Music Diary Songs of Note: Happy Birthday to Sassy Sarah Vaughan

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Music Diary Songs of Note: Happy Birthday to Sassy Sarah Vaughan

Sunday would have been the 87th birthday of legendary singer Sarah Vaughan, who died in 1990. She is generally considered one of the great vocalists of the 20th century, and you can see that in the two videos I selected.

I was fortunate to see Sarah Vaughan at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1984, where she put on an amazing set that showcased not just her great voice but also her love of performing for and interacting with an audience. One of my favorite songs of hers was a great interpretation of Errol Garner’s Misty.

You can hear her doing the male part of Misty in the second video (not present in the first one), and that is something that was very memorable at Newport. She talked about the various male singing partners she had through the years, and how now she did that part herself – ‘damn good’, she remarked. Her range travels well down to that bass part, and then she started the next verse with a very cutesy ‘On my own …’ that always evokes a chuckle from the audience.

So let’s get to two wonderful versions of Misty from the great Sarah Vaughan.

And here is the same song soon before her death in 1990:

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!