizations: Bob Garcia, former publicity director at A&M Records, for arranging a tour of A&M offices, studios, and the Chaplin soundstage in 1996; Jim O'Grady for research he conducted at the Downey City Library; Marilynn Hughes for records assistance at the Downey Police Department; Pamela R. Cornell at the Historical Research Center at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library; Marsha Grigsby in the Office of the Los Angeles County Coroner; Michelle Dyson with National Medical Services in Pennsylvania; Bill Hosley of the New Haven Museum and Historical Society; Allen Rice of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum; David Konjoyan and Paul Madeira of the Recording Academy; Storytech Literary Consulting and Brad Schreiber; Donna Honeycutt, George Redfox, John Vincent, and Frank Williams at the Downey Historical Society; Kristie French with the Frank Pooler Collection at California State University Long Beach; Connie Griffin at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center; Lauren Buisson with the A&M Records Collection at the University of Southern California Los Angeles; and Brooke Megdal, founder/director of the Loving Heart Center in Brentwood, California, for helping me to better understand anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders.

In 1994 I organized the Newville Avenue Carpenters Mailing List, one of the first and largest online networks devoted to the Carpenters. Much knowledge was shared and many friendships were born during the group's six-year existence. The fans are the experts, and I have learned so much from their willingness to share that expertise. Two generous fans in particular, Lindeigh Scotte and Cindy Ward, left us much too soon and too young. It is in memory of their giving spirits and kindness to all Carpenters fans that I dedicate this book.

Many thanks to my team of experts—Amanda Abbett, Carolyn Allen, Donnie Demers, Sue Gustin, and Chris Tassin—who spent countless hours attentively poring over my drafts, fact checking, and offering insightful comments and suggestions. I consider their knowledge and input to have been invaluable, and their patience is greatly appreciated. Also assisting in the reading of various chapter drafts were Jeffrey de Hart, Robert Ingves, and Paul Steinberg. Photo research assistance was provided by Miranda Bardwell, Donnie Demers, and Jill Anne Matusek, and special thanks to Matusek and Leo Bonaventura for their generosity in sponsoring several important photographs that might not otherwise have been possible. My appreciation also goes to Paul Ashurst, who shared copies of Karen's wedding scrapbook.

I am indebted to Pecan Creek Elementary for providing me with a creative and supportive environment in which to work. In addition to my principal, Aleta Atkinson, and assistant principal, Emily McLarty, the staff, students, and parents have been a cooperative and encouraging captive audience.

Thanks also to Laura Adam, Nancy Alexander, Randy Anglin, Viv Atkinson, Sherry Rayn Barnett, Nick Barraclough, Peter Benjamin-son, Jeff Bleiel, Ken Bertwell, Joe Bine, Dana Britten-Stein, Ron Bunt, Chip Cogswell, Bradley Coker, Steve Cox, Mark Crow, Jason Douglas, Patrick Driscoll, Brenda Ehly, Heidi Ewing, Bob Finholm, Julia Foot, Ashley Franklin, Michael J. Glenn, David Grant, Becky Judd, Sydney Junior, Donovan Keogh, Carlos Keyes, Inga Kleinrichert, Jon Konjoyan, Jay Lumbee, Joshua Mahn, Cindy Martin, Rhonda Martinez, Chris May, Doug McComas, Bob McDonald, Bonnie Miller, Vicki Mitchell, Jena Morrow, Nancy Munoz, Yuka Ogura, Jonathan
Owen, Laura Pascoe, Mark Pelzel, Mary Perica, Samantha Peters, Ronald Pledge, Robert Polston, Ying Qin, Pam Quiggle, Matt Ramone, Stephen Richardson, Jaime Rodriguez, Celso Lopes Santos, Victoria Sarinelli, Bonnie Schiffman, Jennifer Schmidt, Norma Segarra, Daniel Selby, Julie Stanfield, Jeffrey Strain, Tiana Galeazzi Taylor, J.B. Thomas, Vickie VanArtsdalen, Pamela Verona, Denise Wagorn, Kimberly Wall, Cindy Williams, and Ron Zurek.

Finally, I wish to thank my family for their love and support: my parents, Linda Schmidt and Ron and Frances Schmidt; my sister, Rhonda Morrison; and my beautiful, talented, and entertaining daughters, Camryn and Kaylee.

T
HE
C
ARPENTERS
released ten traditional studio albums between the years 1969 and 1981. This selected discography refers to each original conception as first released on A&M Records in the United States. Singles from each album are noted, as are peak U.S. chart positions for both albums and singles. Only the most significant posthumous releases and compilations (notably those containing previously unreleased material) are included. Also listed are Karen's solo releases and other various issues.

Invocation / Your Wonderful Parade / Someday / Get Together / All of My Life / Turn Away / Ticket to Ride / Don't Be Afraid / What's the Use / All I Can Do / Eve / Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing / Benediction