Richard Carpenter performing in Barnstaple next year

Legendary songwriter Richard Carpenter, one half of the best-selling duo of the 1970s The Carpenters is coming to the Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple next year.

For the first time ever he’ll be both performing and telling the stories behind the incredible hits produced by the iconic duo.

The Barnstaple leg of the UK tour is on Wednesday, September 18.  

Richard will share anecdotes and reflections on how he and his late sister, Karen Carpenter, took the world by storm, becoming one of the most successful duos in music history.

No fewer than ten of The Carpenters’ singles went on to become million-sellers and by 2020 combined worldwide sales of albums and singles well exceeded 150 million units.

Yet the Carpenters were much more than creators of beautifully crafted and hugely successful hit records. Within the space of just a few years their unique and inimitable sound had brought a new dimension to the world of popular music.

During their 14-year career, they won three Grammy Awards and were nominated for a Grammy Award 15 times.

They first performed together as a duo in 1966 and formed the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio. Then Richard and Karen signed as Carpenters to A&M Records in 1969, they achieved major success the following year with the hit singles (They Long To Be) Close To You and We’ve Only Just Begun.

In December 1969, they met Burt Bacharach, who was impressed by their work and invited the duo to open for him at a charity concert, which should include them performing a medley of Bacharach / Hal David songs.

The Carpenters had a string of hit singles and albums through the early 1970s. Richard heard For All We Know and saw the song's potential for the Carpenters and recorded it in the autumn of 1970.

The track became the duo's third gold single, and later won an Oscar for Best Original Song. On March 16, 1971, the duo received two Grammy Awards, winning Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus

Just some of their incredible number of hits include: (They Long To Be) Close To You, Yesterday Once More, Superstar, Top Of the World, Rainy Days And Mondays, Only Yesterday, Please Mr Postman, There’s A Kind Of Hush, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft, Goodbye To Love, We’ve Only Just Begun and Solitaire.

For tickets call 01271 316523 or go to www.queenstheatre-barnstaple.com.