Benny Carter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benny Carter
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bennett Lester Carter |
| Born | August 8, 1907 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 12, 2003 (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Swing, jazz |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Saxophone, trumpet, clarinet |
| Years active | 1920s–1997 |
| Labels | Clef, Norgran, Verve, Pablo, Concord, MusicMasters |
Benny Carter (born Bennett Lester Carter, August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an amazing American jazz musician. He played many instruments, like the saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet. He was also a talented composer, writing music, and an arranger, meaning he wrote music for whole bands.
Benny Carter was a bandleader too! He started his career in the 1920s and kept playing and creating music into the 1990s. That's a really long time to be a famous musician! He even won a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his incredible work.
Contents
The Musical Journey of Benny Carter
Benny Carter was born in New York City in 1907. His mom and neighbors taught him how to play the piano. He tried the trumpet and a special C-melody saxophone before choosing the alto saxophone as his main instrument.
Early Music Days
In the 1920s, Benny played with different musicians like June Clark and Earl Hines. He also toured with a group called the Wilberforce Collegians. He even became their bandleader for a while.
Benny first recorded music in 1927 with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten. He later performed with the Collegians at the famous Savoy Ballroom in New York City.
Becoming a Music Arranger
When he was in his early 20s, Benny became a music arranger for Fletcher Henderson's big band. An arranger writes down the music for each instrument in a band. Benny didn't go to school for this. He learned by looking at other music and figuring it out himself. He said it was a hard way to learn, but he became very good at it!
Benny wrote complex and interesting arrangements. Some of his famous early arrangements include "Keep a Song in Your Soul" and "Symphony in Riffs." These songs showed off his special way of writing for saxophones.
Leading His Own Bands
In 1932, Benny started his own band in New York City. Many famous jazz musicians played with him, like Chu Berry and Ben Webster. His band played at the Harlem Club.
By the early 1930s, Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges were known as the best alto saxophonists. Benny also became a top trumpet player, even though he had stopped playing it for a while. He made many recordings playing the trumpet.
In 1933, Benny worked with a British band leader named Spike Hughes. They recorded music with many great African American musicians in New York. These recordings were first released only in England.
Adventures in Europe and Hollywood
Benny Carter moved to London and worked for the BBC Big Band for two years, writing music for them. He traveled around Europe, recording with local musicians. He played many instruments, including trumpet, clarinet, piano, and both alto and tenor saxophones. Sometimes, he even sang!
In 1938, Benny came back to America. He led his band at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem for a few years. Later, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1940s. This became his new home.
In Los Angeles, Benny started another big band. But these were his last big bands. He started focusing on writing music for movies and TV shows. He wrote music for films like Stormy Weather. He also wrote arrangements for famous singers like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles.
Teaching and Later Achievements
In the 1970s, Benny started playing the saxophone more often again. He toured the Middle East and began visiting Europe and Japan every year.
In 1969, a professor from Princeton University convinced Benny to visit. This led to a new part of his career: teaching! For almost ten years, he visited Princeton many times. In 1974, Princeton gave him an honorary doctorate, which is a special degree. He also taught at other universities, including Harvard.
Benny Carter's musical skills stayed strong even as he got older. In the 1980s, he wrote a long piece called Central City Sketches. He also wrote "Good Vibes" in 1990. He continued to compose new music even when he was 85 years old!
Benny Carter had an incredibly long and varied career. He was one of the few musicians to record music in eight different decades! He was a musician, bandleader, arranger, and composer. He helped shape the sound of the alto saxophone and wrote many famous songs, including the hit "Cow-Cow Boogie".
Benny Carter passed away on July 12, 2003, at the age of 95.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Benny Carter received many awards and honors throughout his life.
- In 1977, he was added to the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
- In 1980, he won the Golden Score award for music arrangers and composers.
- In 1986, he received the NEA Jazz Masters Award, a very high honor for jazz musicians.
- In 1987, he was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates musicians who have made huge contributions to music over many years.
- In 1994, he won a Grammy Award for his saxophone solo on "Prelude to a Kiss." He also got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
- In 1996, he was a Kennedy Center Honoree, which is one of the highest honors for artists in the United States.
- He received honorary doctorates from several top universities, including Princeton, Rutgers, and Harvard.
- In 2000, President Bill Clinton gave him the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. government.
Grammy Awards
Benny Carter won 3 Grammy Awards and was nominated 9 times!
| Year | Category | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | |
| 1992 | Best Instrumental Composition | "Harlem Renaissance Suite" | Won |
| 1994 | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | "Prelude to a Kiss" | Won |
His Music and Legacy
Benny Carter composed many songs that became famous. Some of his well-known compositions include:
- "Blues in My Heart" (1931)
- "When Lights Are Low" (1936)
- "Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" (1942)
- "Key Largo" (1948)
- "Rock Me to Sleep" (1950)
- "A Kiss from You" (1964)
- "Only Trust Your Heart" (1964)
He also recorded many albums as a bandleader and played with other famous musicians. He arranged music for many popular singers, including Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald. His work helped shape the sound of jazz music for decades.
Film and Video
Benny Carter's music was featured in several films and videos:
- Thousands Cheer (1943)
- An American in Paris (1951)
- Clash by Night (1952)
- The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
- Jazz at the Smithsonian: Benny Carter (1982)
- Benny Carter in Japan (1986)
- Wolf Trap Salutes Dizzy Gillespie (1988)
- Benny Carter: Symphony in Riffs (1989)
Images for kids
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Benny Carter
See also
In Spanish: Benny Carter para niños
