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Sylvester
artist

Sylvester

Sylvester is a disco artist from United States formed in 1962. 92 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Disco · United States · Best disco albums

92
Releases
1977–2026
Active years
1962
Formed

Discography

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All I Need cover

Most popular

All I Need

1982 · 7 tracks

Singles & EPs

69

Live & compilations

5

Credits

3

Records Sylvester worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Community

More about Sylvester

Sylvester at a glance

Born in
Los Angeles
From
United States
Active since
1972
Instruments
voice
Voice
baritone
Member of
The Cockettes
Labels
Fantasy, Blue Thumb Records
Educated at
Jordan High School

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

Sylvester James Jr. (September 6, 1947 – December 16, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter. Primarily active in the genres of disco, rhythm and blues, and soul, he was known for his flamboyant and androgynous appearance, falsetto singing voice, and hit disco singles in the late 1970s and 1980s. Born in Watts, Los Angeles, to a middle-class African-American family, Sylvester developed a love of singing through the gospel choir of his Pentecostal church. Leaving the church after the congregation expressed disapproval of his homosexuality, he found friendship among a group of black cross-dressers and transgender women who called themselves The Disquotays. Moving to San Francisco in 1970 at the age of 22, Sylvester embraced the counterculture and joined the avant-garde drag troupe The Cockettes, producing solo segments of their shows which were heavily influenced by female blues and jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker. During the Cockettes' critically panned tour of New York City, Sylvester left them to pursue his career elsewhere.

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He came to front Sylvester and his Hot Band, a rock act that released two commercially unsuccessful albums on Blue Thumb Records in 1973 before disbanding. Focusing on a solo career, Sylvester signed a recording contract with Harvey Fuqua of Fantasy Records and obtained three new backing singers in the form of Martha Wash, Izora Rhodes – the "Two Tons O' Fun" – and Jeanie Tracy. His first solo album, Sylvester (1977), was a moderate success. This was followed with the acclaimed disco album Step II (1978), which spawned the singles "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)", both of which were hits in the U.S. and Europe. Distancing himself from the disco genre, he recorded four more albums – including a live album – with Fantasy Records. After leaving this label, he signed to Megatone Records, the dance-oriented company founded by friend and collaborator Patrick Cowley, where he recorded four more albums, including the Cowley penned hit Hi-NRG track "Do Ya Wanna Funk." An activist who campaigned against the spread of HIV/AIDS, Sylvester died from complications arising from the virus in 1988, leaving all future royalties from his work to San Francisco-based HIV/AIDS charities. During the late 1970s, Sylvester gained the moniker of the "Queen of Disco" and during his life he attained particular recognition in San Francisco, where he was awarded the key to the city. In 2005, he was posthumously inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame, while his life has been recorded in a biography and made the subject of both a documentary and a musical.

Sylvester in brief

How many Sylvester releases are on Riffiter?
92 releases are catalogued, spanning 1977 to 2026.
When was Sylvester formed?
Sylvester formed in 1962, in United States.
What genre is Sylvester?
Sylvester is catalogued under Disco.
What is the most recent Sylvester release on Riffiter?
Mind Your Own Damn Business, released in 2026.

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