Vocals, Piano | 1929-1998

Born Lillie Mae Jones, Betty Carter revolutionised jazz singing by treating her voice as an improvisational instrument equal to any horn. 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" but fired her seven times over two years for her fierce independence and improvisational approach. This period honed her saxophone-like vocal style that prompted Carmen McRae to declare "there's really only one jazz singer—only one: Betty Carter".

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