James David Vaughan (December 14, 1864 – February 9, 1941) was an American music teacher, composer, song book publisher, the founder of the Vaughan Conservatory of Music and the James D. Vaughan Publishing Company.

Biography

Vaughan was born in

Giles County, Tennessee Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,346. Its county seat is Pulaski. History Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, a Senator from Virginia who sponsored the ...

, the son of George Washington and Eliza (Shores) Vaughan. He died February 9, 1941. Vaughan is generally considered to be one of the founders of the genre now known as " Southern gospel" music.See southern gospel and

Charles Davis Tillman Charles Davis Tillman (March 20, 1861, Tallassee, Alabama – September 2, 1943, Atlanta, Georgia) —also known as Charlie D. Tillman, Charles Tillman, Charlie Tillman, and C. D. Tillman—was a popularizer of the gospel song. He had a knack ...

. He started the James D. Vaughan Music Publishing Company in 1900 in

Minor Hill, Tennessee Minor Hill is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 537 at the 2010 census. History Minor Hill is named for Joseph Minor, an early settler in the area. A later owner of the Minor tract donated part of it for the est ...

, and in 1910 moved to

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee The city of Lawrenceburg is the county seat of Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States, The largest city on the state's southern border between Chattanooga and Memphis, it lies on the banks of Shoal Creek. The population was 11,633 at the 20 ...

. He taught shape note

singing school A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal program ...

s. He was the first to establish a professional quartet and put them on the road for the purpose of selling songbooks. The Vaughan School of Music was formed in 1911 in Lawrenceburg. Numerous gospel performers would study there in the following years. In 1912, Vaughan began the Vaughan Family Visitor, an influential publication across the South during the early 20th century. In 1922, Vaughan founded one of the first radio stations in Tennessee, WOAN, where he broadcast Southern Gospel music until 1930. He also founded the first record company based in the South, Vaughan Phonograph Records. Vaughan was also involved in local politics, serving as mayor of Lawrenceburg from 1923 to 1927, a position his brother Charles Wesley and son would hold after him. As one of the most significant figures in southern gospel music, James D. Vaughan was inducted into the

Gospel Music Hall of Fame The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music. Inductees This is an incompl ...

in 1972 and the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

References

External links

*
James D. Vaughan
- from Southern Gospel Music Association
His museum
1864 births 1941 deaths American male singers American male composers American composers American performers of Christian music American publishers (people) Gospel music composers Tennessee Democrats People from Giles County, Tennessee People from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee {{US-business-bio-1860s-stub