Biography

On March 27, 1924, jazz vocalist and legend, Sarah Vaughan, was born. In 1942 at the age of 18, she entered a talent show contest at the Harlem Apollo Theatre. Of course, Sarah reigned supreme and won the competition with the standard “Body and Soul”. After this event, her name was finally out in the world, and notable jazz vocalist Billy Eckstine managed to get Sarah hired to sing in the Earl Hines Orchestra. Soon enough, Sarah left Earl Hine’s orchestra and joined Billy’s brand new band. This opportunity and event changed jazz forever. A few jazz legends, such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, began to create and play ‘bebop’. You can hear a sudden shift and integration of ‘bebop’ in Sarah’s 1945 rendition of ‘Lover Man’ where she collaborated with Gillespie and Parker. At this point in her career, she was given the nickname “Sassy” because of the way she presented herself on stage. Sarah’s records sold more than 1 million copies of big hits such as ‘Misty’. In 1981, Sarah’s collaboration with George Gershwin won her an Emmy… and In 1982, Sarah’s performance with Michael Tilson Thomas and the LA Philharmonic won her a GRAMMY!