(Lillie Mae Jones)
DISCOGRAPHY 1965-2022 (42CD)
BIOGRAPHY
Carter was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up in Detroit, where her
father, James Jones, was the musical director of a Detroit church and
her mother, Bessie, was a housewife. As a child, Carter was raised to be
extremely independent and to not expect nurturing from her family. Even
30 years after leaving home, Carter was still very aware of and affected
by the home life she was raised in, and was quoted saying:
Even at a young age, Carter was able to bring a new vocal style to
jazz. The breathiness of her voice was a characteristic seldom heard
before her appearance on the music scene. She also was well known for
her passion for scat singing and her strong belief that the throwaway
attitude that most jazz musicians approached it with was inappropriate
and wasteful. Her scatting was known to display a degree of
spontaneity and basic inventiveness that was seldom seen elsewhere.
Detroit, where Carter grew up, was a hotbed of jazz growth. After
signing with a talent agent after her win at amateur night, Carter had
opportunities to perform with famous jazz artists such as Dizzy
Gillespie, who visited Detroit for an extensive amount of time.
Gillespie is often considered responsible for her strong passion for
scatting. In earlier recordings, it is apparent that her scatting had
similarities to the qualities of Gillespie's.
At the time of Gillespie's visit, Charlie Parker was receiving
treatment in a psychiatric hospital, delaying her encounter with him.
However, Carter eventually performed with Parker, as well as with his
band consisting of Tommy Potter, Max Roach, and Miles Davis. After
receiving praise from both Gillespie and Parker for her vocal prowess,
Carter felt an upsurge in confidence and knew that she could make it
in the business with perseverance.
Carter's confidence was well founded. In 1948, she was asked by Lionel
Hampton to join his band. She finally had her big break. Working with
Hampton's group gave her the chance to be bandmates with artists such
as Charles Mingus and Wes Montgomery, as well as with Ernest Harold
"Benny" Bailey, who had recently vacated Gillespie's band and Albert
Thornton "Al" Grey who would later go on to join Gillespie's band.
Hampton obviously had an ear for talent and a love for bebop.
Carter too had a deep love for bebop as well as a talent for it.
Hampton's wife Gladys gave her the nickname "Betty Bebop", a nickname
she reportedly detested. Despite her good ear and charming
personality, Carter was fiercely independent and had a tendency to
attempt to resist Hampton's direction, while Hampton had a temper and
was quick to anger.
Hampton expected a lot from his players and did not want them to
forget that he was the band's leader. She openly hated his swing
style, refused to sing in a swinging way, and she was far too
outspoken for his tastes. Carter honed her scat singing ability while
on tour, which was not well received by Hampton as he did not enjoy
her penchant for improvisation. Over the course of two and a half
years, Hampton fired Carter a total of seven times....
(Wikipedia)
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