Greetings friends:

We hope the Holiday Season was a joyful time for everyone, and that all your New Year's resolutions are being adhered to!

Richard and Dad once again express their warm appreciation for those of you who never forget their birthdays, and the whole family thank you for the bountiful Christmas cards and gifts. The Carpenter homestead, locking resplendent in its Christmas attire, attracted tourists and groups of carolers which added to the traditional family get-together atmosphere.

As promised in the previous newsletter, here are a few more details of the promotional tour. The first leg of the trip to Paris, France from New York took only 3 hours 18 minutes on the incredible Concorde, always a particular thrill for Richard.

Their first full day in Paris was spent rehearsing for their participation in a live TV program Palmares which aired that evening, and featured their debut single from the Made In America album Touch Me When We Are Dancing.

The duo's second day in Paris coincided with Richard's birthday which he, Karen and friends spent sightseeing, covering such famous land-marks as the Eiffel Tower, Lourdes etc. A lavish birthday dinner party was planned at the world famous Tour D'Argent Restaurant which has a spectacular view overlooking the Notre Dame cathedral. The party was set in high gear with the gift of a magnum of Lafite Rothchild wine!

Next day was a busy working day rehearsing for a TV show Julio Iglesias Numero Un. Julio is a very prominent international artist. He accompanied Richard and Karen singing one of their earlier hits Sing, Top Of The World was also included in the show which was video taped and aired in December.

The party thoroughly enjoyed the Moulin Rouge show, and of course the romantic trip on the riverboat down the river Seine. The boat is constructed of glass paneling exterior to afford visitors a wide range viewing section while enjoying dinner aboard. The weather in Paris was chilly and crisp in contrast to the cold damp atmosphere they encountered the following day upon arrival in Amsterdam, Holland.

The first morning there involved many press interviews and radio station visits. Richard and Karen participated in two TV shows Top Pop and Mies where Touch Me received more exposure. The rehearsals were held twenty five miles away in Hilversum, and broadcast live with an audience the same evening.

More interviews ensued next day, plus a brief tour of the city by limousine which was spoiled by rain. Time did not permit other entertainment in Holland, other than dining. They enjoyed each country's traditional food and customs.

From Holland the party flew to London, England for another week of countless interviews which commenced in their hotel suite. Our duo were featured in an on-air chat with John Dunn of BBC Radio 2, and later with Tony Blackburn of BBC Radio London, followed by more press interviews. The second day was a similar routine at Capital Radio in an on-air interview with Michael Aspel, followed by the taping of a special with Tim Blackmore at the radio station.

The twosome were happy to find sufficient time to entertain their Uncle Richard and Aunt Mary (Dad's brother and wife) to lunch at their hotel suite one day. As their relatives live in London they don't have the opportunity to see them too often, so it was a special day for them.

A most unfortunate situation occurred when Richard became violently sick the day they left the hotel for a guest appearance on BBC TV Multi-Colored Swap Shop live show. He made every effort to appear, but by the time he reached the studio he was too groggy to participate, so Karen held the fort admirably on her own.

Hundreds of fans had the opportunity to see their idols in the flesh when they spent an afternoon at the prestigious Harrods department store signing autographs. Richard was still feeling under the weather by the evening, so he could not join the party to see their friend Petula Clark who was playing the lead role in the stage production of The Sound of Music.

Richard enjoyed his last day in London when he rented a 1962 XJS Jaguar and drove with Karen to the country home in Bertfordshire of their friend Peter Knight and his family for a dinner party. An impromptu "mini" concert developed when everyone sang a song of their choice, and all enjoyed a happy intimate evening. Needless to say Richard was in his glory driving that latest Jaguar!

Little time was available for sightseeing, but as they had toured London many times previously it was just as well, however, they braved the cold and paid a visit to the old Museum of Natural History.

Germany was the next stop-over. More interviews, and rehearsals for a 90 minute TV show Showexpress (formerly Star Parade) which incorporate music and entertainment news. Appearing on the show also were guests James Last and Julio Iglesias. Top Of The World and Beechwood were the tracks Richard and Karen performed on Showexpress. As the studios were 45 minutes away from their hotel, quite a lot of time was spent traveling from Bremen to Hamburg. No time was allotted for sightseeing here, but they had seen many landmarks on previous tours of Germany.

The party returned to Paris for their connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During their last few hours in Paris they dined at their favorite restaurant Lasserre's, and enjoyed a show at the famous Crazy Horse Saloon.

En-route to Rio (the last stage of the tour), the plane touched down in Dakar, Africa for refueling. It was sizzling hot there!

The first day after they arrived in Rio was a national Brazilian Holiday, so the party discovered some interesting places and were very impressed by the statue of Christ in the city of Corcovado, and the Sugarloaf Mountain. The warmer climate was an added pleasure!

One of their first projects was a guest appearance on the major Globo T.V. Generation 1980's show, where Touch Me was promoted again.

The second day involved photo sessions at Casa Sendai for Manchete (Brazil's Life Journal), followed by lunch, then more radio interviews etc.

The following day Richard and Karen went to Sugarloaf Mountain for location filming of TV 'a Fantastico production. On Thursday they flew to San Paulo for a hectic session visiting 5 radio stations, leading record stores and a press conference. An elegant dinner party was hosted by one of Brazil's leading concert promoters.

On Friday the duo returned to Rio for lunch, then a final round of interviews. Later Karen returned to the hotel while Richard went to the studio to put together a medley comprising Close To You, We've Only Just Begun and Back In My Life.

The last day in Rio was spent video taping the medley for later airing on the Show de Mes and Geracao 80 TV programs.

So ended a successful promotional tour. Richard and Karen were very impressed and gratified by the warmth of their numerous loyal supporters who gathered to met them at the airport in each country they visited.

They are now busy researching material for their next album to be recorded shortly, and are formulating a schedule for later this year.

With reference to the sets of Made In America pictures I mentioned in newsletter 71, regretfully these were erroneously omitted from the new keepsakes list, but these are indeed available in color and black and white.

Here's hoping l982 will be your best year ever! Until next time, God Bless. Rosina.

Last changed: Wed Sep 7 15:36:33 EDT 2005