Betty Carter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Betty Carter
Carter performing at Pori Jazz in 1978
Background information
Birth name	Lillie Mae Jones
Born	(1929-05-16)May 16, 1929 Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Died	September 26, 1998(1998-09-26) (aged 69) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, post-bop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1948–1998
Labels	Columbia, Peacock, ABC, Atco, United Artists, Roulette, Bet-Car, Verve

Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an amazing American jazz singer. She was known for her special way of singing, using improvisation and scatting. Scatting is when a singer uses sounds and syllables instead of words. Betty Carter had a powerful voice and a creative way of interpreting songs. Another famous singer, Carmen McRae, once said that Betty Carter was the "only one" true jazz singer.

Early Life and Musical Start

Betty Carter was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up in Detroit. Her father was a music director at a church, and her mother was a homemaker. Betty learned to be very independent from a young age. This independence helped her a lot in her music career.

At 15, Betty studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. But she found her true passion when she started singing at 16. Her parents didn't fully support her dream of becoming a singer. So, she would secretly go to auditions for amateur shows. After winning her first competition, Betty knew she had to follow her dream. She was so determined to perform that she found ways to get into places where she was too young to be.

Building a Career in Jazz

Betty Carter performing in San Francisco, California, 1979

Even when she was young, Betty Carter brought a fresh style to jazz singing. Her voice had a unique breathy quality. She also loved scat singing and believed it was a very important part of jazz. Her scatting was known for being spontaneous and very creative.

Detroit was a lively place for jazz music when Betty was growing up. After winning an amateur competition, she got a talent agent. This led to chances to perform with famous jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie. Gillespie, a legendary trumpeter, is often credited with inspiring her love for scatting. She also performed with Charlie Parker and his band, which included Miles Davis. Getting praise from these jazz greats boosted her confidence. She knew she could succeed with hard work.

In 1948, Betty got her big break when Lionel Hampton asked her to join his band. She worked with other talented musicians like Charles Mingus and Wes Montgomery. Hampton was great at finding new talent and loved bebop jazz. Betty also loved bebop. Hampton's wife even nicknamed her "Betty Bebop," though Betty didn't like the name.

Betty was very independent and didn't always agree with Hampton's ideas. She openly disliked his swing style and preferred her own improvisational way of singing. Hampton, who had a strong personality, often got angry with her. He even fired her seven times over two and a half years! Despite their disagreements, being in Hampton's band taught Betty a lot. It also made her one of the last jazz singers from the "big band" era.

Betty left Hampton's band in 1951. She moved to New York City and spent the early 1950s performing all over the city. She also went on a long tour, performing for military shows. These jobs didn't pay much, but Betty believed they were important for her to grow as an artist. She felt she was "paying her dues" by gaining experience.

Soon after arriving in New York, Betty recorded with King Pleasure and the Ray Bryant Trio. This helped her become more recognized. She then got to sing at the Apollo Theatre, a famous place known for launching new artists into stardom. By 1955, she was recording with Epic Records and was well-known by the late 1950s. Her first solo album, Out There, came out in 1958.

Rising to Fame and New Challenges

Miles Davis helped Betty's career even more by suggesting to Ray Charles that he work with her. Betty started touring with Ray Charles in 1960. In 1961, they recorded duets together, including the hit song "Baby, It's Cold Outside." This song brought her a lot of popular attention. She also toured Japan with Sonny Rollins in 1963.

Betty recorded for different record labels during this time. However, she was rarely happy with the final recordings. After three years of touring and two albums with Ray Charles, Betty took a break from recording to get married and have two children. But she kept performing live because she wanted to be financially independent.

The 1960s became a tough time for jazz artists like Betty. She refused to sing popular pop music, and rock and roll was becoming very popular. This made it harder for jazz musicians to find gigs. Betty had to work extra hard to keep performing. By 1971, she was single and mostly performed live with a small group: just a piano, drums, and bass. The Betty Carter trio was one of the few jazz groups that could still find work in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Creating Her Own Path

In 1969, Betty Carter started her own record label called Bet-Car Records. This was a very brave move at the time! She was one of the first independent artists to do this. For the next 18 years, all of her music was released on Bet-Car. She said, "People thought I was crazy when I did it... It's the best thing that ever happened to me."

Some of her most famous albums, like the double album The Audience with Betty Carter (1980), were released on Bet-Car. In 1980, a documentary film about her was made called But Then, She's Betty Carter.

Betty also started performing at colleges and universities in 1972. She loved this chance to teach students about the history and roots of jazz. She would give lectures along with her musical performances.

By 1975, things started looking up for Betty. She began touring in Europe, South America, and the United States. In 1976, she was a guest performer on the first season of Saturday Night Live. She also performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977 and 1978. These appearances helped her secure her place in the music world.

In 1977, Betty's work was highly praised. She even taught a master class with her old mentor, Dizzy Gillespie, at Harvard. In the last ten years of her life, Betty received even more awards and recognition. In 1987, she signed with Verve Records, which re-released her Bet-Car albums on CD. This made her music available to many more people.

In 1988, she won a Grammy for her album Look What I Got! She also made a guest appearance on The Cosby Show. In 1994, she performed at the White House and was a main performer at Verve's 50th-anniversary celebration at Carnegie Hall. A short film about her, Betty Carter: New All the Time, was also made in 1994.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton gave her the National Medal of Arts. Betty considered this the most important award she ever received.

Later Life and Legacy

Betty Carter continued to perform, tour, and record. She also loved finding new musical talent. She often hired young musicians for her band, saying she "learned a lot from these young players."

In 1993, Betty created a special program called Jazz Ahead. This program allowed 20 students to spend a week training and composing with her. Jazz Ahead still exists today and is held at The Kennedy Center.

Betty Carter is known for discovering many great jazz talents. Some of the musicians she helped include John Hicks, Mulgrew Miller, Cyrus Chestnut, and Benny Green.

Betty Carter was diagnosed with a serious illness in the summer of 1998. She passed away on September 26, 1998, at the age of 69. She left behind her two sons and a lasting legacy in the world of jazz.

Discography

CD compilations

• 1990: Compact Jazz – (PolyGram) – Bet-Car and Verve recordings from 1976 to 1987
• 1992: I Can't Help It – (Impulse!/GRP) – the Out There and The Modern Sound albums on one compact disc
• 1999: Priceless Jazz – (GRP) – Peacock and ABC-Paramount recordings from 1958 and 1960
• 2003: Betty Carter's Finest Hour – (Verve) – recordings from 1958 to 1992

On multi-artist compilations

• 1988: "I'm Wishing" on Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
• 1997: "Lonely House" on September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill

See also

In Spanish: Betty Carter para niños