Karen Carpenter is known for her soothing voice and beautiful singing of songs like ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ and ‘Close to You.’ She is a beloved 70s singer, but many people don’t realize how amazing she was on drums.
While performing with her brother and a full backing band in Britain in 1976, Karen puts on a drum show for the ages. Wearing a white shirt with the words ‘Lead Sister’ on it, Karen runs all over the stage playing drums.
The primary backing song is ‘Strike Up the Band,’ but the feature is Karen’s incredible skills. She starts on a solo snare drum playing a fury of notes and adding plenty of rim shots.
Her brother Richard sits at the electric piano and comments on the microphone, saying, ‘And then she asked our folks for her own set of drums.’ A complete drum set is wheeled out on stage, and Karen tears it up. She sounds as good as Buddy Rich!
He adds, ‘And more and more furniture kept leaving the house as more and more drums kept moving in!’ Karen stands in front of a row of timbales and Latin percussion. She even plays on the woodblocks too.
Karen runs back across the stage to hit a few more beats on the drum set before arriving at a row of 6 toms on stands. She trades solos with the band’s actual drummer. The back of her shirt reads, ‘Karen ½.’
After returning to the drumset, the band builds up and plays the final chorus of the song with Karen and the band’s drummer riffing away. She stands up to hit the last crash cymbal. The audience roars, and Karen is smiling and taking a bow. Her talent and electric stage presence captivated the audience!
