Sylvia Robinson
Encyclopedia
Sylvia Robinson was an American
singer, musician
, record producer
, and record label
executive
, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop
label Sugar Hill Records
. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre. The first was "Rapper's Delight
" by the Sugarhill Gang, which was the first rap song to be released by a hip hop act. The second was "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.
. She began recording music in 1950 for Columbia Records
under the billing, Little Sylvia. In 1954, she began teaming up with Kentucky
guitarist Mickey Baker
, who then taught her how to play guitar. In 1956, the duo now known as Mickey & Sylvia
, recorded the Bo Diddley
and Jody Williams
-penned rock single, "Love is Strange
", which topped the R&B charts and reached number eleven on the Billboard
pop charts in early 1957. After several more releases including the modestly successful "There Oughta Be a Law", Mickey & Sylvia split up in 1959 with Sylvia later marrying Joe Robinson that same year. Sylvia re-started her solo career shortly after her initial split from Baker. In 1961, the duo reunited and recorded more songs together for various labels. They're most noted during this period for singing background on Ike & Tina Turner
's hit single, "It's Gonna Work Out Fine
". In 1964, frustrated with the music business, Baker moved to Paris
.
In 1966, the Robinsons moved to New Jersey
where they formed a soul music label, All Platinum Records
, the following year, with artist Lezli Valentine, formerly of the Jaynettes, bringing the label its first hit with "I Won't Do Anything". In 1968, the duo signed a Washington, D.C.
act named The Moments
, who immediately found success with "Not on the Outside". Within a couple of years and with a new lineup, the group scored their biggest hit with "Love on a Two-Way Street
", which Sylvia co-wrote and produced with Burt Keyes and (uncredited) lyrics by Lezli Valentine. Other hits the label and its subsidiaries, including Stang and Vibration, would have included Shirley & Company
's "Shame, Shame, Shame
", the Moments' "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me I'm in Love" and the Whatnauts/Moments collaboration, "Girls". In 1972, Robinson sent a demo of a song she had written called "Pillow Talk
" to Al Green
. When Green passed on it due to his religious beliefs, Robinson decided to record it herself, returning to her own musical career. Billed under simply Sylvia, the record became an instant hit reaching number-one on the R&B charts and crossing over to reach Billboard Hot 100 #3, plus also reaching #14 in the UK at the beginning of 1973. She was awarded a gold disc
by the R.I.A.A. in May 1973. Robinson would record four solo albums on the Vibration subsidiary and had other R&B hits including "Sweet Stuff" and "Pussycat". "Pillow Talk" has been called an early example of prototypical
disco music
and went on to sell two million copies. The vocals are replete with moaning and heavy breathing, predating Donna Summer
's orgasmic moans on "Love to Love You Baby
". The drumming rhythm would reappear in 1985 on Kate Bush
's "Running Up that Hill
", then again in 1987 on Fleetwood Mac
's "Big Love".
In the 1970s, the Robinsons founded Sugar Hill Records
. The company was named after the culturally rich Sugar Hill
area of Harlem, an affluent African American neighborhood in Manhattan New York City, known as a hub for artists and performers in the early and mid 1900s.
She co-wrote and produced Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's most successful single, "The Message", which is credited as the rap song that brought socially conscious lyrics into hip hop. She persuaded the group to record the song while it was still an estranged demo recording, surprisingly created by a studio percussionist for the Sugar Hill Gang. By commercializing the market for rap records, Robinson is credited as the mother of modern hip-hop. The song "Rapper's Delight" brought rap into the public music arena, and revolutionized the music industry as it introduced the idea of re-using existing compositions, a practice that later became known as "sampling
". . Sylvia's song, "Sunday", was sampled
by Moby
in his 2002 album 18. Later acts signed to Sugar Hill Records
included all-female rap/funk group The Sequence
, featuring a teenage Angie Stone
(recording as "Angie B"), who had a million-selling hit in early 1980 with "Funk U Up".
After Sugar Hill folded due to changes in the music industry and the presences of hip-hop labels Prelude
and Def Jam and due to financial pressures in 1985, Robinson, who had by now divorced Joe Robinson, continued her efforts as a music executive, forming Bon Ami Records in 1987. The label was noted for signing the act The New Style, who later left and found success as Naughty by Nature
.
