Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan was born March 27, 1924 in Newark, NJ, and died April 3, 1990, in Los Angeles of lung cancer. Her parents were Asbury, a carpenter, and Ada, a laundress. She began studying music when she was seven, taking eight years of piano lessons and two years of organ. As a child she sang in the choir at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Newark and played piano and organ in high school productions at Arts High School. She entered an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in New York's Harlem area, singing "Body and Soul", and won the $10 prize and a week's engagement at the Apollo.

From 1944 to 1945, she sang with Billy Eckstine and in 1947 she married her manager, trumpeter George Treadwell. Her later husbands included pro football player Clyde Atkins and trumpeter Waymon Reed.

She and Clyde B. Atkins adopted a daughter in 1961, whom they named Deborah Lois (now Paris Vaughan).

Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1982.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording on July 31, 1985, at 1724 Vine St.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 854-856. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.

She was nominated for the 2008 New Jersey Hall of Fame for her services and contributions to Arts and Entertainment.

She was inducted into the 2012 New Jersey Hall of Fame for her contributions to Arts and Entertainment.

Pictured on a nondenominated USA 'forever' commemorative postage stamp in the Music Icons series, issued 29 March 2016. Price on day of issue was 49¢. The first-day-of-issue ceremony was held in the Sarah Vaughan Concert Hall at Newark Symphony Hall, Newark, New Jersey (Vaughan's hometown).