When her brother Richard asked her why she plays the drums on national telivision Karen’s reply was, “Why not?!” With such a flippant response we can’t help but think … thank the lord she did. What a sick drummer she was. Check out her traditional grip 2 mins in on the first video and then 4 minutes in when she trades drum solos with HERSELF!
This medley of videos of Karen playing shows with how much ease Karen was able to sing and play. Woah.
“Karen’s drumming was praised by fellow drummers Hal Blaine, Cubby O’Brien, Buddy Rich and Modern Drummer magazine. Many people are unaware that Karen had an impeccable ability to play the drums, in part because the public wanted a singing Karen Carpenter, rather than a drumming Karen Carpenter. However, according to Richard Carpenter in an interview, Karen always considered herself a “drummer who sang.”
1975 – In Playboy‘s annual opinion poll, its readers voted Karen Carpenter the Best Rock Drummer of the year.
1999 – VH1 ranked Karen Carpenter at #29 on their list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll.
2008 – Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Karen Carpenter number 94 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” – Wiki post
R.I.P. you incredible woman.
xo
Tom Tom