Robinson died on the morning of September 29, 2011, aged 75, at Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus, New Jersey
from congestive heart failure.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
executive
Senior management
Senior management, executive management, or management team is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation, they hold specific executive powers conferred onto them with and by...
, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
label Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre. The first was "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
" by the Sugarhill Gang, which was the first rap song to be released by a hip hop act. The second was "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five.
Biography
She was born as Sylvia Vanderpool (aka Vanterpool) in 1936 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She began recording music in 1950 for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
under the billing, Little Sylvia. In 1954, she began teaming up with Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
guitarist Mickey Baker
Mickey Baker
Mickey Baker, also known as Mickey "Guitar" Baker is an American guitarist...
, who then taught her how to play guitar. In 1956, the duo now known as Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo, composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Robinson. They were the first big seller for Groove Records.Mickey was a music instructor and Sylvia one of his pupils. Baker was inspired to form the group by the success of Les Paul & Mary Ford. They had a Top 20 hit...
, recorded the Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
and Jody Williams
Jody Williams (blues musician)
Joseph Leon Williams , better known as Jody Williams, is an American blues guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending, imaginative chord changes and a distinctive tone, was influential in the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s.-Career:In the mid 1950s,...
-penned rock single, "Love is Strange
Love Is Strange
"Love Is Strange" was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The co-writers of the song are of some dispute...
", which topped the R&B charts and reached number eleven on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop charts in early 1957. After several more releases including the modestly successful "There Oughta Be a Law", Mickey & Sylvia split up in 1959 with Sylvia later marrying Joe Robinson that same year. Sylvia re-started her solo career shortly after her initial split from Baker. In 1961, the duo reunited and recorded more songs together for various labels. They're most noted during this period for singing background on Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
's hit single, "It's Gonna Work Out Fine
It's Gonna Work Out Fine
"It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a "rock-ish" soul song issued by the team of Ike & Tina Turner, released in 1961.The single, which featured support from another popular duo, Mickey & Sylvia, became another popular single by Ike & Tina, who were still supporting themselves off the success of their...
". In 1964, frustrated with the music business, Baker moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In 1966, the Robinsons moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where they formed a soul music label, All Platinum Records
All Platinum Records
All Platinum Records was one of the labels which was started by Sylvia Robinson before she started Sugar Hill Records.All Platinum purchased Chess Records in the early 1970s after the latter fell into bankruptcy; however, All Platinum was a much smaller label and was unable to keep releasing steady...
, the following year, with artist Lezli Valentine, formerly of the Jaynettes, bringing the label its first hit with "I Won't Do Anything". In 1968, the duo signed a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
act named The Moments
The Moments
The Moments may refer to:*The Moments, an American R&B vocal group later known as Ray, Goodman & Brown*The Moments , an English group of the early 1960s who featured Steve Marriott...
, who immediately found success with "Not on the Outside". Within a couple of years and with a new lineup, the group scored their biggest hit with "Love on a Two-Way Street
Love on a Two-Way Street
"Love on a Two-Way Street" is a Soul ballad written by Sylvia Robinson and Bert Keyes in 1968. The song was originally recorded by Lezli Valentine, an artist signed to All Platinum, the record label that Sylvia Robinson co-owned with her husband, Joe...
", which Sylvia co-wrote and produced with Burt Keyes and (uncredited) lyrics by Lezli Valentine. Other hits the label and its subsidiaries, including Stang and Vibration, would have included Shirley & Company
Shirley & Company
Shirley & Company was an American disco group, consisting of Shirley Goodman , Jesus Alvarez, Walter Morris, Bernadette Randle, Seldon Powell, Jonathan Williams and Clarence Oliver....
's "Shame, Shame, Shame
Shame, Shame, Shame (Shirley & Company song)
"Shame, Shame, Shame" is a 1974 hit song written by Sylvia Robinson and performed by American disco band Shirley & Company. The single hit number one on the soul singles chart for one week, and number one on the disco/dance charts for four weeks.The track was one of the first international disco...
