Sylvester

Do You Know this about HI-NRG disco legend Sylvester?

Sylvester James was an American singer-songwriter born in Watts, Los Angeles, in 1947. He was an avid HIV/AIDS activist that eventually died of HIV-related complications in 1988.

As with many other families in that time, Sylvester was raised in the Pentecostal Church, where he discovered his love for singing. Because the congregations disapproved of his homosexuality, he left the church and moved to San Francisco at 22, where he joined his first group, a drag troupe known as The Cockettes.

Even when society rejected the trans community, Sylvester's style was a flamboyant display that allowed him to stay true to who he was.

His genre of music was vast, and his fantastic falsetto voice was a distinct sound in various disco, rhythm and blues, and soul singles between the '70s and '80s.

This icon was multi-talented, and his incredible vocals were accompanied by a love for the keyboard and piano.

His first attempt at band creation gave birth to Sylvester and his Hot Band, a group that produced two unsuccessful albums under the Blue Thumb Record label in 1973. The act didn't last long and soon disbanded. At this time, the band received violent threats stemming largely from racist attitudes, but strangely enough, The Hot Band cited difficulty in working with Sylvester as the reason for disbanding.

Sylvester and The Hot Band, while not an ideal fit, actually enjoyed the backup vocals of the Pointer Sisters - quite a huge deal considering that the Pointer Sisters were themselves vocal icons that earned 3 Grammy Awards and 13 top 20 hits in the US between 1973 and 1985. However, even this collaboration failed to produce the desired result, and the live album still sold poorly on release.

Although Sylvester faced many challenges in getting his career kick-started, he also had many small successes. One such was an opening gig for English superstar David Bowie, which, although not as successful as one would have hoped, did reflect well on Sylvesters' ability to transcend boundaries and genres.

His first solo album, "Sylvester," was produced by Fantasy records in 1977 and enjoyed a little more success than other attempts in his musical career.

Perseverance and determination were the order of the day, and Sylvester followed up his self-titled album with "Step II" in 1978. This album featured the hit "You make me feel (mighty real)," which became an anthem in the LGBTQ community. "You make me feel" achieved accolades as a hit in both the US and Europe.

After releasing his first solo album, popularity increased for Sylvester, and he soon became friends with Harvey Milk from an area in San Francisco known as gay village. Harvey would become the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.

Sylvester joined the Four A's with new backing singers and two black drag queens in 1974, and together the entourage performed locally but somehow still did not hit the mark, and again, disbanded.

Some thought it was Sylvesters' androgynous image that did him in, and under the suggestion of Brent Thompson as his manager, Sylvester adopted a more masculine style of dress. According to Thompson, producers at the time were not willing to sign up drag queens, and sadly adjustments needed to be made.

One of his longest-lasting acts was a teaming up with Two Tons O' Fun, a female duo that later became known as the Weather Girls. They worked with Sylvester until his death.

Apart from Sylvester's music career, he also delved into acting and in the film "The Rose," starring Bette Midler he play a drag queen .

Besides the fame he achieved in the gay scene in San Francisco, Sylvester was extremely popular in London, where he performed at several nightclubs in 1978.

After the successes of "You make me feel," Sylvester began promoting his career on television and went on several tours. During this time, he opened for artists like the Commodores and Chaka Khan and performed with groups such as the O'Jays and War, all well-known and famous icons. His collaborations earned him a few awards.

Other performances included working with the Village People, an openly queer act that went a long way in solidifying the connection between disco and homosexuality. Disappointingly, this connection helped fuel the homophobic and racist undertones of the " Disco Sucks" movement that saw a massive move away from the genre.

Sylvester's personal life was never a separate entity from his music, and he stayed true to his belief. His link with the San Francisco gay community was deep, and he subsequently took the main stage at the 1979 Gay Freedom Day Parade. He was also part of the lineup at the London Gay Pride Festival in the same year.

In 1980 Sylvester hit the news again, and this time, not in a good way. He was arrested in New York City for alleged theft of rare coins and released on $30,000 bail after being locked up for three days. As fate would have it, it was soon found out that an imposter had signed cheques in Sylvester's name. The police admitted the error and cleared him, although he was never charged.

What followed was the release of Sell My Soul again under the Fantasy Record Label. Contrary to popular belief, the album was focused on Sylvesters moving away from disco and into the soul scene. The album was produced in a record two weeks, and although it featured soul-inspired tracks, it performed exceptionally poorly.

"Too Hot To Sleep" was his final album for Fantasy, but again, the album failed to kick-off and received poor reviews.

Slyvesters' relation with Fantasy Records ended over money. He subsequently sued the label and moved on to Megatone Records, founded by a long-time friend and collaborator, Patrick Cowley; this was when he produced "Do Ya Wanna Funk" in 1982, which topped the US dance charts and appeared on pop charts in several countries. The relationship between Cowley and Sylvester was rocky, but the collaboration resulted in 4 albums under the Megatone Label.