Sarah Vaughan makes her first recording with Billy Eckstine

Sarah Vaughan made her first notable recording, 'I'll Wait and Pray,' with Billy Eckstine's Orchestra in 1945 for the De Luxe label. Immersed in bebop harmonics through her work with Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker, Vaughan developed extraordinary pitch flexibility and range. She began a solo recording career in 1944-1945 for Continental and Musicraft, establishing herself as bebop's preeminent vocalist.