Sarah Vaughan makes her recording debut with "I’ll Wait and Pray."
On May 11, 1944, Sarah Vaughan recorded her first commercial track, "I’ll Wait and Pray," as part of Billy Eckstine's orchestra. This marked her debut into the recording industry with Continental Records. The session was not only crucial for Vaughan’s career but also highlighted her ability to merge emotive expressiveness with the burgeoning bebop style, showcasing a prodigious talent that would become highly influential in both traditional and modern jazz circles.