Richard Carpenter grew up to marry his first cousin, Mary Rudolph, his mother's sister's daughter. Mary Rudolph was adopted, though, so there was no biological tie… and they went on to have five kids: Kristi, Traci, Mindi, Colin, and Taylor. The Carpenters are still pretty popular in Asia, as evidenced by this video I found of Richard and his daughter, Mindi, performing in Japan…
I have always loved "Little Altar Boy" as done by The Carpenters…
First thing I notice when I listen to Mindi sing is that she has a good voice. She doesn't sound like Karen and, poor thing, probably is often expected to sound like her or is compared to her. It must be hard to live up to that, though she does come across as charming and poised in this video. She does have a nice voice, strong, clear, and tuneful. It sounds like a voice that would be good on stage, though, not so much as a pop singer. It has character, like one might expect from a Broadway performer. She projects well and has very precise diction, though I also hear just a trace of her father's lisp. I'm sure she's always wondered about Karen, especially since she was named after her.
