Sarah Vaughan Great Women Singers of the 20th Century

"Sassy" as Sarah Vaughan was lovingly called, is considered -- along with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday an Peggy Lee -- one of the definitive, great women singers of jazz and popular music. She memorably began her career as a pianist and vocalist with her lifelong fellow musician and friend Billy Eckstine. Before she died in 1990, she had recorded with many, many jazz greats including Count Basie, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, the legendary Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter and Quincy Jones.

Sarah Vaughan, who was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1924 (like Ella Fitzgerald), first came to attention when she won the Apollo Theatre Amateur Night in 1942. By 1950, she became the best selling artist with records like "Linger Awhile" and "You're Mine You" and a millionaire, a rare achievement for a woman musician at that time. By the mid-1950s, she had million sellers including "Broken Hearted Melody."

Taped in 1985, this concert offers a rare recorded "in person" performance of Sarah Vaughan. It has never been seen before and gives us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a happy, relaxed, warmly humorous and vocally supreme presentation by the great singer. Backed by a jazz trio, she sings several of her well know, classic songs including "Poor Butterfly," "East Of The Sun" as well as her two most popular songs "Misty" and Stephen Sondheim's "Send In The Clowns."

Possessing one of the best female jazz voices of all time, Sarah Vaughan is captured in concert on this release in the GREAT WOMEN SINGERS series. Shot in 1985, the show sees Vaughan working her way through some of the highlights of her career, such as "Misty," "Poor Butterfly," and her inimitable version of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns." Previously unreleased, this concert is a wonderful way to experience the many talents of Sarah Vaughan.