RIP, Betty Carter (1929-1998)

Jazz singer Betty Carter died on September 26, 1998, of pancreatic cancer at the age of 69.  Carter was cremated, and the location of her ashes is unknown.

Fellow vocalist Carmen McRae once claimed that "there's really only one jazz singer - only one: Betty Carter."

Carter was especially known for her ability to capture the instrumental timbres in her voice. In fact, she insisted that the voice was as legitimate an instrument in jazz as any other. She was also fiercely independent and had her own Bet-Car label in the 1970s.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album Betty Carter (Bet-Car MK 1002). Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons list, also recommends The Audience with Betty Carter, which was not available when Lyons wrote his book.

• Purchase Betty Carter from Amazon.com.
  
• Purchase The Audience with Better Carter from Amazon.com.
  

She sings "How High the Moon" here:

Robert
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