Tuesday, March 29, 2016

stamps: sarah vaughan

Image from: usps.com

The Postal Service honors one of America's great singers, Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990).

The artwork for this stamp is a portrait in oils of Vaughan in performance based on a photograph shot in 1955 by Hugh Bell.

Sarah nurtured her vocal talents in her family church in New Jersey. Her voice ranged over three octaves, and she exercised virtuosic control over it; swooping from high to low and back, she could stretch a single syllable into several. 

Listeners frequently note that she used her voice as an instrument, and Vaughan herself said that she copied her style from the "horn-tooters."

The Sarah Vaughan stamp will be issued as a Forever® stamp. 

You can read more about the Sarah Vaughan stamp here.