Other Female Drummers!

[Sue]

Today on BBC breakfast news there was an article about our most famous 12 year old female drummer. There's been a lot of publicity this year about drummers, particularly linked to Taylor Hawkins.
Every news article makes me think of Karen and wonde if the young female drummers of today have ever heard of Karen Carpenter the drummer! I will try and share the link to this mornings article.

Girl, 12, drums at Hawkins stadium memorial gig - BBC News

Nandi Bushell says taking the place of the late Foo Fighters drummer was "amazing... but sad".

www.bbc.co.uk

Definitely worth a look. Taylor's 16 year old son is amazing as well but
Nandi Bushell @ 12yrs is just amazing!
Just made me wonder if KC had been given this publicity as a drummer, would she ever have come out from behind that drum kit!

 

[Tom_P]

On this subject, I thought you might like to see this.

The Honeycombs: Have I The Right?

 

[AM Matt]

Gina Schock of The Go-Go's, Debbi Peterson of The Bangles & Janet Weiss of Sleater Kinney.

 

[1969]

Someone said somewhere, what Adele is to now is what Karen was to the 70's. Adele singing "Hello" on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden at about 2:10 She tells him she was playing drums on "Hello." She does have a drums credit on the album. Have no idea what her skill level is compared to Karen's.

 

[1969]

From Canada's longest running radio documentary series: The Ongoing History of New Music, Episode 959: The History of Female Drummers. Airdate: July 2022 or a few days ago? The host, Alan Cross, starts by describing when he first learned there were female drummers when he saw Karen on the Carpenters first TV special. KC still being recognized as a drummer in 2022. I think she would be happy.

(The one general criticism of female drummers that was mentioned was the "not enough strength" line. Made me think about the issue of replacing KC with Hal Blaine for "Close to You" and onward.)

The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 959: The History of Female Drummers | Alan Cross

Many years ago when I was just a wee lad, I remember seeing The Carpenters on TV. The Carpenters First Television Special ran in 1976 and featured

www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com

Podcast can be found easier on the following website. Scroll down about 25 episodes in the list to find it.

The Ongoing History of New Music

Canada’s longest running radio documentary. Since its debut in January 1993, hundreds and hundreds of shows have aired in Toronto, across Canada and through the US. (There’s been a lot of bootlegging which we’ll take as flattery, too.) Each week, the show looks at something from the alt-rock...

edge.ca

 

[1969]

Carrie Underwood, serious drummer or just for show?

Wideopencountry.com news article covering opening night (Oct. 15, 2022) of Carrie Underwood's 43-city Denim & Rhinestones Tour at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. ---

"While performing "Poor Everybody Else," Underwood showed a different side of her musical talent via an epic drum solo. Underwood's crowd-thrilling move was reminiscent of both that famous video of The Carpenters' Karen Carpenter demonstrating her virtuosic drumming skills and country music outsider Margo Price's regular live detours to the drum kit."

 

[Walkinat9]

And then of course there's Caroline Corr with The Corrs 🇮🇪




Not just on the drums, but also on this cool traditional bodhrán 😎 :

 

[hannahtobin]

And then of course there's Caroline Corr with The Corrs 🇮🇪




Not just on the drums, but also on this cool traditional bodhrán 😎 :

Great to see modern band play traditional instruments.

 

[JohnFB]

See also recent Post in thread '[Album]: "CLOSE TO YOU" (SP-4271)' ⭐ Official Review - [Album]: "CLOSE TO YOU" (SP-4271)
From @hannahtobin

 

[JohnFB]

(The one general criticism of female drummers that was mentioned was the "not enough strength" line. Made me think about the issue of replacing KC with Hal Blaine for "Close to You"...

More than likely there were other reasons than "strength" (just how strong dud she have to be?) for replacing Karen on drums on their recordings, from buddy-buddy favoritism towards Hal to wanting to help him get more work to pay his bills to a lack of full appreciation of Karen's skills to sexism to jealousy about her getting too much attention & credit to a misguided idea about just how much drumming their songs needed and how prominent it had to be...I will always maintain that there was nothing that they ever recorded that she couldn't have handled, and very nicely and tastefully, thank you...the only acceptable excuse for replacing her at any point would have been that she simply didn't want to play drums on a given song for some reason or another...

 

[bob knack]

 

[Nemily]

More than likely there were other reasons than "strength" (just how strong dud she have to be?) for replacing Karen on drums on their recordings

...I will always maintain that there was nothing that they ever recorded that she couldn't have handled, and very nicely and tastefully,

I agree with these things, about what Karen could have handled early on. Later on, she just stopped putting in the effort into practicing (most likely because of their schedule). 99 out of 100 times that is a wrong turn for drummers and health aside, the only correction is to get back to it.

