Betty Carter (May 16 1930 – September 26, 1998 was a prominent American jazz singer, who was reknowned for her improvisational techniques.

Carter was born Lillie Mae Jones in Flint, Michigan and grew up in Detroit, where her father led a church choir. She studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. She won a talent contest and became a regular on the local club circuit, singing and playing piano. When she was sixteen, she sang with Charlie Parker. She later performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis and toured with Lionel Hampton, where she perfected her scat-singing of bebop.

Her career eclipsed somewhat during the 1960s and 1970s, but a series of duets with Ray Charles brought her a measure of popular recognition. She was well-received at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977 and 1978. Carter won a Grammy in 1988 for her album Look What I Got.

In 1993, Carter helped launch the Jazz Ahead program for young musicians at the Kennedy Center. In 1994, she performed at the White House was a headliner at Verve's 50th anniverary celebration in Carnegie Hall.

In 1997, she was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President President Clinton. Carter remained active until her death in 1998 at age 69 from pancreatic cancer.

External links

• Brief profile (VH1)
• Longer profile
• Obituary