‘This Show Rocks’: How The Carpenters built a singular sound

In the 1970s and early 1980s, The Carpenters were one of America’s best-loved musical acts. Karen Carpenter’s mellifluous contralto vocals and brother Richard Carpenter’s multilayered musical arrangements garnered legions of fans following hits like “Superstar” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You.”

Now, decades after Karen Carpenter’s well-publicized 1983 death from anorexia at age 32, the Carpenters’ music is making a bit of comeback. That may be thanks in part to Helen Welch, an Ohio-based performer who fell into doing a Carpenters tribute show almost by accident. The show instantly met with rave reviews, and after first performing it in 2010 — and receiving Richard Carpenter’s formal blessing — she eventually began to bring "Carpenters: The Songs, The Stories" to other cities.