Carpenters - Dancing In The Street (1968, Full video)

Recently an exceptional blogger and a person I am proud to call my friend, Law and Order Teacher, posted a piece about one of his favorite groups; the Carpenters. I knew we had a great deal in common but I never realized just how much until his post.

I have been a fan of the Carpenters for years. They were one of my favorite groups growing up. I guess I was just in love with Karen Carpenter. Never the less, I always liked them and played their 8-track tapes in my first car.

Below is a video that shows their very first television performance, performing the song "Dancing In The Street" on the 'Your All American College Show' in 1968.

If you listen closely , you can hear Richard saying "No, it is not an organ. It's an electric piano"

In addition, check out that drum work by a then 18-year-old Karen.

And if that isn't enough, you get to see the trio (yes, the Dick Carpenter Trio, to be exact) win the top trophy and prize money handed out by none other than Zsa Zsa Gabor, and William Shatner!!

This was the performance that caused John Wayne to think that Karen would be perfect for the female lead in his upcoming film "True Grit." Karen did read for the part but was beaten out by popular Kim Darby for the role.

The quality of this video is poor, but it is worth watching.

"We came out right in the middle of the hard-rock period... it was hard-rock everywhere! But we were ready to make our music, you know? And it was such a turnaround, I guess it caught people by surprise.' - Karen Carpenter