Sylvia (singer)
Sylvia (* 9. December 1956 as Sylvia Kirby in Kokomo , Indiana ) is an American country music singer and songwriter who in 1982 with Nobody had their biggest hit.
Beginnings
After finishing school, nineteen year old Sylvia moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a country singer. She had no musical experience and had never performed in public. She managed to get a job as a secretary in the music publishing house of the songwriter and producer Tom Collins. Here she was able to gain insights into the music business and learn the basics of songwriting on many occasions. Eventually she got the chance to act as a backup singer on recordings by Barbara Mandrell , who was supervised by Collins as a producer. She was finally discovered during a casting for the group Dave & Sugar and received a record deal in 1979 from the RCA label.
Career
Their first single, You Don't Miss a Thing , made it onto the country charts in 1979. She achieved her first top 10 success in 1980 with Tumbleweed . Her first album, Drifter , was released a year later . With the title song she achieved her first number 1 hit. In 1982 she exceeded this success with Nobody , which also reached number one and was awarded gold. Sylvia undoubtedly benefited from the pop sounds that dominated country music in the early 1980s. With a beautiful voice and catchy melodies, which were underlaid with a fast beat, she also attracted attention outside of the country scene. With her dazzling appearance, she also knew how to use the new medium of music videos to her advantage.
More hits were produced in quick succession. Like Nothing Ever Happened and I Never Quite Got Back (From Loving You) reached number three on the country charts. In 1982 Sylvia was named "Singer of the Year" by the Academy of Country Music . In the following years, a few more top 10 placements were achieved, in some cases with duo partners. In 1987 she separated from RCA to focus on writing songs. Apart from occasional television appearances, including as a television cook, she largely disappeared from the public eye for a few years.
In 1996 she made a comeback as Sylvia Hutton . With their own label, Redpony, the album The Real Story was produced with self-written songs , which represented a departure from pop to traditional country music.
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
US | |||
1981 | Drifters |
US139 (11 weeks) US |
First published: June 1981
|
1982 | Just Sylvia |
US56
gold
(33 weeks)US |
First published: November 1982
|
1983 | Snapshot |
US77 (11 weeks) US |
First published: July 1983
|
1984 | Surprise |
US178 (4 weeks) US |
First published: May 1984
|
more publishments
- 1985: One Step Closer
- 1987: Greatest Hits
- 1996: The Real Story
- 1997: Anthology
- 2002: Country Legends
- 2002: Where in the World
- 2002: A Cradle in Bethlehem
- 2007: All American Country
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
US | |||
1982 | Nobody Just Sylvia |
US15th
gold
(20 weeks)US |
First published: August 1982
|
More singles
- 1973: Pillow Talk (US:gold)
Awards
- 1982: ACM Awards , Top Female Vocalist
Web links
- http://hometown.aol.com/sunshnkid/Sylvia/sylvweb.htm ( Memento from April 12, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
swell
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Sylvia |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kirby, Sylvia (maiden name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 9, 1956 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Kokomo , Indiana |