Sarah McLawler was an American jazz and rhythm & blues pianist, organist, and singer. Influenced by church and gospel music during her childhood, she earned a scholarship to study at the Jordan Conservatory of Music in Indianapolis. She began her professional career in 1946 with the Jean Pope Orchestra and, in 1948, co-founded the all-female band The Syncoettes, gaining recognition for recordings such as "The St. Louis Blues" and "I Can’t Stop Loving You." Throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, McLawler performed in Chicago and New York, collaborating with artists including Lucky Millinder, Red Saunders, Tommy Hunter, and others, while recording for labels such as Premium, King, Brunswick, and Vee-Jay. She appeared at venues including the Apollo Theater and the Newark and Newport Jazz Festivals, and recorded jazz standards like "Yesterdays" and "Body and Soul." McLawler passed away on September 12, 2017.
