Sarah Vaughan sings at Cafe Society in New York City, circa August 1946. Nicknamed “Sassy,” and “The Divine Sarah Vaughan,” the Newark native was 22 when this photo was taken. She was discovered four years earlier by piano legend Earl “Fatha” Hines while she was entering talent contests at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. She began her solo career in 1945 on 52nd Street at The Three Deuces, the Famous Door, the Onyx, and the Downbeat.

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