Collection: Betty Carter

Born Lillie Mae Jones in Flint, Michigan in 1929, Betty Carter transformed jazz singing by treating her voice as an improvisational instrument equal to any horn, earning Carmen McRae's declaration that "there's really only one jazz singer—only one: Betty Carter". After studying piano at Detroit Conservatory, she sat in with Charlie Parker as a teenager before joining Lionel Hampton's band in 1948. Hampton nicknamed her "Betty Bebop" and fired her seven times over two years for her fierce independence and refusal to abandon improvisation for his swing style, but this period honed the saxophone-like vocal approach that defined her career.

After leaving Hampton in 1951, Carter worked with Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Sonny Rollins whilst developing her singular style of scat singing and melodic reimagination. Frustrated with major label dealings, she founded Bet-Car Records in 1969, becoming one of jazz's first independent label owners. Her landmark double album The Audience with Betty Carter (1980) captured her remarkable live prowess, whilst 1988's Look What I Got! won a Grammy. Equally legendary as mentor alongside Art Blakey, her trios launched careers for Geri Allen, Cyrus Chestnut, Christian McBride, and Stephen Scott. She founded Jazz Ahead in 1993 to nurture young musicians, received the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1992 and National Medal of Arts in 1997, performing until her death in 1998.