Bet-Car Records was a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

founded by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

in 1970 to release her own recordings after her negative experiences with other record companies. In 1983 Bet-Car also began to serve as her

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

and

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

company under the name Bet-Car Productions. Bet-Car maintained offices in houses that Carter and her family owned in Detroit and later in San Francisco. The first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

released on the Bet-Car label was the eponymous ''Betty Carter'' (reissued by

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

as ''

Betty Carter at the Village Vanguard ''Betty Carter at the Village Vanguard'' (original title ''Betty Carter'') is a 1970 live album by Betty Carter featuring her performing with her trio at the Village Vanguard. It was Carter's first live album to be released, and the first album is ...

'') with the catalog number MK 1001 (MK were the initials of her two sons, Myles and Kagle).Bauer, William R. ''Open the Door: The Life and Music of Betty Carter'' (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2002), 119. Other albums originally released on Bet-Car as an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

include '' The Betty Carter Album'', ''

The Audience with Betty Carter ''The Audience with Betty Carter'' is a 1980 live double album by the American jazz singer Betty Carter. Signatures The album's first track, "Sounds (Movin' On)", is 25 minutes in length and features an epic scat solo. The use of the Academy ...

'', and ''

Whatever Happened to Love? ''Whatever Happened to Love?'' is a 1982 live album by the American jazz singer Betty Carter. It is her only live album to include a string section on some tracks. "Abre la Puerta" is a wordless version of Carter's signature tune " Open the D ...

''. In 1987 Carter reached an agreement with Verve that gave her

artistic control Artistic control or creative control is a term commonly used in media production, such as movies, television, and music production. A person with artistic control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear. In movies, this ...

over future releases and that turned Bet-Car into an

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

of Verve. Her first Bet-Car release under Verve's auspices was ''

Look What I Got! ''Look What I Got!'' is a 1988 album by the American jazz singer Betty Carter. At the 31st Grammy Awards, Carter's performance on this album won her the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female. Track listing For the 1992 Verve CD Is ...

''. Verve also issued her previous Bet-Car recordings on CD for the first time.

References

{{Authority control American record labels Verve Records labels Jazz record labels Record labels established in 1970

See also

References