Myrna Hague covers 'Broken-Hearted Melody'

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Singer Myrna Hague has never hid her admiration for American jazz stylist Sarah Vaughn. Recently, she got the opportunity to salute her musical idol by covering Vaughn's biggest hit song.

Hague teamed with veteran session guitarist Earl 'Chinna' Smith, Oral Brown on percussions, drummer Denver Smith and keyboardist/bass player Ozou'ne to record Broken-Hearted Melody, which was a massive hit in 1959. The song will be released on the Homegrown label.

"It's really a re-enactment of the original, we stayed true to the song," Hague told The Gleaner.

Though she has performed Vaughn favourites such as On a Clear Day and Summertime in her live set, Hague has never recorded any of the legendary vocalist's songs. Cutting a version of Broken-Hearted Melody came natural for Hague who remembers it as Vaughn's most popular song in Jamaica.

"It wasn't a straight jazz song but it was a radio hit. When I was growing up, it was a song you could not escape," Hague said.

The toe-tapping Broken-Hearted Melody was a departure from Vaughn's traditional jazz repertoire which included renditions of Porgy and Bess and My Funny Valentine. She was on top of her game when she recorded Broken-Hearted Melody which remains a Sunday staple on Jamaican radio.

Hague was strongly influenced by Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Dakota Fanning and Dinah Washington, other American vocalists who were internationally famous during the 1940s and 1950s.

Vaughn died from lung cancer in 1990 at age 66, leaving a legacy of classic recordings.

The cover of Broken-Hearted Melody marked a return to recording for Hague who has recorded albums with producers like Clement Dodd and her husband, bandleader Sonny Bradshaw.

Alongside Bradshaw, she organised the Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival which was first held in 1990. Bradshaw died last year in England of complications from a stroke but Hague will fit in as lead promoter for this year's event which is scheduled to run June 12-20.

Hague says she is currently recording songs for an album she hopes to be completed by year end.