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.
My Funny Valentine
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His virtue doth parade
Thou knowest not, my dim-witted friend
The picture thou hast made
Thy vacant brow, and thy tousled hair
Conceal thy good intent
Thou noble upright truthful sincere
And slightly dopey gent, you are...
My funny valentine, sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable, un-photographable
Yet, you're my favorite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
But, don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine, stay
Each day is Valentine's Day
Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
But, don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine, stay
Each day is Valentine's Day
In Benny Carter's song "My Funny Valentine," the singer is expressing his admiration for someone who doesn't necessarily conform to traditional beauty standards. He describes this person as being slightly foolish and unintelligent, with tousled hair and a vacant look in their eyes. Despite this, he finds them to be noble, upright, and sincere. He addresses this person as his "funny valentine," recognizing that their quirks and imperfections make them unique and endearing.
The lyrics of the second stanza poke fun at the idea of physical perfection, questioning whether this person's figure is less than Greek or if their mouth is weak when they speak. The singer ultimately decides that none of these things matter, and pleads with this person not to change for him. He embraces them as they are, recognizing that each day with them is a Valentine's Day celebration.
Overall, "My Funny Valentine" is a song about accepting and celebrating individuality, and rejecting strict societal beauty standards. It recognizes that true beauty is often found in imperfection, and that the things that make us unique are what make us lovable.
Line by Line Meaning
Behold the way our fine feathered friend
Look at the way that our fancy bird is presenting itself.
His virtue doth parade
He is showcasing his strength and superiority.
Thou knowest not, my dim-witted friend
You do not understand, my unintelligent friend.
The picture thou hast made
The impression that you are giving off.
Thy vacant brow, and thy tousled hair
Your empty expression and messy hair.
Conceal thy good intent
Hiding your true intentions.
Thou noble upright truthful sincere
You are an honest and sincere person.
And slightly dopey gent, you are...
But, you can be a little silly at times.
My funny valentine, sweet comic valentine
My amusing and entertaining valentine.
You make me smile with my heart
You make me genuinely happy.
Your looks are laughable, un-photographable
You have funny and unique looks that cannot be captured in a photo.
Yet, you're my favorite work of art
Despite this, I still cherish you above all else.
Is your figure less than Greek?
Do you have an average body type and not a chiseled Greek physique?
Is your mouth a little weak?
Do you not have a very assertive voice?
When you open it to speak
When you talk.
Are you smart?
Do you have intelligence?
But, don't change a hair for me
But do not change anything about yourself for my sake.
Not if you care for me
Unless you really care for me.
Stay little valentine, stay
Remain with me, my dear valentine.
Each day is Valentine's Day
Every day with you feels special like Valentine's day.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@erindonovan
My husband and I saw this same ensemble play this arrangement at about this time at Sweet Basil in NYC. We have always remembered this bass line, and this arrangement as the best version of this song ever made. A bass line that stays in your head for 30 years is a damned good bass line! We celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary tomorrow (one day before Valentine's) and you can bet I'll be playing this for him.
@cindytango
Wow ! That is so cute :) Congrats for all those years of love of yours and really awesome comment :) ! You are a lucky person :D !! xx
@BlainePistolle
Just getting into Jazz, this seems like a good place to start..
@BananasCrackersNuts
GREAT place to start!
@johnson450
bit late, but you did start very well
@raystraughter-hi5iz
True Masters "Work....yes simply
Brilliant....🎹🛐💓🙏Magik !! YES
@rbsprods3200
Happy Birthday, Ron: 4 May 2022, an amazing 85 years of age. Fantastic quartet playing a classic from the Great American Song Book: Ron, Art Farmer on trumpet, Cedar Walton on piano and...Billy Higgins on drums. Marked this as a favorite to be revisited many more times. Ron was #2 on double bass on the DB Critics poll in 2021. WOW!!
@nicoledavis2475
Hey sound the horn then fellow Taurus
@philpryor7524
Pure beauty, but live and pulsing, never still, frozen. The sweetness of great art is mine and yours, living. Here is a good reason to face tomorrow and fight if not succeed...
@normanbonk8064
What is inside this incredible man fhat he creates new world with a few strings! I would like to know! God bless Ron Carter and thank God for him. He should be making Beyonce money. His genius is worth it! Prayers.