PLUS SIZE PERSONALITIES: Countess Vaughn
Vaughn began entertaining at the age of three where she sang in her native Idabel, Oklahoma, church. She remembers listening to gospel great Mahalia Jackson, jazz/blues great Dinah Washington and R&B/pop diva Whitney Houston, each becoming an important influence on the emerging young songstress. At age nine, her soulful rendition of the Bacharach/David classic What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love resulted in her being named the Star Search junior vocalist champion and overall junior champion.
Following that success, Vaughn turned her attention to television with stints on the comedy series 227, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Thea, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and Roc, as well as performing in a variety of television specials including The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars; Magical World of Disney; The Orange Bowl Parade; and The Easter Seals Telethon, and the off-Broadway musical Mama, I Want to Sing, Part 2. And last year, Vaughn was honored with a NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Moesha.
In 1992, Vaughn finally got around to releasing the album record executives had been urging her to record since she came to national attention via Star Search in 1988. That album, Countess, displays the full range of her vocal skills on cuts that run the musical gamut - from upbeat dance tunes to heartfelt ballads including Unconditionally, written by Michael Bolton and Randy Goodrum.
Vaughn knows there's nothing she'd rather be doing than performing and takes the glare of the showbiz spotlight in stride.