Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Olson. She and her team share their story with us below:
Carpenters Legacy is a Las Vegas production show, starring Sally Olson as Karen Carpenter and Ned Mills as Richard Carpenter. The show was voted “Best Impersonator” for the 2021 Best of Las Vegas awards. Sally is the first-ever and only Karen Carpenter tribute artist to perform with the world-renowned Las Vegas review Legends In Concert.
Sally was born in Rutland, Vermont, and is a cum laude graduate of Middlebury College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Studio Art and French. Sally also attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, and the acclaimed Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC. She has been acting and singing since childhood and has performed in numerous local and regional commercials, film, theatre, and live music events. Sally starred in the commercial “Emily’s Bridge” for Heritage Automotive Group, written and produced by Mt. Mansfield Media, which was awarded the Vermont Association of Broadcaster’s “Television Agency Produced Most Creative Commercial” of 2011. She also starred in “Widow”, directed by Michael Fisher, an award-winning short film that was praised at both the Green Mountain Film Festival and the White River Indie Film Festival in 2010. Sally also appeared on the CBS television series “HACK” (episode #36 “One for My Baby”), directed by Chad Lowe and starring David Morse and Andre Braugher in 2004.
For more than seven years, the Vermont native has immersed herself in all things, Carpenters. Sally was the managing director of a voice studio in South Burlington, VT from 2009 to 2018. “Carpenters Legacy” debuted in January 2015. In April 2017, Sally made her NYC debut at the famed Triad Theater on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. While in the city, Sally was a special guest on “Sunday Night Live Featuring The Late Joey Reynolds” on 77 WABC and “The Mom & Pop Shop Radio Show” with George Bettinger on It’s Right Here in Miramar Radio, as well as being featured on Scott Barbarino’s Nite Life Exchange dot com. Sally has also had guest appearances on Burlington, Vermont’s “Morning Brew” ABC 22/Fox 44, Cleveland’s “Lakeside Today!” WKYC ABC 3, “Vegas Live with Ninon”, “Las Vegas Morning Blend” KTNV ABC 13, “The CW Morning Show” KSNV News 3 Las Vegas and Dallas’ “Good Morning Texas” ABC 8 to name a few.
In late January 2018, Sally made her Las Vegas debut where she first worked with acclaimed pianist and entertainer, Ned Mills. She has since relocated from Burlington, Vermont to Las Vegas, Nevada, and has performed to sold-out venues in Vegas and across the country. Carpenters Legacy was the featured entertainment for the Carpenters 50th Anniversary Celebration in Thousand Oaks, California in April 2019.
A versatile pianist, singer, and entertainer, Ned Mills was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and began playing piano at the age of four. He’s entertained audiences in more than twenty countries and on three continents. After receiving his Bachelor of Music cum laude in Jazz and Arranging at North Texas State University, Ned moved back to his native North Carolina and performed regularly throughout the Southeast. Ned has opened for many national acts, including Bobby McFerrin, Don Rickles, Bonnie Raitt, and Sheryl Crow.
He has served as musical conductor and arranger for The Stars of the Lawrence Welk Show, the Ink Spots, and The Shirelles. His arrangements have been performed by the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, The Miss North Carolina Pageant, and in Pizazz starring Debby Boone. He has also performed as pianist for the Rockettes and in Legends In Concert. In 2003, Ned performed “Rhapsody In Blue” at the Liberace Museum on Liberace’s famous mirrored piano. His film and TV credits include appearances in “Matlock” (ABC), “Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story” (Lifetime TV), and the George Lucas film “Radioland Murders”. He was the piano coach for Halle Berry and Eric Thal in Oprah Winfrey’s production of “The Wedding” (ABC). Now a resident of Las Vegas, Ned performs and serves as musical director for many corporate events at every major casino, including the MGM Grand, The Venetian, and Mandalay Bay. In 2000, Ned was voted “Most Likely to Exemplify the Spirit of Las Vegas” by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Before joining “Carpenters Legacy”, Ned had his own hit Vegas show called “Piano Follies”, a tribute to the music of Gershwin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Broadway- a little bit of Liberace, Victor Borge, and Jerry Lee Lewis all rolled up into one talent.
Carpenters Legacy is comprised of two shows. The first is “A Re-creation of the 1976 UK Tour”. It is the definitive show celebrating the music and legacy of the famed brother-sister duo. The production is a re-creation of the Carpenters’ 1976 UK touring show, featuring hits including “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Yesterday Once More”, “Superstar”, Karen’s drum solo, Richard’s classical piano feature, a Spike Jones parody of “Close To You”, comedy antics and much more. The show opens with a zesty tribute to Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass.
