As a youth, Carter lived in Harlem around the corner from Bubber Miley who was Duke Ellington's star trumpeter. Carter was inspired by Miley and bought a trumpet, but when he found he couldn't play like Miley he traded the trumpet in for a saxophone.
Carter began playing professionally at 15. He first recorded in 1928 and formed his first big band the following year. He played with Fletcher Henderson in 1930 and 1931, then briefly led McKinney's Cotton Pickers before returning to lead his own band in 1932. The few recordings his band made between 1933 and 1934 are considered by most jazz scholars to be milestones in early swing arranging. They were sophisticated and very complex arrangements, and a number of them became swing standards which were performed by other bands ("Blue Lou" is a great example of this.) He also arranged for Henderson and Duke Ellington during these years and wrote two hits, "Blues in My Heart" and "When Lights are Low." By the early 1930s he and Johnny Hodges were considered the leading alto players of the day. Carter also quickly became a leading trumpet soloist, having rediscovered the instrument. He recorded extensively on trumpet in the 1930s. Also, in 1933, Carter took part in an amazing series of sessions that featured the British band leader Spike Hughes, who came to New York specifically to organize a series of recordings featuring the best Black musicians available. These 14 sides were only issued in England at that time, though they are available on CD and worthwhile looking for. (The musicians were mainly made up from member of Carter's band and from Luis Russell's.)
In 1935 he moved to Europe, where he became staff arranger for the British Broadcasting Corporation dance orchestra and made several records. He returned to the United States in 1938 and led a big band and sextet before moving to Los Angeles in 1943 to write for movie studios. Carter continued writing and performing into his 90s. He arranged for Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan, among many others.
His biggest hit was "Cow Cow Boogie", a song he co-wrote with Don Raye and Gene DePaul, which was a hit for Ella Mae Morse in 1942.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Carter was one of the first black men to compose music for films. He was an inspiration and a mentor for Quincy Jones when Jones began writing for television and films in the 1960s. Also in the 1940s, Carter's successful legal battles in order to obtain housing in then-exclusive neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area made him a pioneer in an entirely different area.
He also appears uncredited in the 1952 film, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, as a sax player.
Carter was admired for his ability to write saxophone solis, which are sections of music that the entire section plays as one unit in the manner of a solo.
Carter was a member of the music advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also a member of the Black Film Makers' Hall of Fame and in 1980 received the Golden Score award of the American Society of Music Arrangers. Carter was also a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1996 and received honorary doctorates from Princeton, Harvard, Rutgers, and the New England Conservatory.
He died, aged 95, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles of what is thought to have been bronchitis.
Among my souvenirs
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's just a memory among my souvenirs
Some letters tied in blue, a photograph or two
I see a rose from you among my souvenirs
A few more tokens rest within my treasure chest
And though they do their best to give me consolation
I count them all apart and as the teardrops start
I find a broken heart among my souvenirs
I count them all apart and as the teardrops start
I find a broken heart among my souvenirs
The lyrics to Benny Carter's song "Among my souvenirs" are a poignant reflection on past memories and lost love. The song starts with the singer acknowledging the fact that there is nothing left of the days that used to be, reminiscing about the past and the memories that are now just souvenirs. The lyrics are full of emotion as the singer talks about the letters tied in blue, a photograph or two, and a rose from their former love that are now among their souvenirs. These tokens of the past do their best to give the singer consolation, but they only end up highlighting the fact that they have a broken heart.
The melancholic tone of the song is enhanced by the repeated refrain "I count them all apart and as the teardrops start, I find a broken heart among my souvenirs". The singer is full of pain and regrets for the love that they have lost, and the memories that are now distant souvenirs. The song is a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing the moments that we have with the ones that we love.
Line by Line Meaning
There's nothing left for me of days that used to be
I have no physical remnants of the past to cling onto.
There's just a memory among my souvenirs
All I'm left with are the intangible memories of the past.
Some letters tied in blue, a photograph or two
The only physical items I have left are some letters and photos, none of which have much meaning or significance.
I see a rose from you among my souvenirs
Among the few physical items I have left, I see a rose from you, but it is bittersweet as it is a reminder of our lost love.
A few more tokens rest within my treasure chest
I have a few more sentimental items stored away, but I don't place much value on them.
And though they do their best to give me consolation
Even though these items are meant to comfort me, they don't bring much solace.
I count them all apart and as the teardrops start
Despite trying to take comfort in these items, I can't help but break down and become overwhelmed with emotion.
I find a broken heart among my souvenirs
Ultimately, these memories and items serve as a constant reminder of my broken heart and the pain of lost love.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: EDGAR LESLIE, LAWRENCE WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind