Jazz performer and singer who is long regarded by jazz insiders as perhaps the consummate jazz vocalist of the 20th century. Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones) was one of the most accomplished vocalists in jazz, a link with the legends of an earlier age and a indomitable performer who was dedicated to creating her own improvisational style and to training the young. She was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up in Detroit. At a young age she began the study of piano at the Detroit Conservatory of Music, and by age sixteen she was already sitting in with Charlie "Bird" Parker and other bop musicians when they performed in Detroit. A long period of struggling and near complete obscurity preceded Betty Carter's suprising rise to fame. During her life time Carter performed with many other performers including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Lionel Hampton. In all, she recorded 30 albums, but she was reluctant to rest on laurels. Through it all Carter never compromised her musical vision. Her adventurous scat style and distinctive interpretations put her on par with the other great ladies of jazz. In addition to her singing Carter also helped nurture and develop many young musicians who have gone on to develop stellar jazz careers. Her awards for her work include a Grammy in 1988, a award by the NEA in 1991 and the National Medal of the Arts at the White House in 1997. Betty Carter was stll charming audiences well into her sixties when she died of pancreatic cancer at her Brooklyn, NY home on Sept. 26, 1998. It brought to a close a remarkable career spannning nearly fifty years. She once said "I am not going to live forever." "I don't want it (jazz) to die with me, I want it to keep on."
Jazz performer and singer who is long regarded by jazz insiders as perhaps the consummate jazz vocalist of the 20th century. Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones) was one of the most accomplished vocalists in jazz, a link with the legends of an earlier age and a indomitable performer who was dedicated to creating her own improvisational style and to training the young. She was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up in Detroit. At a young age she began the study of piano at the Detroit Conservatory of Music, and by age sixteen she was already sitting in with Charlie "Bird" Parker and other bop musicians when they performed in Detroit. A long period of struggling and near complete obscurity preceded Betty Carter's suprising rise to fame. During her life time Carter performed with many other performers including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Lionel Hampton. In all, she recorded 30 albums, but she was reluctant to rest on laurels. Through it all Carter never compromised her musical vision. Her adventurous scat style and distinctive interpretations put her on par with the other great ladies of jazz. In addition to her singing Carter also helped nurture and develop many young musicians who have gone on to develop stellar jazz careers. Her awards for her work include a Grammy in 1988, a award by the NEA in 1991 and the National Medal of the Arts at the White House in 1997. Betty Carter was stll charming audiences well into her sixties when she died of pancreatic cancer at her Brooklyn, NY home on Sept. 26, 1998. It brought to a close a remarkable career spannning nearly fifty years. She once said "I am not going to live forever." "I don't want it (jazz) to die with me, I want it to keep on."
Bio by: Curtis Jackson
Advertisement
See more Carter memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
