Vaughn at the Worcester Memorial Auditorium

First let me tell you that this is being written partly from memory and partly from an article I wrote for one of the fan club journals a long time ago.

It was May 18, 1951, when Vaughn gave a show at the Memorial Auditorium in Worcester, Massachusetts. A classmate had an aunt who lived nearby, and we wrangled an invitation to stay at her home that night, with the agreement that her daughter and the two of us would go to the concert together. When the curtain went up at 8:30 pm we went to the side of the stage to get a bit closer. Vaughn came on at 8:45 pm, looking very handsome in a blue suit. While we were there, that wonderful Nace Bernert (bass Moonman) came over and I gave him my fan club membership cards - all five of them - and asked him to ask Vaughn to sing "Ballerina." Perhaps it was only wishful thinking, but Vaughn seemed to recognize me - kept looking over and smiling at me. People appeared to want to go to the front of the stage the way they did at dances, but seemed almost afraid to. A while later, Ziggy walked up to the mike and started to sing. That was all the crowd needed. There was a great rush to the stage and I was lucky enough to get right in front of the mike, where I spent a very happy 2 1/2 hours. While I was there, I saw Nace walk up to Vaughn, show him the cards and say something to him. A very short time later Vaughn sang "my song" while I stood there in a trance, thrilled every time he looked down and smiled at me while he sang. My friends wanted to leave at the end of the first show to get the last bus home, but I told them I'd pay for a taxi and talked them into staying, so I was there for the last show as well. I realize of course that Vaughn always sang Ballerina. There's no way he could not sing his big hits, but his smiling right at me as he sang it gave me a very special feeling. The next day I saw him in Boston, but that's another story that I'll send later.  The  picture at right was actually taken by Polly at the Alton Bay Dance Hall in New Hampshire, but it illustrates the aspects of Vaughn's performance described by Polly in this journal memory.

Submitted by: Polly Attridge