Father Tom Vaughn (October 13, 1936 – March 4, 2011) was an American jazz pianist and Episcopal priest.
Early life
Born Thomas Wade Vaughn on October 14, 1936, in Benton, Kentucky, 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. near Detroit. During his adolescence, he studied classical music with Harold Deremier. At the age of 12, Vaughn experienced the genius of Art Tatum, who was visiting Deremier. Vaughn stated: "I hadn't been exposed to music like that before." After that, he served as a supply priest, officiating services at churches when the rector was absent.
Retirement
Father Tom Vaughn reappeared publicly in 1990, conducting the memorial service for singer June Christy at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). 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 received positive reviews. He also hosted a public-access television cable show, "All That Jazz", and was considering a return to the recording studio.
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.
Discography
- Jazz in Concert at the Village Gate [live] (1966/RCA)
- Cornbread (1967/RCA)
- Motor City Soul (1968/RCA)
- Games People Play (1969/Capitol Records
- Tom Vaughn has Piano Power (1973/Capitol Records
- Joyful Jazz (1976/Concord Jazz)