Sylvia Syms (singer)
Sylvia Syms (born December 2, 1917 in Brooklyn , New York City , † May 10, 1992 in New York City; actually Sylvia Blagman ) was an American jazz singer .
Life
After surviving polio, Syms grew into the Brooklyn jazz scene, where she was supported by Billie Holiday , befriended Benny Carter and Art Tatum, and made her debut as a singer in 1941. Since the late forties she also took on roles in various musicals. At times she was under contract with the Decca record company ; she also worked for various smaller labels.
Mainly at home on smaller stages and in jazz clubs along the east coast, in the following decades she matured into one of the most prominent white jazz singers in the USA. Her best-known interpretations include I Could Have Danced All Night , Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry and Fun to Be Fooled .
Syms' friends and admirers included Frank Sinatra , who called her the "world's best saloon singer" several times and nicknamed her Buddha because of her plump figure . In 1982 Sinatra took over the direction of the orchestra for their joint album Syms By Sinatra , arranged and produced by Sinatra's house arranger Don Costa .
Syms stood on stage until the last days of her life. She died of a heart attack during a concert at the Algonquin Hotel in New York .
Discography (selection)
- Songs By Sylvia Syms (1955)
- Sylvia Syms Sings (1956)
- Sylvia Is (1965)
- For Once In My Life (1967)
- Syms By Sinatra (1982, with Frank Sinatra )
- You Must Believe In Spring: The Words of Alan & Marilyn Bergman (1991)
Web links
- Sylvia Syms in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Sylvia Syms at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Syms, Sylvia |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Blagman, Sylvia (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 2, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brooklyn , New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 10, 1992 |
| Place of death | New York City |