Leon Vaughn was God’s happy musician

15th August 2011   ·   0 Comments

By Fr. Jerome LeDoux
Contributing Columnist

When I was pastor at St. Augustine Church in the early 1990s, I was conducting a funeral in a New Orleans funeral home when I noticed how inspiring the musician was as he played and sang. Almost immediately, we got on the same page and the same line as we sang at times singly and at times together as a duet, celebrating in joy and devotion the homegoing of a sibling in the Lord.

After that first meeting, Leon Vaughn and I became fast friends and we were destined to sing together on many occasions to come. Sometimes he came to St. Augustine Church to play at a funeral, and at other times we collaborated to celebrate a funeral or other function elsewhere. For his smile, I dubbed him God’s happy musician.

Most notably, Leon was the main musician there and I sang a bit and spoke at the dazzling 75th wedding anniversary of his dear parents, Percy and Hester Vaughn, Sr. With all ten children in attendance, it was indeed a gala, joyous celebration.

There was another breathtaking celebration in 2004. Under clear skies and the proverbially beautiful weather of October, vocalist/organist Leon Vaughn and others who were doing their numbers on the big stage at the St. Augustine Church Gospelfest in the parking lot, took 40 minutes out at 2 p.m. to repair the Tomb of the Unknown Slave.

Soon, a burgeoning crowd filled Unknown Slave Square, down the sidewalk in front of the tomb, and onto the wide sidewalk adjacent to Governor Nicholls Street. It was a very impressive, devout crowd drawn from every walk of life and hailing from Tremé, the French Quarter and from around New Orleans, together with a goodly sprinkling of visitors from out of town. Since there was no musical instrument handy, Leon Vaughn led the introductory song and the rest of the music, his strong pipes supplying ample foundation to encourage all to sing.

In June 2008, Nicholas Gilliet, the Artistic Director of the JazzAscona New Orleans & Arts festival in Ascona, Switzerland, asked me whether I could find a Gospel musician and two Gospel vocalists to supply the music at the Gospel/Jazz Mass.

I told Nicholas I would get on the case immediately. Leon Vaughn came to mind first, but he ex­pressed deep doubt when I told him about the Swiss jazzfest.

“I play at two churches for their Sunday service!” he said cautiously, obviously not wanting to incur the risk of losing his jobs. “But I will look into it,” he went on.

“Come on man! This is the chance of a lifetime! You’ve never been to Europe!” I encouraged him stoutly, “You will not regret it and you will never forget it!”

Slowly, it dawned on him that this was certainly the chance of a lifetime. After speaking to his churches, he came aboard with great enthusiasm and anticipation. With a bit more difficulty, I coaxed vocalists Jeanne James and Candace Williams to join us.

Leon, Candace and Jeanne were completely wide-eyed during the transatlantic flight and the mysterious flight from Zurich to Lugano over snow-capped mountains and Swiss terrain in the Saab 2000 propjet airliner with distinctive six-bladed propellers.

Having overcome jet lag by sleeping much of Saturday, the Gospel Trio were up and about for Sunday, gearing up for the Gospel/Jazz Mass scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Although one hears repeatedly that a mere 10 percent average of Europeans attend church, the Trio were overwhelmed by the effervescent throng that overflowed the 608-year-old Chiesa del Collegio Papio de Ascona (Church of the Papio High School).

Squeezed in behind the altar, some looking in from the courtyard and many others wedged in from the chur­ch entrance, a rousing congregation of worshipers was ready to join in prayer, singing, Halleluias and all kinds of demonstrations of their faith and joy.

With Fort Worth Gospel vocalists Jeanne James and Candace Williams, Leon and I celebrated together one more time that June 2008 at the JazzAscona New Orleans & Arts festival in Ascona, Switzerland, praying, dialoguing and singing our hearts out.

Having run his course, many years of battling leukemia finally felled Leon on August 4. As God’s happy musician who inspired so many by his playing and singing, he has gone home to join his beloved parents and others in his Father’s kingdom.

This article was originally published in the August 15, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper