On August 20, it was announced that the U.S. Postal Service would honor the legacy of vocalist Sarah Vaughan by issuing a “Commemorative Forever Stamp.” Vaughan would therefore join the agency’s Music Icons series, which already includes such artists as Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley.
The artwork for this stamp is a portrait in oils of Vaughan in performance based on a photograph shot in 1955 by Hugh Bell. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp and the stamp sheet, and Bart Forbes painted the image for the stamp art.
The stamp will be issued on March 29. To mark the occasion, there will be a special ceremony held on the same day at the Sarah Vaughan Concert Hall at Newark Symphony Hall at 11 a.m.
The ceremony will feature performances by Jazz for Teen Ensemble, Melba Moore and the winner of the 2013 Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocalist Competition, Jazzmeia Horn. Other participants who have been confirmed include Tony Bennett, host of WGBO Radio’s Midday Jazz Rhonda Hamilton and the Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka.