Sarah Lois Vaughan was born on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Asbury, a carpenter and Ada, a laundress, and she began studying music at the age of seven. Her parents, recognizing her budding talent, gave her eight years of piano lessons and two on the organ. She also sang in the choir of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Newark, and played both the piano and organ in various high school productions. She became renowned for her musical alchemy, her ability to interpret and improvise, thus changing the original material into a new and different creation.
In the early 1940s, Sarah began performing with Earl Hines. She soon broke away to join Billy Eckstine. Along with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, they often appeared together until Sarah decided to go solo in 1945. Two of her songs from the late forties, “Tenderly” and “It’s Magic” were very successful and made her name a household word. In the 1950s, her popularity continued to grow with two even bigger hits: “Misty” by Errol Garner and her smash hit, “Broken Hearted Melody.” She appeared with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Miles Davis and Jimmy Jones.
Sarah Vaughan was like the other great singers of her generation in some ways and unique in others. She became one of the key interpreters of the “Great American Songbook” in the 1950s and popularized the Bossa Nova of the 1960s like her contemporaries, but her vocal range placed her a step above. Hers ranged from soprano to baritone and her hallmark was her very beautiful vibrato, which was like no other. In the 1970s and 1980s, her lower vocal range increased, allowing her to sing both the baritone and soprano ranges. She generally sang within the contralto/alto range.
Sarah Vaughan was married four times and all ended in divorce. She died of lung cancer on April 3, 1990, but her musical legacy lives on for all of her adoring fans.
Here’s to the sassy one! Now and forever!