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Sarah Vaughan biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Sarah Vaughan
  • OCCUPATION: Singer
  • BIRTH DATE: March 27, 1924
  • DEATH DATE: April 03, 1990
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Newark, New Jersey
  • PLACE OF DEATH: Hidden Hills, California
  • Full Name: Sarah Lois Vaughan
  • AKA: Sassy
  • Nickname: the Divine One

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Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz vocalist known for her impressive three octave range. She was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1990.


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American jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan got her start as a child singing in her church choir. In 1942, she was thrust into the spotlight after a winning performance at Amateur Night at the famed Apollo Theatre, and by the mid-1940s she was appearing on television. Soon given the moniker, "Sassy," Vaughan showed off her impressive three octave range, and quickly became regarded as one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. She was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1990, the same year she died.

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      Many African-Americans made their name performing at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, including Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. The roster of talented artists who made their careers after a successful amateur night at the Apollo grew so large, that the venue earned a reputation as the place to jump-start the career of an ambitious hopeful. Other performers, like Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson, came to the theater after experiencing big professional success, adding further credibility to the historic New York concert hall. Explore the biographies of some of the more notable African-Americans who stepped out onto the Apollo stage, making entertainment history.

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