In 1969, Richard & Karen Carpenter arrived on the music scene with a sound that was destined to change the face of popular music forever.
Here in the nineties, Phil Aldridge & Claire Furley have recreated that sound as well as the atmosphere that was so badly missed by millions of Carpenters fans.

Phil Aldridge was educated at Trinity College of Music in London, then the Berklee School of Music – a jazz conservatoire in Boston Massachusetts. On his return and with a far better knowledge of arranging for the brass section of an orchestra, Phil embarked on a new phase of his career as a Musical Director.

Demand for his talent was immediate and he soon found himself undertaking extensive concert tours with the likes of Shalimar, The Real Thing, The Crystals, George McCrae, Jimmy Ruffin, Junior Walker & The All-Stars, Jean Carbe, Ben E King, Rose Royce, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and Sister Sledge.Then, on a day in October 1991, Phil’s own band Black Gold were playing at a function in the West End when somebody requested “Close To You” by The Carpenters. Such was the response to their rendition that it inspired Phil to set out constructing a show that would faithfully recreate the sound of The Carpenters, achieved by drawing upon all his arranging skills and recruiting the services of the best musicians he had toured with.

A showcase just prior to Christmas of the same year resulted in 31dates booked there and then and a concert tour beginning the following August……the first night was a packed house at the London Palladium! The “Tribute To The Carpenters” (which was the first show ever to use the title ‘Tribute’ – now an accepted musical genre) carried on successfully for some time, touring Great Britain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and the Channel Islands.
It appeared on numerous magazine type TV shows such as Good Morning with Richard & Judy, GMTV, Selina Scott’s Entertainment UK, and The Big Breakfast. Changes naturally came about and even though the demand for concert appearances was constant, Phil decided that for the time being the show had run its course.
Then, during the recording of a TV jingle Phil heard a voice that bore an uncanny resemblance to that of Karen Carpenter. The owner of the voice was a young classically trained singer called Claire Furley.
Claire agreed to meet and after hearing Phil’s arrangements agreed to become part of an exciting new venture, a new musical tribute, The Carpenters Story.

Music has always been a vital part of Claire’s life and she gets great satisfaction teaching music to children. Recently appointed Head of Music at Beauchamp GM School in Wickford, Essex, Claire is also responsible for teaching GCSE music, the history and theory of music, as well as teaching various instruments, preparing concerts and school productions.
Other of Claire’s many involvement's include a Maxwell House TV commercial for RTE, a Daily Mail photo-shoot as ‘Scarlet O’Hara’ in Gone With The Wind, she also featured in a Boxing Day issue of Weekend Magazine.
Claire’s wonderful vocals compliment Phil’s superb musical arrangements to perfection, offering audiences the opportunity to once again share the unique sound of Richard and Karen, The Carpenters.

When Richard Carpenter was asked what he thought of Phil's arrangements he replied “It is well played and very accurate, I’m flattered!” Praise indeed.


For more information, or to book The Carpenters Story please email abbie@halcarterorg.com