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.
Someone to Watch Over Me
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still were often told, seek and ye shall find
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
Hes the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
Someone who'll watch over me
Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
The lyrics of Benny Carter's song Someone to Watch Over Me describe a woman's deep longing to find the man she loves. The song begins with the idea that love is blind and cannot be controlled. However, the woman is still seeking a man she has in mind, but hasn't found him yet. She describes this man as the only one she ever thinks of with regret, which implies that she may have lost him before. She longs to add his initial to her monogram, suggesting that she wants to be associated with him permanently.
As the song progresses, the woman reveals that she is like a lost sheep in need of a shepherd, which symbolizes her vulnerability and her desire for protection. She hopes that the man she is seeking will be the one to watch over her and take care of her. She acknowledges that he may not be conventionally handsome, but to her, he holds the key to her heart. She implores him to put on some speed and follow her lead, revealing her desperation and her need for his care.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a saying old says that love is blind
Love can be irrational and unpredictable
Still were often told, seek and ye shall find
Despite the unpredictability of love, people are often told to actively look for it
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
The singer has a specific person they want to find
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
Despite actively searching for the person, they have not been found
He's the big affair I cannot forget
The person is very important to the artist and cannot be forgotten
Only man I ever think of with regret
The person is the only one the singer regrets not being with
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
The singer wants to be associated with this person permanently
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?
The artist is lost without their love and needs someone to guide them back
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
The artist is deeply desiring to see a specific person
I hope that he turns out to be
The artist has high expectations for the person they are seeking
Someone who'll watch over me
The singer is searching for someone to protect and care for them
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
The artist is vulnerable and in need of protection
I know I could always be good
The singer is willing to be obedient and well-behaved for the person who will watch over them
Someone who'll watch over me
Reinforcing the singer's need for someone to protect them
Although he may not be the man some
The person the singer is seeking may not meet everyone's expectations
Girls think of as handsome
The artist is acknowledging that others might not find the person physically attractive
To my heart he carries the key
The artist's heart belongs to this person and only they can unlock it
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
The singer is asking for help in expediting the process of finding the person
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
The singer is desperate for help in finding the person they desire
Someone to watch over me
Reinforcing the artist's need for someone to protect them
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRA GERSHWIN, GEORGE GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jhas888
Beautiful.
What a group
What a rarity.