Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 singer

Singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

 and actress.
Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, and grew up in the St. Clair Village

St. Clair Village

St. Clair Village is a public housing project of the Pittsburgh Housing Authority. Originally built in the 1950's, with 680 apartments, it fell into disrepair and financial difficulty along with much public housing in the city and was completely demolished in September 2010 It occupied the...

, the South Hills

South Hills (Pennsylvania)

The South Hills is a term generally used to collectively describe the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh south of the South Side Slopes. The city neighborhoods include Knoxville, Mt. Oliver, Allentown, Banksville, Beechview, Brookline,...

 section of Pittsburgh. Born to an an African American/Native American mother and an Italian father,she was the eldest of seven children and a third cousin of Earle Hyman

Earle Hyman

Earle Hyman is an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his recurring role on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable.-Career:...

. After leaving Pittsburgh, her music training started at a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group New Direction in 1971.