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.
On Green Dolphin Street
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye
Romance was the theme
And we were the players
I never think of this without a sigh
Lover, one lovely day
Love came, planning to stay
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
When I recall the love I found on
I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street
Lover, one lovely day
Love came, planning to stay
Green Dolphin Street supplied the setting
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
When I recall the love I found on
On Green Dolphin Street
The lyrics to Benny Carter and Phil Woods's song "On Green Dolphin Street" paint the picture of a love affair that was both passionate and fleeting. The song starts with the singer admitting that what follows "seems like a dream," but that they know it happened. The dream-like quality of the affair is emphasized by the short-lived nature of the relationship - it begins with a kiss and ends with a goodbye. The tone of the song is wistful, with the singer unable to recall the events without a sigh. Despite its brief duration, the romance was memorable and significant, with "Green Dolphin Street" serving as the backdrop for "nights beyond forgetting." The final lines of the song express the depth of feeling associated with the relationship, with the singer claiming that they "could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street" when they recall the love they found there.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened
Although it feels surreal, I am certain that it truly occurred.
A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye
There was a man and a woman who shared a kiss before saying farewell.
Romance was the theme
The central idea of the experience was love and passion.
And we were the players
We were the ones who engaged in the romantic affair.
I never think of this without a sigh
Whenever I remember it, my heart fills with wistfulness.
Lover, one lovely day
Addressing the person who kindled the romance, a beautiful moment occurred.
Love came, planning to stay
The powerful force of love was present and intended to remain.
Green Dolphin Street supplied the setting
The romantic encounter took place on the charming and picturesque Green Dolphin Street.
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
The location was so enchanting that the memories of it will endure.
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
Although time and distance have separated us, the memories of this love endure within me.
When I recall the love I found on
Thinking back to the romance and passion that was shared with my lover.
I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street
My appreciation of this location, where I found love, is so profound that I could express it physically.
On Green Dolphin Street
Repeating the name of this location, emphasizing its significance in the story.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRONISLAW KAPER, NED WASHINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind