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Sarah Vaughan
artist

Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan is a jazz artist from United States formed in 1942. 101 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Jazz · United States · Best jazz albums

101
Releases
1954–1990
Active years
1942
Formed
1990
Died

Discography

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Viva Vaughan cover

Most popular

Viva Vaughan

2018 · 13 tracks

Singles & EPs

1

Live & compilations

9

Collaborators

1

Upcoming shows

International Jazz Vocal Competition

All concerts →

Community

More about Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan at a glance

Born in
Newark
From
United States
Active since
1942
Instruments
piano, voice
Voice
contralto
Labels
Mercury Records, Columbia Records, Cadet Records
Educated at
East Side High School, Newark Arts High School

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century." Nicknamed "Sailor" (for her salty speech), "Sassy" and "The Divine One", Sarah Vaughan was a Grammy Award winner. The National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon her its "highest honor in jazz", the NEA Jazz Masters Award, in 1989. Sarah Vaughan's father, Asbury "Jake" Vaughan, was a carpenter by trade and played guitar and piano. Her mother, Ada Vaughan, was a laundress and sang in the church choir. Jake and Ada Vaughan had migrated to Newark from Virginia during the First World War. Sarah was their only natural child, although in the 1960s they adopted Donna, the child of a woman who traveled on the road with Sarah Vaughan.

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The Vaughans lived in a house on Brunswick Street, in Newark, New Jersey, for Sarah's entire childhood. Jake Vaughan was deeply religious and the family was very active in the New Mount Zion Baptist Church on 186 Thomas Street. Sarah began piano lessons at the age of seven, sang in the church choir and occasionally played piano for rehearsals and services. The household was also observed on democratic standards; Vaughan once told a reporter, "I've always been a Democrat, it runs in my family." Vaughan developed an early love for popular music on records and the radio. In the 1930s, Newark had a very active live music scene and Vaughan frequently saw local and touring bands that played in the city at venues like the Montgomery Street Skating Rink. By her mid-teens, Vaughan began venturing (illegally) into Newark's night clubs and performing as a pianist and, occasionally, singer, most notably at the Piccadilly Club and the Newark Airport USO. Vaughan initially attended Newark's East Side High School, later transferring to Newark Arts High School, which had opened in 1931 as the United States' first arts "magnet" high school. However, her nocturnal adventures as a performer began to overwhelm her academic pursuits and Vaughan dropped out of high school during her junior year to concentrate more fully on music. Around this time, Vaughan and her friends also began venturing across the Hudson River into New York City to hear big bands at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Sarah Vaughan in brief

How many Sarah Vaughan releases are on Riffiter?
101 releases are catalogued, spanning 1954 to 2024.
When was Sarah Vaughan formed?
Sarah Vaughan formed in 1942, in United States.
What genre is Sarah Vaughan?
Sarah Vaughan is catalogued under Jazz.
What is the most recent Sarah Vaughan release on Riffiter?
Gershwin on Broadway, released in 2024.

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