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.
No Greater Love
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than what I feel for you
No greater love,
No heart so true
There is no greater thrill
Than what you bring to me
No sweeter song
You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known
And to think that
You are mine alone.
There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you
You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known,
And to think that
You are mine alone.
There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you
Benny Carter's "No Greater Love" is a love song that compares the intensity of the singer's love for their partner to any other type of love in the world, asserting that there is no greater love than the one they share. The song is simple in its lyrics, which are repeated throughout, yet powerful in the emotion it conveys. The singer declares that their love for their partner is the greatest love in the world, and nothing can compare to it.
The song's emphasis on the idea that there is "no greater love" speaks to the universality of love and its ability to transcend any other type of feeling or experience. This emphasis also highlights the singer's deep devotion to their partner, and the importance of their love in their life. The line "You're the sweetest thing I have ever known" further emphasizes the importance of the partner in the singer's life, and the overwhelming joy they bring.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no greater love
The love I have for you is infinite and incomparable.
Than what I feel for you
My love for you is indescribable and cannot be surpassed.
No greater love,
My love for you is the highest form of love and cannot be exceeded.
No heart so true
Your heart is the most genuine and sincere heart I have ever encountered.
There is no greater thrill
Being with you brings me the utmost happiness and excitement.
Than what you bring to me
Your presence and love bring me joy that cannot be rivaled.
No sweeter song
The sound of your voice and your love towards me is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.
Than what you sing to me
The words of love and affection you express towards me are the sweetest and most meaningful sounds to my ears.
You're the sweetest thing
You are the most delightful and charming person I have ever met.
I have ever known
Out of all the people I have encountered, you are the most special to me.
And to think that
The mere thought of you being in my life makes me feel incredibly fortunate.
You are mine alone.
I deeply cherish that I am the only one who has the privilege of having you in my life.
In all the world, it's true
I have searched far and wide and have not found a love that compares to what I have for you.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Isham Jones, Marty Symes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind