The track listing and personnel on Betty Carter at the Village Vanguard is very similar to that of the album Finally, Betty Carter, which she recorded six months earlier.

However, the original producer of Finally ran off with the master recording, and it remained unreleased until 1975.

Carter released At the Village Vanguard on her own label to effectively supplant the stolen album in her discography.

Despite the superficial similarities between the two albums, the more intimate setting and Carter's lively interplay with the audience give At the Village Vanguard a very different feel from Finally, which was recorded at the Judson Hall Theatre.

The song "Ego" uses the tune of Randy Weston's composition "Berkshire Blues" with Carter's own lyrics.