Background
Vaughan was born in Giles County, Tennessee, the son of George Washington and Eliza (Shores) Vaughan.
Vaughan was born in Giles County, Tennessee, the son of George Washington and Eliza (Shores) Vaughan.
He died February 9, 1941. Vaughan is generally considered to be one of the founders of the genre now known as "Southern Gospel" music He started the James Doctorate. Vaughan Music Publishing Company in 1900 and in 1910 in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. He was the first to establish a professional quartet and put them on the road for the purpose of selling songbooks.
The Vaughan School of Music was formed in 1911 also in Lawrenceburg.
Numerous gospel performers would study there in the following years. In 1912, Vaughan began the Vaughan Family Visitor, an influential publication across the South during the early 20th century.
In 1922, Vaughan founded one of the first radio stations in Tennessee, WOAN, where he broadcast Southern Gospel music until 1930. He also founded the first record company based in the South, Vaughan Phonograph Records.
As one of the most significant figures in southern gospel music, James Doctorate. Vaughan was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1997.