Sarah Vaughan

One of the most legendary and influential jazz vocalists of all time, Sarah Vaughan—known as The Divine One—released more than 50 albums. ∙ In 1942, when Vaughan was just 18, she won the famed Apollo Theater Amateur Night contest and then opened for Ella Fitzgerald, who later described her as “the world’s greatest singing talent.” ∙ By the time she was 19, she was performing in the Earl Hines Orchestra alongside future bebop pioneers Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. ∙ After singing in Billy Eckstine’s legendary band, she launched a solo career, scoring a Billboard Pop hit with 1947’s “Tenderly” and her first Top 10 single with 1948’s “Nature Boy.” ∙ Sarah Vaughan, her 1954 landmark album with trumpeter Clifford Brown, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. ∙ She recorded versions of Stephen Sondheim’s show tune “Send In the Clowns” in both 1973 and 1981, and it became her signature song in concerts—showcasing her acclaimed three-octave range. ∙ Vaughan’s George Gershwin tributes earned her an Emmy Award (for 1981’s Rhapsody and Song) and a Grammy (Best Jazz Vocal Performance for 1982’s Gershwin Live!). ∙ In addition to winning a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, she was honored with a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award and was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame.