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.
Old Fashioned Love
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there it will always remain
Like an ivy clinging vine clinging closer all the time
Through these years and these tears just the same
Got that old fashioned fate in my heart
And nothing can tear us apart
Dry land may turn to sea but there'll be no change in me
Got that old fashioned love
in my heart
And it's as true as love can be
Like a rose that never dies, like a kiss that never lies
It's a love that's forever, set in eternity
This song, "An Old Love Story," is a tribute to love that stands the test of time. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and a yearning for a love that is pure and steadfast. The song paints a picture of a love that is everlasting and unchanging, like an ivy clinging vine that grows stronger with each passing year.
The use of wordplay is effective in describing the love as "old fashioned fate" which cannot be torn apart. The idea of the singer having an old-fashioned love in their heart is a nod to the idea of love being simple and unconditional, devoid of the complexities and superficialities of modern society.
The chorus of the song beautifully captures the essence of the lyrics; the love that the singer has in their heart is true and will always remain, like a rose that never dies and a kiss that never lies. The song seems to be both a celebration and a lamentation of old-fashioned love - a love that is rare and precious, but perhaps increasingly difficult to find and maintain in our fast-paced and ever-changing world.
Line by Line Meaning
Got that old fashioned love in my heart
I have genuine and timeless love in my heart
And there it will always remain
It will always stay in my heart
Like an ivy clinging vine clinging closer all the time
My love for you is like an ivy plant that keeps growing stronger with time
Through these years and these tears just the same
Even after all these years and hardships, my love remains steadfast
Got that old fashioned fate in my heart
My destiny is tied to this old fashioned love
And nothing can tear us apart
No circumstance or obstacle can separate us
Dry land may turn to sea but there'll be no change in me
Even if the world changes drastically, my love will remain constant
Got that old fashioned love in my heart
I have a traditional, authentic and true love in my heart
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES P. JOHNSON, CECIL MACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind