Jazz in the City 2024

Featuring: Julian Vaughn

Born and raised in Kansas City, KS, Julian Vaughn was primarily a drummer when he picked up the bass guitar. Vaughn developed his playing style while growing up in the church where his grandfather pastored until turning over the reins to Vaughn's father. A few years later, he became good enough to start playing at concerts and live gospel recordings.

Vaughn launched his solo career in 2010 with his album The Purpose Project, which springboarded him into his jazz career. In 2012 he put out the album Breakthrough (2012), featuring the single "On Your Feet," which peaked at #1 on the Billboard chart. He later would release albums Limitless (2015), Bona Fide (2017), Supreme (2019), and Chapters of Love (2021). Vaughn racked up four Billboard #1 hits between his albums and 8 #1s overall as a feature on various artists' songs. Vaughn has toured across the U.S., playing at some of the largest jazz festivals. In addition, he has performed abroad in places like Dubai, South Africa, Nigeria, Nairobi, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Vaughn takes pride in writing and producing almost all his music, saying, "I want to be known as a great writer and producer just as much as an artist."

In 2020 Vaughn was the #2 Artist of the year and had the #2 and #17 Billboard songs of the year, “Afro Calypso” and “Afternoon Delight.” His latest independent release, titled "SOLO" is slated to be his best work to date. As Vaughn's recording catalog continues to grow, he hopes to continue to redefine the lead bassist role in the smooth jazz genre.