Betty Carter (1929–1998) was a prominent U.S. jazz singer, renowned for her… Read Full Bio ↴Betty Carter (1929–1998) was a prominent U.S. jazz singer, renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style. Carter expanded the role of the vocalist in jazz, to a full, improvising member of the band. Although her voice was not as admired by the public as such vocalists as Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald, many consider her to have exercised mastery of the human voice previously unheard in jazz. Carmen McRae once claimed that "there's really only one jazz singer - only one: Betty Carter."

Carter was born Lillie Mae Jones on 16th May 1929 in Flint, Michigan and grew up in Detroit, where her father led a church choir. She studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. She won a talent contest and became a regular on the local club circuit, singing and playing piano. When she was sixteen, she sang with Charlie Parker. She later performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis and toured with Lionel Hampton (from whom she received the nickname "Betty Bebop"), when she perfected her scat singing of bebop.

Her career was eclipsed somewhat during the 1960s and 1970s, though a series of duets with Ray Charles in 1961, including the R&B-chart-topping "Baby, It's Cold Outside", brought her a measure of popular recognition. She recorded for various labels during this period, including Peacock, ABC-Paramount, and Atco, but was rarely satisfied with the resulting product. An episode in which a record company A&R man tried to abscond with a set of her master recordings led her to establish her own record label, Bet-Car, in 1970. Some of her most outstanding recordings were first issued on Bet-Car, including the double album The Audience with Betty Carter (1980). She was well-received at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977 and 1978. In 1987 Carter signed with Verve Records. She won a Grammy in 1988 for her album Look What I Got! and sang in a guest appearance on The Cosby Show in that year.

She died on 26th September 1998.

Stormy Weather
Betty Carter Lyrics

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Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps rainin' all the time
Life is bare gloom and misery
Everywhere,
Stormy weather

Just can't get my poor self together
I'm weary all the time
The time,
So weary all the time
When he went away
The blues walked in and met me
If he stays a way old rockin' chair will get me
All I do is pray the Lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more,
Can't go on, everything is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps rainin' all the time

Keeps rainin' all the time
Don't know time.

Overall Meaning

The song "Stormy Weather" by Betty Carter is a classic that explores the emotions of heartbreak and loss. The opening line, "Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky," sets the stage for the overall feeling of the song. The singer is trying to make sense of why everything seems bleak and dark since the departure of her lover. She seems lost and unsure of how to move forward in the storm of emotions that have consumed her.

As the song continues, she laments on the many ways the absence of her lover has affected her life. She describes life as "bare gloom and misery" and how she can't seem to get her poor self together. She is tired, physically and emotionally, and prays for relief from the sadness that has taken over her life. The chorus repeats that it's stormy weather since her man and she are not together and that it keeps raining all the time.

The lyrics of this song are incredibly relatable, as many people have experienced the pain of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on. The imagery of rain and storm perfectly captures the feelings of sadness and despair that come with a significant loss. Overall, Betty Carter's "Stormy Weather" is a beautifully written song that manages to convey the pain of heartbreak in a way that resonates with listeners.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't know why
I don't understand the reason

There's no sun up in the sky
The sky looks gloomy and dark

Stormy weather
Difficult times ahead

Since my man and I ain't together
Ever since my relationship ended

Keeps rainin' all the time
Life feels miserable with constant problems

Life is bare gloom and misery
Life is filled with sadness and despair

Everywhere
In every aspect of my life

Just can't get my poor self together
I can't seem to get myself back on track

I'm weary all the time
I feel tired and hopeless constantly

The time,

So weary all the time
I am always exhausted