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SARAH
VAUGHAN (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
Sarah Lois Vaughan (nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine
One") (March 27, 1924, Newark, New Jersey – April 3, 1990, Los
Angeles, California) was an American jazz singer, described by Scott
Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century".
Sarah Vaughan ranked
with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the very top echelon of
female jazz singers. She often gave the impression that with her
wide range, perfectly controlled vibrato, and wide expressive
abilities, she could do anything she wanted with her voice. Sarah
Vaughan's legacy as a performer and a recording artist will be very
difficult to match in the future.
She was affectionately
known as both "Sassy" and "The Divine One," nicknames that reflect
the remarkable variety she brought to her singing. Vaughan's
inimitable vocal abilities included an incredibly wide range,
extraordinarily diverse tonal colors and amazing breath control, all
rooted in a heartfelt passion to express herself.
Sarah Vaughan was born
in Newark, N.J. in 1924. Following her mother's lead, she learned
piano and organ, and by age 12 was performing in church. But Sarah's
childhood ambition was to sing. When she was 18, she and a friend
summoned the nerve to go to the Apollo Theater on amateur night.
Vaughan won a $10 prize and a week-long engagement at the theater.
Billy Eckstine, the
famous vocalist then with the Earl Hines band, saw her perform on
her first night. Impressed, he went backstage to meet the talented
teenager. Within weeks, Vaughan was singing with Eckstine and Hines
in an ensemble that included alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and
trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pioneers of the cutting-edge musical
style that became known as bebop. That experience informed Vaughan's
approach, and her singing began to feature more complex rhythms,
faster tempos and wider intervals. Pianist John Malachi thought the
new girl's singing style was "sassy," and the name stuck.
After a year with
Eckstine, Vaughan began performing on her own. Chicago DJ Dave
Garroway coined the nickname "The Divine One" as he repeatedly
played Vaughan's records on the air. In 1947, Vaughan was Down Beat
magazine's most popular female singer.
Spurred by her own
success, Vaughan accepted offers to record pop music. In the late
'40s, she had hits with "It's Magic" and "Tenderly," and in the '50s
she scored even bigger hits with "Make Yourself Comfortable" and her
million-seller "Broken-Hearted Melody." While those triumphs were
lucrative, they didn't reflect Vaughan's chief musical interests.
Fortunately, the record deals also allowed her to record songs of
her own choice and her creativity continued to flourish.
Vaughan's style evolved
continuously throughout her career. When she immersed herself in
Brazilian music, she didn't just incorporate trendy bossa nova beats
into her work — she also visited the country and collaborated with
some of Brazil's greatest musicians, including Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Vaughan lived to sing,
and loved performing for a live audience. In October 1989, while
performing at New York's Blue Note, Sarah learned that she had lung
cancer. She died six months later, 46 years — to the day — after
joining the Earl Hines band. Behind Sarah Vaughn's striking voice,
and unique musicianship, laid a heart and soul that continue to move
people all over the world.
(info mainly
www.npr.org) |
