Sassy: The Life Of Sarah Vaughan

by Leslie Gourse

"A deeply felt portrait of an artist whose influence on a generation of vocalists was profound." -- New York Times Book Review

Sarah Vaughan possessed the most spectacular voice in jazz history. In Sassy , Leslie Gourse, the acclaimed biographer of Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, defines and celebrates Vaughan's vital musical legacy and offers a detailed portrait of the woman as well as the singer. Revealed here is "The Divine One" as only her closest friends and musical associates knew her.

By her early twenties Sarah Vaughan was singining with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Billy Eckstine, helping them invent bebop. For forty-five years thereafter, she reigned supreme in both pop and jazz, with several million-selling hits (among them "Broken Hearted Melody," "Make Yourself Comfortable," and "Misty").

But life offstage was never smooth for Sarah Vaughan. Her voluptuous voice was matched by her exuberant appetite for three failed marriages, financial difficulties through many changes in management, late-night jam sessions, liquor, and cocaine. In Sassy , though, we also see the feisty and unpretentious woman who worked hard all her life to support her parents and adopted daughter, and who came to savor the hard-won independence and worldwide acclaim she achieved as the greatest jazz singer of her generation.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Womens

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Christopher Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the greatest book about Miss Vaughan but more insightful than most and a good deal more informative than most books about the legendary songstress

[Liz Mandeville · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating and remarkably detailed life story of one of America's most gifted singers, written by Leslie Gourse, takes us from Sarah's birth in 1924, and middle class childhood in Newark, New Jersey to her ultimate demise from liver cancer in 1990. She died at home in California while watching her daughter's first movie on TV. She had become wealthy, famous and beloved all over the world.

Through interviews with her friends and fellow musicians, people who knew her well and those who worked for her, Ms. Gourse takes us inside the workings of a musical life, behind the curtain. She pulls no punches and sugar coats nothing as she describes a woman who knew what she wanted and went for it with all her heart.

Sassy, as she was known to her friends, had a huge amount of energy. She not only worked like a race-horse, but then she partied just as hard. She's quoted as saying "I do what I want, I drink, I smoke, a take cocaine and I stays high!" But the excesses she enjoyed did nothing to diminish her talent. In fact, it's said she never warmed up, never vocalized before performing and half the time she hadn't slept either! Most people couldn't keep up with her, but she had the indomitable good health and strength of purpose that the drugs and drinking were never called addiction or habit, that was just the way she lived.

For the first part of her life and career, Sassy preferred her husbands to manage her career, travel with her and handle all the business. She'd say "I sing, I just sing." But after several failed marriages and lost fortunes she finally found professional management and achieved the success her amazing artistry deserved.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very in depth look at Sarah 'Sassy' Vaughan, legendary singer with a career from the 1940's through to 1990. She was one of my Dad's top two favourite female singers along with Ella. I inherited this book along with a couple of others when my Dad passed a few years ago. I would rate the book 3 1/2 stars if that was an option. Folks that know more about this subject than I say there are better books out there on Ms Vaughan. For me, there was perhaps just a bit too much information in the body of the work on every musician that played on each session and how they got the job. For me the basics were definitely there. Her youth singing in church in Newark New Jersey. Her sneaking off with her best friend to sing in music contests in Harlem as well as to go to the clubs to hear the music they loved. Her big break with Billy Eckstine who saw a rough diamond with talent to spare. He took her under his wing and mentored her and treated her like a daughter. Ms Vaughan had aspirations to become an opera singer like her heroine Marian Anderson, but alas aside from recording a couple of songs in that style, it was never to be. She did get to work with Michael Tilson Thomas, and performed with classical orchestras. Overall an interesting read. And I need to pull out those Sassy cd's I also inherited from my Dad

[Edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rise of the amazing singer, Sarah Vaughan, from show-stopping teenaged songstress at the Apollo Theater, to the heights of the classical music world, with her collaboration with Michael Tilson Thomas. How she stayed "Sassy" all the way, and never missed a beat.

[Brooklyn Sr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thee best Jazz singer! Great read! Go pick up this book immediately

[Bry · Rating 4 out of 5]

first, you'd truly have to be a FAN of SARAH VAUGHAN to even decide to pick up a book about her life.... and what a life. second, if you hadn't heard---she only had the greatest voice in jazz [when pop music was jazzy and filled with standards and ballads:]---now that being said, the book was your pretty standard biography; a couple of hundred pages filled with names and dates and more names and more dates. i was shocked to learn "Sassy" was a "lifetime" cocaine user, but more than that i was thrilled to journey with her across the world where she performed for 4 decades to never ending crowds who remained in awe of her voice............. from carnegie hall to the apollo theater in harlem to london to singing for 3 presidents to earning a star on the walk of fame..... SARAH VAUGHAN had a truly amazing career [minus the three failed marriages, drugs, alcohol, you know all the stuff that AMY WINEHOUSE aspires to do:]......

[Solor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reading.