", the Moments' "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me I'm in Love" and the Whatnauts/Moments collaboration, "Girls". In 1972, Robinson sent a demo of a song she had written called "Pillow Talk
Pillow Talk (song)
"Pillow Talk" in 1973 song by American soul singer-songwriter Sylvia.-History:Sylvia had originally hoped the song would be recorded by Al Green, who turned it down as he thought it was too risqué and against his religion. She eventually recorded "Pillow Talk" and released it in 1973...
" to Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
. When Green passed on it due to his religious beliefs, Robinson decided to record it herself, returning to her own musical career. Billed under simply Sylvia, the record became an instant hit reaching number-one on the R&B charts and crossing over to reach Billboard Hot 100 #3, plus also reaching #14 in the UK at the beginning of 1973. She was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A. in May 1973. Robinson would record four solo albums on the Vibration subsidiary and had other R&B hits including "Sweet Stuff" and "Pussycat". "Pillow Talk" has been called an early example of prototypical
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
disco music
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and went on to sell two million copies. The vocals are replete with moaning and heavy breathing, predating Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
's orgasmic moans on "Love to Love You Baby
Love to Love You Baby (song)
"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer released in 1975 . It became one of the first ever disco hits to also be released in an extended form.-Song information and original release:...
". The drumming rhythm would reappear in 1985 on Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
's "Running Up that Hill
Running Up That Hill
12" Maxi single -Charts:-Placebo version:Alternative rock band Placebo covered "Running Up that Hill", releasing it originally on the bonus disc of their 2003 album Sleeping with Ghosts, then featuring it on Covers and the US version of Meds in 2007. Placebo's take on the song is more downbeat than...
", then again in 1987 on Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's "Big Love".
In the 1970s, the Robinsons founded Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
. The company was named after the culturally rich Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill, Manhattan
Sugar Hill is a neighborhood in the northern part of Hamilton Heights, which itself is a sub-neighborhood of Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is defined by 155th Street to the north, 145th Street to the south, Edgecombe Avenue to the east, and...
area of Harlem, an affluent African American neighborhood in Manhattan New York City, known as a hub for artists and performers in the early and mid 1900s.
She co-wrote and produced Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's most successful single, "The Message", which is credited as the rap song that brought socially conscious lyrics into hip hop. She persuaded the group to record the song while it was still an estranged demo recording, surprisingly created by a studio percussionist for the Sugar Hill Gang. By commercializing the market for rap records, Robinson is credited as the mother of modern hip-hop. The song "Rapper's Delight" brought rap into the public music arena, and revolutionized the music industry as it introduced the idea of re-using existing compositions, a practice that later became known as "sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
". . Sylvia's song, "Sunday", was sampled
Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)
"Sunday " is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released as the fifth single from his 2002 studio album 18. It was released in the UK as a single on March 3, 2003...
by Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
in his 2002 album 18. Later acts signed to Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records may refer to:*Sugar Hill Records , specializing in rap music*Sugar Hill Records , specializing in bluegrass and country music...
included all-female rap/funk group The Sequence
The Sequence
The Sequence is a former female old school hip hop trio signed to the Sugar Hill label in the early-1980s. The group consisted of Cheryl Cook , Gwendolyn Chisolm , and lead singer/rapper Angie Brown Stone...
, featuring a teenage Angie Stone
Angie Stone
Angie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
(recording as "Angie B"), who had a million-selling hit in early 1980 with "Funk U Up".
After Sugar Hill folded due to changes in the music industry and the presences of hip-hop labels Prelude
Prelude Records
Prelude Records is a classical music specialist CD shop, located in Norwich, England.Staffed by musicians, the shop has been in business since 1985....
and Def Jam and due to financial pressures in 1985, Robinson, who had by now divorced Joe Robinson, continued her efforts as a music executive, forming Bon Ami Records in 1987. The label was noted for signing the act The New Style, who later left and found success as Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
.
Robinson died on the morning of September 29, 2011, aged 75, at Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
from congestive heart failure.
Mickey & Sylvia
- 1957: Mickey & Sylvia
- 1957: New Sounds
- 1957: Love is Strange
- 1973: Do It Again
- 1996: The Willow Sessions
- 1997: Love is Strange: A Golden Classics Edition
Sylvia
- 1973: Pillow Talk
- 1976: Sylvia
- 1977: Lay It On Me
- 1990: The Great Works of Sylvia & George: Queen & King of Sweet N.J.
External links
- [ Allmusic]