Sylvia (singer)

Sylvia Jane Kirby (born December 9, 1956 in Kokomo, Indiana) is an American country music and country pop singer-songwriter. More commonly known by the singular name Sylvia, she enjoyed crossover music success with the song "Nobody" in 1982. Although she released several albums starting in the late 1970s, Sylvia is best known for her crossover hit "Nobody", which reached #15 Pop and #1 Country in 1982. The song earned her a gold record certification and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance (the Grammy went to Juice Newton for her hit "Break It to Me Gently"). Although "Nobody" was Sylvia's only single to reach the Billboard pop charts, her other big country hits include "Drifter" (#1 Country, 1981), "Fallin' in Love", "Tumbleweed" and "Snapshot". In 1982, she was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. She is also credited with making the first "concept" music video clip to air on Country Music Television (CMT), with "The Matador".

Early career

Sylvia's musical journey began at age three when she was asked to sing at a small church near her hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. This set Sylvia on a course that eventually led her to Nashville soon after high school graduation on December 26, 1976. With a burning desire to become a recording artist like her idols Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, Sylvia packed her bags and a demo tape and headed for Music City, where she ultimately landed a job as a secretary for producer/publisher Tom Collins, who produced records for such luminaries as Barbara Mandrell and Ronnie Milsap. After trying out for Dave and Sugar, Sylvia was soon signed onto RCA Records in 1979 by Jerry Bradley, head of RCA Records at the time. [1].Immediately, Sylvia started recording songs for the company. Her first single she released under RCA was called "You Don't Miss a Thing". The song reached the Country Top 40, which got her name noticed. She only released one single in 1979, but the following year, she released another single called "It Don't Hurt to Dream". The song was slightly more successful then the previous single, going to #35. That same year, she finally made it to the Top 10 with "Tumbleweed". The next year, Sylvia became an even bigger star, when her song "Drifter" hit #1 hit on the country charts. That year, two other singles became top-ten hits for her, "The Matador" and "Heart on the Mend". "The Matador" was country music's first concept music video to go on CMT. "Drifter" was her first No. 1 single and the title of her 1981 debut album for RCA Records. The album contained several top-ten songs, including "Tumbleweed" and "Heart On The Mend".

Career heights in the '80s

In 1982, from her "Just Sylvia" album, the singer released the single "Nobody", which reached No. 1 on the country music charts, hit #15 on Billboard's Hot 100, and sold more than a million copies. The song was also an Adult Contemporary hit, making the Top 5. "Nobody" became Sylvia's signature song and made her a success on both the Country and Pop music charts, which was what so many of her contemporaries were doing at the time, like Juice Newton, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers. "Nobody" and the album Just Sylvia were certified gold in the United States and Canada. "Nobody" was the 1982 BMI Song of the Year, awarded for receiving more radio airplay than any other single that year. In a way, Sylvia's bouncy and youthful style made her very popular among teenage girls, making her a teen idol briefly, which foreshadowed the female pop teen idols of the late '80s, like Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. In 1982, Sylvia was the Academy of Country Music's "Female Vocalist of the Year" and a Grammy nominee for "Best Female Vocalist".

Sylvia in 1982's Just Sylvia which included the hits "Sweet Yesterday", "Nobody", and "Like Nothing Ever Happened"

In 1983, Sylvia continued this success with the release of Snapshot. Although the title song reached #5 on the charts, it became her her second highest selling single. The year, 1983 showed no signs of Sylvia slowing down. She also had two other hits that year with the Top 10 hit "I Never Quite Got Back (From Loving You)" and the Top 20 hit "The Boy Get's Around" (which Sylvia herself decsribed in the notes of her 1998 Anthology album as being "pretty forgettable"). In 1985, the momentum continued with such smash hits as "Fallin' in Love", "Cry Just a Little Bit", and "I Love You by Heart" (a duet with Michael Johnson). By 1986 though, Sylvia's chart success was fading as more traditional, less experimental country singers were entering Nashville, like Garth Brooks, Patty Loveless, and Randy Travis. Sylvia continued to record for RCA until the end of 1987, Sylvia garnered a total of 13 Top Ten and No. 1 songs, and sold an excess of 4 million records.

Surprises, country roots and retirement

The release of her fourth album, Surprise, marked her foray into the Adult Contemporary charts, however, her album was not well-received in country music. At this point, Barbara Mandrell, Janie Frickie, and Sylvia were no longer the female headliners of country music and were being replaced by Reba McEntire, Kathy Mattea and The Judds. Also, the neotraditionalist movement in country music was at its height. All four albums were produced by Tom Collins, who also produced Mandrell, Charley Pride, and Ronnie Milsap. They have been described by critics as too slick for country music. Her following album, One Step Closer, produced by the Judd's producer Brent Maher, had a more "earthy" feel to it and was more acoustic as opposed to her previous slick countrified pop oriented music. At this point, RCA her current label downsized and let go Dolly Parton, Louise Mandrell, Deborah Allen and Sylvia from their stable of singers. Eventually, in 1989, RCA would release two other top country-pop artists, Juice Newton and Kenny Rogers, from their contracts, with the late '80s being marked by a recklessness with RCA's relationships with country singers. Among the label's casualties was Sylvia. Over an eight-year period, Sylvia criss-crossed America many times with her popular concert performances (over 200 per year), and she was a frequent guest on network television talk shows and specials — from The Today Show and Good Morning, America to Dick Clark's American Bandstand and the Country Music Awards. Her decision to stop touring and recording at the end of the 1980s was not fueled by the grueling schedule, as some might guess, but by her desire to bring more of herself to the music. So, she turned her energies to songwriting and began a new phase of her journey.

Life today

A few years after Sylvia's retirement from the music business, she guest-hosted TNN's Crook and Chase show and also hosted her very own Holiday Gourmet cooking special. After selling over four million records and touring extensively for eight years, Sylvia pulled back from the spotlight to write and record music for her own record label, Red Pony Records. Sylvia's first independent album, The Real Story, was released from Red Pony Records, her own label, in 1996. "The Real Story" was described as a "transition this multi-talented singer/songwriter has gone through over the past few years. Sylvia's reemergence as a recording artist comes after a period of personal growth that has brought her into contact with some of Nashville's finest songwriters and musicians, as well as her own deeper well. With guitarist/co-producer John Mock lending his exquisite hand and ear, she delves into diverse musical terrain. The album has an acoustic, genuine feel, highlighting Sylvia's warm and clear voice. The songs range from intimate ballads to the up-tempo title song, "The Real Story". She co-writes with well-known tunesmiths Verlon Thompson, Craig Bickhardt, and Kent Robbins." [2] In 2002, she followed with Where in the World, which marked the culmination of an 11-year musical collaboration between Sylvia and co-producer/instrumentalist John Mock. John's musicianship transforms this "solo" album into a series of duets featuring him on a variety of instruments ranging from guitar and mandolin to uilleann pipes. Another shaping force is songwriter Craig Bickhardt. He penned four of the eleven songs, including the title cut. Craig has recorded, co-written and performed with Sylvia since 1984. Later that year, Sylvia released A Cradle in Bethlehem, her first Christmas album. Since 2002, Sylvia has been a life coach where she helps individuals working in the music industry – singers, songwriters, musicians, recording artists, and music industry professionals. She also coaches people who work at non-profit agencies. Her special interest is in helping people find and express their unique Voice.

Discography

Singles

Albums

Awards and honors

Sylvia has also received numerous awards from Billboard, Cashbox and Record World magazines for 13 Top Ten and two Number One records.