DURHAM — North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and the U.S. Postal Service will come together to dedicate the newly released Sarah Vaughan postage stamp. The event will be held in conjunction with the 26th annual NCCU Jazz Festival on Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the B.N. Duke Auditorium on campus. The event is free and open to the public.
During this event, Post Office Operations Manager Debra Wiggins-Wooten will dedicate the commemorative stamp to honor one of America’s great singers, Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990), the first such dedication in North Carolina. Immediately after the dedication, the NCCU Jazz Ensemble will be in concert featuring guest artist Mary Stallings at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online or at the NCCU Box Office.
Vaughan, nicknamed “The Divine One” or “Sassy,” nurtured her vocal talents in her family church in Newark, 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.
Working with some of America’s jazz greats, Vaughan developed a talent for melodic and rhythmic improvisation and exceptionally skillful phrasing. Her fresh way with lyrics and interpretive power deepened as she aged. Remarkably, her voice did not diminish with time; she sang with operatic virtuosity for the whole of her five-decade career.
The Sarah Vaughan stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Customers may purchase stamps at usps.com/stamps, at the Postal Store usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices nationwide. A variety of stamps and collectibles also is available at ebay.com/stamps.
For more information about the jazz festival that begins April 14 and ends April 21, contact Ayana Hernandez at (919) 530-7266 or visit http://web.nccu.edu/jazzfestival.
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