The second show, A Christmas Portrait, takes audiences back in time to an old-fashioned Christmas. The show recreates the nostalgia of the Carpenters’ 1977 and 1978 Christmas television specials, in addition to the endearing humor that will make you feel like a kid again. The show features holiday classics “Merry Christmas, Darling”, “Sleigh Ride”, “The Christmas Song” and much more, and includes many of the Carpenters’ greatest hits.
Randy Schmidt, author of “Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter”, says “Sally’s tribute to Karen Carpenter is heartfelt and honest” and John Katsilometes of Las Vegas Review-Journal has lauded the show as “musically sound, vocally spot-on, and will please any fans of the duo.” Sam Novak of Vegas Unfiltered says, “Sally Olson and Ned Mills perfectly embody Karen and Richard Carpenter. Carpenters Legacy is nothing short of astounding.” Sally is truly unsurpassed in her startling representation of Karen Carpenter, including authentic hairstyles, vintage costumes, gestures, and stunning voice. “Carpenters Legacy” features a powerful live band, historical commentary, lovely arrangements, and video, taking audiences on an incredible journey down memory lane into the world of the Carpenters – the world’s ONLY authentic Carpenters tribute in sight and sound.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth road. We love our professions as entertainers and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but like most, we have had to “pay our dues” along the way. This includes taking low or non-paying gigs in the beginning of our careers, putting in endless hours self-promoting, learning the ropes of owning a small business, and dealing with the logistical challenges of touring with a production show. One of our biggest struggles was surviving the pandemic when all of our shows were canceled and dealing with the uncertainty of not knowing when we would be able to perform again. We worked even harder during that period and applied for just about any and every grant we were eligible for. We also used the time to write our Carpenters Christmas show (“Carpenters Legacy: A Christmas Portrait”) and put together an album that will be released in the summer of 2022. Fortunately, most all of our shows that were canceled in 2020 were rescheduled and we came out ahead due to our persistence and our relentless dedication to our art form.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are tribute artists and more specifically impersonators. Our show Carpenters Legacy is known for being the world’s only authentic Carpenters tribute in sight and sound. In other words, we perform 100% in-character as the famous brother-sister duo Karen and Richard Carpenter. We are the only Carpenters tribute with a “Richard”. In 2021, we were voted “Best Impersonator” (Bronze Winner) for the Best of Las Vegas awards. I am the only Karen Carpenter tribute artist to perform with the world-renowned Las Vegas review “Legends In Concert”.
We are excited to announce the release of our forthcoming album which will be available this summer. The album is essentially a re-creation of the Carpenters’ greatest hits as performed in their 1976 touring show. The album includes our own arrangement of a Carpenters’ classic which will be accompanied by a music video. We’re also putting together a documentary about the making of the album and behind-the-scenes insights about our show. Many music industry professionals will be providing commentary in the documentary, including Michael Lansing (Karen Carpenter’s personal assistant and sound engineer for the Carpenters’ 1976 tour.) In 2023, we will release an album for our Christmas show, Carpenters Legacy: A Christmas Portrait.
The Las Vegas production Carpenters Legacy will return to the Palace Theater in Grapevine, Texas during the holiday season for three performances of its Christmas show:
Carpenters Legacy: A Christmas Portrait–
– Thursday, December 15 at 7:30 pm
– Friday, December 16 at 3:00pm & 7:30pm
Tickets will go on sale this summer. Please visit: https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/palace-theatre/
To watch Carpenters Legacy’s promo videos, please click on the links below:
– Carpenters Legacy: A Re-creation of the 1976 UK Tour: https://youtu.be/drfaat-gGAg
– Carpenters Legacy: A Christmas Portrait: https://youtu.be/lj6-XLbszCg
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
In terms of mentors, we have been able to align myself with certain teachers over the years who have encouraged us in pursuing our art form and helped us to hone my craft. The best advice for someone wanting to excel in their chosen profession is to find those teachers who are experts in their field and to “sit at their knee” and learn as much from them as possible. Also, be sure to find teachers who believe in you and your ability to succeed.
Contact Info:
- Email: carpenterslegacylv@
gmail.com - Website: www.carpenterslegacy.
com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ carpenterslegacylv - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/carpenterslegacy - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
CarpentersLV - YouTube: https://www.youtube.
com/c/ SallyOlsonCarpentersLegacy - SoundCloud: https://
soundcloud.com/ carpenterslegacy - Other: https://www.tiktok.com/
@carpenterslegacy
Image Credits
Edward Foster
Brett Hansen
Don Cadette
Frank Zak
