Carpenters

Here's the story of one of the most successful and revered recording artists in pop-music history: the Carpenters - told for the first time from the perspective of the one person there for it all, Richard Carpenter. Making the scene with a clean-cut image on the heels of Woodstock, the Carpenters were shunned by many contemporaries, critics and even by those within their own record company. In The Musical Legacy, Richard reflects on the Carpenters' journey with heart and humor, but also speaks candidly about the high price of success. Richard has given the authors unprecedented access, including hours of new interviews and thousands of never-before published images from his personal archive. With interest in the Carpenters at a new peak, The Musical Legacy gives Richard Carpenter a perfectly timed platform to shed light on the duo's story and set records straight, making for the definitive biography.

"Coffee table sized, close to 400 pages, littered with previously unseen photographs (the majority in color), ephemera, it's a design super-show....Like their music, it's a book for marveling at, photo after photo after photo, everything from the most casual backstage or studio setting to album cover out-takes, foreign 45 sleeves, TV appearances, the lot." - Goldmine, , "...a book based on hundreds of hours of interviews Richard gave to authors Mike Cidoni Lennox and Chris May. Crammed with photos, posters, programs, reviews and work schedules, it is intended as the definitive story of the 1970s recording stars."-- Reuters, , "Fans who know their songs by heart will welcome "Carpenters: The Musical Legacy."...Pictured throughout the book are treasures from Mr. Carpenter's collection....The most touching photographs are those of his sister, candid shots that show her deep in concentration or smiling radiantly." -- The Wall Street Journal, , "It has the heft and visual history of a coffee table book, but it's also a nearly note-for-note musical biography of the pair that goes back to their childhood lives in New Haven, Connecticut, where Richard Carpenter found the seeds of the group's sound in his father's records and a toy jukebox." -- Associated Press ,

Mike Cidoni Lennox has logged 40 years as an entertainment journalist. He currently serves as a text writer and video producer for the Associated Press. Today, Mike lives in suburban Los Angeles with his husband Brian and their four-legged daughter Emmy. Chris May is a longtime Carpenters expert and historian, as well as a 16-year moderator and contributor for the popular online Carpenters discussion forum at A&M Corner. Chris has over 25 years of experience in the music industry as a music director, arranger, producer and radio host. Today, Chris lives in the Palm Springs area with his wife Jozelle, and continues to work as a consultant, freelance music director and arranger.

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