If we were to compare Betty Carter and Ella Fitzgerald, the two jazz singers at the pinnacle of their success in the sixties (despite being coloured), one would say that Betty was in many ways unfortunate. Neither had the formal education of singing (though Betty had studied piano for a while), both put a spell on the audiences but Ella's fortunes favored her from the beginning while Betty struggled from the start.
Betty’s 'scatting' singing caused her clash with Lionel Hampton's band in the early days while Ella made a career out of it. 'Scatting' is the glory of jazz music. This involves using onomatopoeia in a way that is fun to listen to but without losing the sense of rhythm and melody. In short, meaningful yet meaningless musical babble! Scatting without stumbling was a real skill that both Betty and Ella had mastered. Unfortunately, Betty’s scatting style was not so enthusiastically received by the public. But when she finally left Lionel's band in 1951 and came to New York, she proved herself until 1960 and joined the ranks of the then jazz sensations like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. During this period Betty also toured Japan. She recorded with big cheeses like ABC Paramount. During that time she got married and had two kids. But Betty's career began to decline after this point.
Betty was stubborn and headstrong. She refused to sing in the newly popularized genres such as pop and rock n roll. The era of jazz and blues had gradually started fading away. Betty's singing style seemed outdated to the audiences. In addition to her misery, she got divorced in 1971. But Betty moved on rather quickly. In 1969, she started a music label named 'Bet Car Records'. She was the first independent jazz artist to establish her own label. She adapted a novel method of performing in schools and colleges and giving lectures about the dying music that's jazz to the new generation in order to distribute her record label. Imagine how big a deal it was for a black woman to have this idea and turn it into a reality in 1970s America when racism had reached its peak! Her own career was beginning to take off somewhat quickly yet she was ahead of her time in creating awareness about jazz in the next generation while maintaining her identity as a jazz diva and realizing the responsibility that came with it.
By selling her recordings through various distributors, she was able to sustain her performance and continued to perform throughout Europe, South America, and the States. It is said that she was somewhat uncomfortable with studio recordings but her live recorded albums (such as her 15 songs album 'Audience with Betty Carter'), her remarkable, inventive vocals, her style adept at 'improvisation' and her ability to lead a band proves it wrong. After freeing herself from the scrutiny of record labels and the bands led by other artists, Betty started her own band which served a dual purpose: one was to create her own music and the other was to help young musicians develop their craft.
The legendary Betty stood up for others in her own downfall. She also created a mentoring program called 'Jazz Ahead' affiliated with organizations such as the International Association for Jazz Education. The program was a one- to two-week seminar where nationally selected young jazz artists were mentored by Betty and other veteran artists. The seminar would culminate in a teacher-student concert. 'Jazz Ahead' was one of Carter's proudest achievements. The woman was a university herself. According to several critics, Betty was superior to her contemporary singer Ella Fitzgerald but Betty herself never criticized Ella. (Though she missed out on the 'Grammy Award' because of Ella!) She was one of the very few singers to perform jazz in Asian countries like China and India. In 1975, Betty was honored to be a guest performer on the first season of 'Saturday Night Live'. She also performed at the White House in 1994 and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Bill Clinton. She died of pancreatic cancer in 1998. Betty wielded an era with her addictive, inventive, and haunting vocals. One cannot withdraw himself from the addiction of jazz after listening to the great Betty Carter.
.jpg)