Sarah Vaughan

The Woman Who Was Said To Have "The Most Wholly Beautiful Voice In All Jazz History," Was Born In Newark, New Jersey, On March 27, 1924.

Sarah Lois Vaughan Began Her Musical Career As A Child, Singing In Church, And Playing Piano And Organ.

Her Big Break Came When She Won First Prize During A Talent Show At Harlem’s Famed Apollo Theater. In Addition To Being Paid $10.00, She Performed For A Week At The Apollo.

Singer, Billy Eckstine Heard Her Unique Vocal Style And Introduced Her To Band Leader, Earl Hines, Who Hired Her As A Pianist And Vocalist With His Band, In 1943. She Was 19 Years Old.

With The Talents Of Jazz Greats, Charlie Parker And Dizzie Gillespie, Vaughan Recorded Her First Hit, "Lover Man", In 1945. Following That Release, She Began Selling An Average Of 3 Million Records Per Year.

Her First Record To Sell A Million Copies Was "Broken-Hearted Melody," Released In 1959.
Other Major Hits For Vaughan Included: "Misty," "Smooth Operator" And "Send In The Clowns."

Throughout Her Long And Impressive Career, "The Devine One," As She Was Sometimes Called, Made Movie And Television Appearances, Toured Internationally And Performed At The White House.

She Won A Grammy Award For Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female, For A Performance Of George Gershwin’s Music With The Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 1985 She Received A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Vaughn Was Also Inducted Into The American Jazz Hall Of Fame.

Sarah Vaughan Died April 3, 1990.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.