Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Bianca’ Performance Added To ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ Channel
The jazz star performed the ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ tune on the series in 1949.
Sarah Vaughan is the latest star to be added to The Ed Sullivan Show’s YouTube channel. The late jazz singer appeared on the CBS variety show on June 26, 1949, performing “Bianca” from Kiss Me, Kate.
Vaughan’s stirring rendition of one of the musical’s key songs showcases her impressive four-octave vocal range. Kiss Me, Kate focuses on production of a musical version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew while following the romantic rollercoaster of two relationships: one between director, producer and main actor Fred Graham and his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi, who’s also the production’s lead actress. The other involves Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill. Kiss Me, Kate made its Broadway debut in 1948 and won the first Tony Award for Best Musical the following year.
Vaughan, who passed away in 1990, is revered as one of the most powerful voices in modern jazz. She began her career in 1943 and went on to release 48 studio albums. The singer and pianist won two Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for nine Grammys. In 1985 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was later inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988.
A Newark, New Jersey native, Vaughan’s legacy continues to be celebrated in her hometown with the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. This year marks the 14th annual edition, with New Jersey Performing Arts Center accepting applicants until September 2. The top five finalists will compete on November 23 in front of a live audience before an official winner is crowned.
The Ed Sullivan Show, which aired on CBS from from 1948 to 1971, is known for breaking music icons like the Beatles and Elvis Presley. In July, Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan premiered on Netflix. Directed by the late Sacha Jenkins, the documentary discusses Sullivan’s role in highlighting Black talent on his Sunday evening broadcasts during the height of segregation in the United States.
