Sarah Vaughan(1924 — 1990)
Sarah Vaughan
États-Unis
7 min read
American jazz singer (1924–1990), nicknamed “The Divine One” or “Sassy,” Sarah Vaughan is considered one of the greatest voices of the 20th century. Her exceptional timbre, vibrato, and technical mastery earned her international recognition.
Famous Quotes
« I don't think I'm anything special. »
« Jazz is not just music, it's a way of life. »
Key Facts
- Born on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey
- Won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in 1942, which launched her career
- Collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, founding figures of bebop, starting in 1944
- Recorded hundreds of albums between the 1940s and 1980s
- Died on April 3, 1990, in Hidden Hills, California, of lung cancer
Works & Achievements
One of her first major recordings, revealing to the public her unique phrasing and mastery of rubato. This jazz standard remains associated with her voice more than any other interpreter's.
Recorded live at the Birdland club, this version is considered one of the finest showcases of her bebop style and her ability to improvise vocally.
Taken from the musical *Damn Yankees*, this track became a popular hit that opened doors to a wider audience while preserving her exacting jazz standards.
A ballad composed by Erroll Garner, Vaughan's interpretation of which has become the definitive reference. Her version showcases her deep vibrato and harmonic intelligence.
Album recorded in concert with the Count Basie Orchestra, considered one of the high points of her discography and an essential document of vocal jazz from the 1950s.
A bold reinterpretation of Stephen Sondheim's standard that earned her a Grammy Award in 1982. Her version transforms the show tune into a jazz meditation of profound emotional depth.
Anecdotes
In October 1942, Sarah Vaughan, then 18 years old, entered the famous Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. She performed 'Body and Soul' and won the contest hands down. Billy Eckstine happened to be in the audience and immediately recommended her to bandleader Earl Hines — her professional career began just a few weeks later.
Sarah Vaughan was one of the first singers to embrace bebop, the revolutionary style invented by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the early 1940s. She met them in Earl Hines's orchestra and absorbed their daring harmonic language, transposing bebop's complex instrumental improvisations into her voice — something that was entirely unprecedented at the time.
Her fellow musicians nicknamed her 'Sassy' because of her assertive personality and sharp wit. But it was the nickname 'The Divine One,' coined by music critic George Trow, that stuck: it paid tribute to the exceptional range of her voice, which spanned more than three octaves and allowed her to move from contralto to soprano with disconcerting ease.
During the recording of 'Send in the Clowns' in 1981, taken from Stephen Sondheim's musical, Sarah Vaughan surprised everyone by improvising freely on the original melody. This jazz interpretation, far removed from the original, earned her a Grammy Award in 1982 in the category of 'Best Female Jazz Vocal Performance.' Sondheim himself declared that her version surpassed all others.
Despite her international fame, Sarah Vaughan faced racial segregation throughout her life in the United States. As late as the 1950s, she would sometimes perform in clubs or hotels where she was not allowed to stay or enter through the main entrance. She nonetheless continued to perform in Europe's most prestigious venues, where she was welcomed without discrimination — earning her an enormous following on the continent.
Primary Sources
"I don't sing a note I don't feel. Every song is a story, and I have to live it before I can pass it on."
Early contractual documents attesting to Sarah Vaughan's signing with Continental Records for her first professional recording sessions.
Down Beat places Sarah Vaughan at the top of the annual jazz best female vocalist rankings, highlighting her unique vibrato and unparalleled harmonic mastery.
"I sang all my life because I didn't know how to do anything else. But if I had known it would bring me here, I would have started even earlier."
Key Places
Sarah Vaughan's hometown, where she grew up in the African American community and began singing in church. Newark was an industrial city marked by de facto segregation.
A landmark of African American culture, the Apollo hosted Vaughan's winning performance at Amateur Night in 1942. That contest became the springboard for her professional career.
A legendary jazz club that opened in 1949 on Broadway, named in honor of Charlie Parker, known as "Bird." Sarah Vaughan performed there on many occasions and cemented her legend within its walls.
A prestigious Parisian concert hall where Sarah Vaughan performed during her European tours. In France, she was welcomed without discrimination and celebrated as a first-rank artist.
A suburb of Los Angeles where Sarah Vaughan lived during the final years of her life and where she passed away in April 1990.