My initial true interest in Carpenters was Karen Carpenter’s jazz influenced rhythm patterns and time keeping. Just like everyone else, my first exposure to the Duo was (They long to be) Close to You and We’ve only Just Begun. However, these two hits as you said, did feature Hal Blaine in the studio. Blaine’s session work with the Wrecking Crew and his contract work, made him a popular ringer brought in to support hit records for many bands.

Then I saw Carpenters on TV in the summer of 1971 on their variety series. Even though these were not live performances, I made the connection and learned that Karen’s drumming on her own studio songs had more of a jazz command contrary to when she successfully emulated Hal Blaine’s session pop-rock work. Just my two cents but I believe that Blaine could have just tutored Karen on transitioning to pop and she could have done the studio work herself. Those involved in the CTY recording were having all kinds of bumps in the road with CTY and rhythm was one of them, so I get needing his studio experience on that one, but that one only.

After I discovered Offering, that did it for me as far as being a devoted fan. She was just a girl at one with her drums. Loved it. Later after her drumming was few and far between, I remained a fan, now aware that Karen’s vocal talents were truly timeless and that Richard was way more than being the keyboard player, but it was because of her jazz training and rhythm that I first followed them.

Every drummer has their own unique style i.e. you should be able to recognize who is playing from behind a closed door without seeing them (this is true of a great many instruments). That being the case with Karen. A Jazz influenced drummer requires strength however not does not require great strength. This is why Offering and a few individual studio recordings with Karen drumming, have a hallmark distinction from the ones with session drummers.

I do not believe that strength had anything to do with making Karen a front woman. Her skills were certainly good enough for the Richard Carpenter Trio. They just eventually ventured off to a non-jazz direction. After all, when they were on stage and often rushing through the Bacharach Medley, it was Karen setting the tempo, not Karen keeping pace with the band. She was a force.

 

[newvillefan]

After all, when they were on stage and often rushing through the Bacharach Medley, it was Karen setting the tempo, not Karen keeping pace with the band. She was a force.

I think that was probably at Richard’s instruction. He’s already admitted that the album version of that medley is way too fast.

 

[Nemily]

I think that was probably at Richard’s instruction. He’s already admitted that the album version of that medley is way too fast.

Most definitely it was under Richard's instructions.

The Tan album version was slow compared to the stage performances. I wonder why he had Karen set the tempo faster on stage. Were there time restraints with other acts? The Harry Secombe show from 10/9/1971 and the Ed Sullivan show are performed at 5 BPM faster than then album version which starts out 93 BPM with Knowing When to Leave. Australia 1972 was even faster.

 

[JohnFB]

They got it all right on the 1974 live version from Lake Tahoe...great performance!

 

[Nemily]

They got it all right on the 1974 live version from Lake Tahoe...great performance!

That’s my favorite too ❤️ Although the drumming on that one was Cubby. What I especially love on that one was Karen's vocals. And I prefer the 13 minute version so much better.

 

[Nemily]

The one I am referring to is the one on Anthology that was recorded at the Riviera, Las Vegas. Is there another recording of the Bacharach Medley at Lake Tahoe?

 

[JohnFB]

A "tour de force" of awesome talent on display - the singing, of course, but also the arrangement and the instrumental accompaiment...

You're correct - Riviera at L.V. - I was relying in memory, always shakey ground!

 

[hannahtobin]

I thought I'd share some more of Corrs bodhran solo.

 

[hannahtobin]

Check out this article about frame drum I found online:https://medium.com/@cassidybole0712/exploring-different-bodhran-styles-and-techniques-f79631e6d1c0

 

[hannahtobin]

, Did they also sang this song? I can remember the days when this played on the radio.

 

[John Tkacik]

Carrie Underwood, serious drummer or just for show?

Wideopencountry.com news article covering opening night (Oct. 15, 2022) of Carrie Underwood's 43-city Denim & Rhinestones Tour at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. ---

"While performing "Poor Everybody Else," Underwood showed a different side of her musical talent via an epic drum solo. Underwood's crowd-thrilling move was reminiscent of both that famous video of The Carpenters' Karen Carpenter demonstrating her virtuosic drumming skills and country music outsider Margo Price's regular live detours to the drum kit."

In her NBC Sunday Night Football song, she is also shown playing the drums.