Richard Carpenter
has long been known as one-half of the legendary pop duo, the Carpenters, who were one of the most popular artists on the charts throughout the 1970s and the early ‘80s. The Grammy-winning duo consisted of renowned singer Karen Carpenter (who died in 1983 at the age of 32) and Richard, who was their record producer, one of their songwriters, arranger, pianist, keyboardist and harmony vocalist.

As a songwriter, Carpenter co-wrote (with John Bettis) four of the duo’s Top 10 pop hits, including their number one hit “Top of the World,” “Goodbye to Love,” “Yesterday Once More” and “Only Yesterday.” In addition, he co-wrote their classic holiday song, “Merry Christmas, Darling,” and he co-wrote many other songs for their albums.