This is our culture, and I don't care who the musician is, if he avoids black people, then he is scared of something. He doesn't have confidence in himself or else he doesn't believe in what he's doing.

In the last decade of her life Carter began to receive even wider acclaim and recognition. After three years of touring with Charles and a total of two recordings together Carter took a hiatus from recording in order to get married. She and her husband had two children together.

Vocalist Carmen McRae once remarked "there's really only one jazz singer – only one: 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 abilities and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative interpretation of lyrics and melodies.