Father Tom Vaughn (October 13, 1936 – March 4, 2011) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
pianist and
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
priest.
Early life
Born Thomas Wade Vaughn on October 14, 1936, in
Benton,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, he began his music study on the piano around the age of five under the tutelage of his mother, Elizabeth. The piano was the instrument of choice for their family. Robert Wade, an uncle, was employed as a pianist by the New York and San Francisco ballet companies.
When he was 10 years old, his family, which also included four girls, relocated to
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit.
Founde ...
,
[Stewart, Zan]
"Jazz Is Minister's Other Calling"
Los Angeles Times, December 5, 1996 near
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
.
[Wharton, David]
"Father Jazz"
''Los Angeles Times'', September 1, 1991. During his adolescence, he studied classical music with Harold Deremier. At the age of 12, Vaughn experienced the genius of
Art Tatum
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...
, who was visiting Deremier. Vaughn stated: "I hadn't been exposed to music like that before."
"That was amazing,"
and shifted his focus to jazz.
In his mid-teens he was jamming in Detroit with other young musicians including
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...
,
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop era. ...
, and
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era.
Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...
.
Vaughn graduated from
Eureka College
Eureka College is a private liberal arts college in Eureka, Illinois, that is related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Enrollment in 2018 was approximately 567 students.
Eureka College was the third college in the Unite ...
in Illinois with a degree in history while playing piano in area clubs. He and his sweetheart Beverle Jean were married, and the couple started a family when Sheila Denise was born in 1961. Two other children followed: Tom, Jr. in 1963; and Angela Suzanne in 1965.
A strong interest in religion led him to enroll in
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
, where he earned a doctorate in theology.
He entered the
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
priesthood, and in 1964 his first position was assistant to the rector at ''St. John's Episcopal Church'' in
Midland, Michigan
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Comb ...
, two hours north of Detroit. Vaughn still played concerts at colleges and clubs sporadically, but the 8am Sunday service limited his travel. That same year Father Tom sat in with
Gene Krupa's quartet in Detroit, where he caught the attention of producer
George Wein
George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer. .
Recording and playing
One year later, Wein brought Vaughn to New York City, where he recorded ''Jazz In Concert At The Village Gate'' with
Art Davis
Arthur David Davis (December 6, 1934 – July 29, 2007) was a double-bassist, known for his work with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner and Max Roach.
Biography
Davis was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United State ...
on double bass and
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era.
Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...
on drums. Vaughn was a featured performer at the 1966
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...
, opening for
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
.
Father Vaughn left St. John's Church in Midland in 1967, deciding that Los Angeles would be more conducive to his two passions, music and the ministry. ''Cornbread (Meat Loaf, Greens & Devilled Eggs)'' was recorded and released, followed by ''Motor City Soul'' in 1968. He played in festivals and concerts during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and appeared on local television and national talk shows, including
Johnny Carson
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...
,
Steve Allen
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...
and
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...
. All this was done around his church responsibilities.
Settling down
Vaughn joined St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in
Winnetka, California in 1968. Three years later, he performed a jazz concert in the parish hall to raise funds for the "Fireside Room", then began serving as assistant rector. When St. Martin's celebrated their 25th anniversary with a big
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
, music and dancing, Father Tom played during the 1974 festivities. He was installed as rector in 1976, the year he recorded his last album, ''Joyful Jazz''.
He stayed busy with the parish and raising his three children until 1984, when he needed hip replacement—both—and retired from active ministry.
After that, he served as a supply priest, officiating services at churches when the rector was absent.
["Thomas Wade Vaughn Sr"]
Church Publishing Inc., clergyquickfind
Retirement
Father Tom Vaughn reappeared publicly in 1990, conducting the memorial service for singer
June Christy
June Christy (born Shirley Luster; November 20, 1925June 21, 1990) was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a sol ...
at the
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills is one of the six Forest Lawn cemeteries in Southern California. It is located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, California 90068, in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Histor ...
. As part of the service, he invited a quartet of eminent musicians to play in her honor, but did not join the group himself, instead opting to listen and enjoy the music as a spectator.
By the early 1990s, his children were grown and Vaughn played at local clubs a few times each year; a 1990 performance at the
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel, originally the Los Angeles Biltmore of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels group, is a luxury hotel located opposite Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Upon its grand opening in 1923, the Los Angeles Biltmor ...
received positive reviews. He also hosted a
public-access television
Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...
cable show, "All That Jazz", and was considering a return to the recording studio.
Vaughn was interviewed by the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' in 1991 and asked why he chose to remain a priest rather than accept fame and fortune as a touring musician.
Nothing can move me at the deepest spiritual level like music can, (but) music was never completely satisfying. Music was something that came to me as a pure gift. Maybe it came too easily. The clergy came to me through hard work and learning. I felt called to the inquiries of the mind. Tom Vaughn didn't want musical notoriety. I've never made much of a fuss over it myself.
After turning 60, Vaughn further reduced his public performances to perhaps once a year. He remained married to wife, Bev, and practiced for three or four hours most mornings for his own enjoyment.
That feeling, when it's right, there's nothing better – carnality, food, throw it all out the window. When I get in a groove, I'm detached, almost like losing consciousness, like flying some sort of super aircraft. It's close to an out-of-body experience.
At an interview in 1996, he acknowledged splitting piano time between playing the classics (Bach, Beethoven & Chopin) and improvising jazz with touches of blues and bebop.
Vaughn died March 4, 2011, according to comments posted on a YouTube video of Vaughn's recording of "Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Today, Vaughn's version of
Battle Hymn of the Republic
The "Battle Hymn of the Republic", also known as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" or "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" outside of the United States, is a popular American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe.
Howe wrote her l ...
can be heard every Saturday night at 8:00 pm EST on
WABE 90.1 in Atlanta. The song have provided the introduction to H. Johnson's "Jazz Classics" radio show, for 37 of more than 42 years that the show has aired.
All of Vaughn's records have been out of print for many years, but his three children began compiling their father's work into digital form in 2006.
Georgia Sports Blog: comment from S Vaughn on 14 December 2006 12:56 AM
/ref>
Discography
*''Jazz in Concert at the Village Gate'' ive(1966/RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
)
*''Cornbread'' (1967/RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
)
*''Motor City Soul'' (1968/RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
)
*''Games People Play '' (1969/Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
*''Tom Vaughn has Piano Power '' (1973/Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
*''Joyful Jazz'' (1976/Concord Jazz)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, Tom
1937 births
2011 deaths
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
People from Benton, Kentucky
American Episcopal priests
People from Midland, Michigan
Eureka College alumni
Yale Divinity School alumni
Musicians from Pontiac, Michigan
Jazz musicians from Kentucky
20th-century American pianists
Jazz musicians from Michigan
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
20th-century American Episcopalians