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Pathfinders:
Betty Carter
by Laura Sampedro |
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Betty Carter never delved outside of the jazz arena.
Instead she stayed true to a personal style that sometimes seemed
a bit unorthodox and was not always popular. But it was this dedication
to her individuality that would eventually make her a jazz legend.
Betty Carter was born Lillie Mae Jones in Flint, Michigan
on May 16, 1930. As a young child she began studying piano at the
Detroit Conservatory of Music. By the time she was a teenager Carter
was already sitting-in with Charlie Parker and other bop
musicians that frequented the Detroit jazz scene. After winning
an amateur singing contest she became a professional performer at
the young age of 16, playing with the Lionel Hampton band
in 1948, billed as Lorraine Carter. It was while playing
with Hampton that she earned the nickname "Betty be-bop,"
a name that the singer found constricting, as she intended to do
more than just scat. Despite her distaste for the name she eventually
changed her stage name to Betty Carter and at the age of 21 moved
to New York with the Hampton band.
Carter spent much of the early 50's singing with different groups,
including several shows at the Apollo with Max Roach, and
Dizzy Gillespie, as well as touring with Miles Davis.
Carter spent the rest of the decade outside of the mainstream jazz
scene, refusing to conform to 'mainstream' jazz standards. Her commitment
to her own style made it difficult to book shows and make recordings.
Her first recordings with piano player Ray Bryant in 1955
received little attention, and her second set of recordings with
the Gigi Gryce band in 1956 remained unpublished until 1980.
It wasn't until 1958 that she was able to record again, but all
of her recording efforts during the later part of the decade were
mainstream flops, although popularity within jazz circles was high.
She was well known in that arena for her off color interpretations
of classic tunes and wild, off-beat scatting. It was on the recommendation
of Miles Davis that Ray Charles offered to take Carter on
the road at the end of the decade. Enamored with her voice Charles
asked her to accompany him on a series of duets. The 1961 project
became Ray Charles and Betty Carter, and was a critical
and popular smash. The album's single "Baby It's Cold Outside"
was Carter's first and only step into the popular music scene.
Rather than capitalizing on her newfound mainstream success Carter
chose to stay home and raise her two sons. She recorded one album
during her musical sabbatical (1961-68), which was not well received
by critics, as it differed greatly from her recent mainstream sound.
But by 1969 she was ready to start up again. Unfortunately, no one
seemed interested in helping her jump start her career again. Frustrated
with trying to fulfill the demands of record companies Carter decided
to start her own label. She started Bet-Car in 1971, and
would remain on the label until signing with Verve in 1988.
It was during her years with Bet-Car that Carter's best material
was released, including The Betty Carter Album, Now It's My
Turn, and I Didn't Know What Time Was. Outstanding
performances at the 1977 and '78 Newport Jazz Festival
firmly cemented Betty among the contemporary jazz elite as both
a vocal talent and a talent scout (among some of the jazz talents
she's helped develop are Kenny Washington, Cyrus Chestnut
and Dave Holland.)
She continued to record on the Bet-Car label until 1988 when she
signed with Verve and burst back onto the popular jazz scene. The
album Look What I Got of the same year earned Carter
the only Grammy of her career. The nineties would
see a more mature developed sound from Carter, and Grammy nominations
for 1990's Droppin' Things and 1992's It's Not
About the Melody. She continued to feature up and coming
acts on all but one of her albums, and in 1993 founded the Jazz
Ahead program, which brought unknown musicians to record
with her in New York.
Carter continued teaching and inspiring musicians right up until
she died from pancreatic cancer on September 26, 1998. Betty Carter
made a career of staying true to her talent and herself. Although
she was not graced with popular admiration until later in her life,
she took that with stride and opened herself to help fulfill the
dreams of other jazz hopefuls. She was truly a jazz innovator and
an altruistic soul whose presence in music will be sorely missed.
Recommended Albums:
Betty Carter was best known for her ability to put on a great live
performance. Consequently, for the best experience of her vocals
a live recording is your best bet. The following are a few to introduce
you to Betty Carter's jazz:
• At the Village Vanguard
• Feed the Fire
• The Audience with Betty Carter
(arguably one of the best live jazz recordings ever)
Last month's Pathfinders: Sarah
Vaughan |
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Laura Sampedro is a freelance writer living in New York. She is
a bilingual food enthusiast and a fan of sixties rock-n-roll. |
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