Sarah Vaughan: The Sassy One

Many influential names in music have praised the work of American Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan for her wondrous voice. With a career that lasted almost fifty years, she was ranked as an elite female jazz singer, influencing many other artists from her time and inspiring many more to this day.

According to Ella Fitzgerald, Vaughan was one of the ‘the greatest singing talents’, and jazz critic Leonard Feather considered her to be the ‘most important singers to emerge from the bop era’. Born on 27 March 1924 in Newark, New Jersey, the Grammy Award winner and recipient of many other honorable awards, Sarah Lois Vaughan, (later nicknamed ‘Sassy’ for her speech), was thrust into stardom from a young age. Growing up in Newark, she sang in the church choir and learned the piano at the age of seven. Her love for music emerged from listening to popular songs on the radio and seeing bands in concert or tour. In 1942, at the age of 18, Vaughan entered and won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre and in 1943 she opened there for Ella Fitzgerald. Soon hired as a singer in the Earl Hines band, her career took off and she suddenly found herself part of a band deemed the ‘incubator of bebop’ singing with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Bennie Green. After being part of a band with Billy Eckstine for a short period, she started her journey as a solo artist in 1944.
Vaughan’s solo career began with her singing in New York clubs, followed by a 1945 recording of ‘Lover Man’, with the record label Guild. After recording ‘Time and Again’ with Stuff Smith she signed with the label Musicraft until 1948 when the label went bankrupt because of the musician’s union ban; following this, Vaughan signed with Columbia from 1949 to 1953. Whilst at Columbia, her recordings (some of which reached success in the charts) were more commercial than some of her earlier or later work, however, her 1950’s involvement with the Jimmy Jones Band showed that she also possessed a great talent for singing jazz.

Sarah Vaughan, Café Society (Downtown), New York, N.Y.

After Columbia, Vaughan signed with Mercury where she recorded both commercial and jazz-oriented records. Vaughan’s relationship with George Treadwell, her husband and manager, was fruitful in terms of her music, in 1958, however, she filed for divorce and concluded their business relationship. By 1959, however, she was married again to Clyde Atkins, who she then filed for divorce in 1963. In the beginning of the sixties she signed with Roulette Records, recording a succession of ensemble albums. The rest of the sixties saw live performances in Denmark with her trio Sassy Swings, a first appearance the White House and relocation to Benedict Canyon with Clyde Golden who became her lover and manager. Due to violence and his gambling problems, the relationship was short lived and was followed by one with Marshall Fisher.
The seventies were said to be a re-birth for Vaughan through new album and live performances; the successes of A Time in My Life, Feelin’ Good and Live in Japan being noteworthy productions of her recording activity by working with Mainstream Records, which was run by Bob Shad. However, by 1977 Vaughan signed with the label Pablo Records, where she then recorded an album of Beatles songs, and I Love Brazil and Consequences. By this time her relationship with Fisher was also terminated. In 1978 she married trumpeter Waymond Reed. This year also saw the television airing of her documentary, Listen To The Sun, made by the filmmaker Tom Guy; this was never commercially released.
Vaughan remained active in the eighties and recorded Send in the Clowns and Crazy Mixed Up. She also started to receive many of her awards during this time, as she was publicly recognised as an important jazz innovator. Many of her performances were also taped and Sarah Vaughan: The Divine One appeared on the American series, American Masters. It was only at the end of this decade that her recording schedule began to slow down. With her death in 1990, at the age of 66, Vaughan left behind a rich jazz legacy as her soulful songs continue to mesmerise listeners across generations.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.