Mickey & Sylvia
Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo,[1] composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Vanderpool, who later became Sylvia Robinson. They were the first big seller for Groove Records.[2]
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 with "Love Is Strange" in 1956, which sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[3] The duo eventually bought their own nightclub, established a publishing company, and formed their own record label. Although Mickey & Sylvia disbanded by the end of the 1950s, they continued to record together on an infrequent basis until 1965, when Mickey quit the music industry in the United States. In 1962, Sylvia Vanderpool went to the Comet Club in NYC and heard Bernard " Pretty" Purdie rehearse with his first band after moving to NYC, and offered to have him play on the second studio recording of the 1957 #1 hit "Love Is Strange".[4] At the age of 18, it would be Purdie's first paid session work. Love Is Strange would be featured in original form in movies like Dirty Dancing and Casino, and covered many times. Bernard " Pretty " Purdie would become the most recorded drummer in history, inspiring and recording actively to date.[5]
The reasons for their split are not entirely clear. Baker subsequently recorded a successful instrumental solo album, The Wildest Guitar. In the 1960s, Baker moved to France and worked with various French musicians. Baker died at his home in Montastruc-la-Conseillère, France on November 27, 2012, at the age of 87.[6]
Sylvia Robinson had a hit record in 1973 with "Pillow Talk," and was subsequently a driving force in the creation of the Sugar Hill rap label. Robinson died in 2011.[7]
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 1957 | "Love Is Strange" | 11 | 1 |
| "There Ought To Be a Law" | 47 | 8 | |
| "Dearest" | 85 | — | |
| 1958 | "Bewildered" | 57 | — |
| 1960 | "This Is My Baby | 100 | — |
| "What Would I Do" | 46 | — | |
| 1961 | "Lovedrops" | 97 | — |
| "Baby You're So Fine" | 52 | 27 | |
References
- ↑ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ↑ Shaw, Arnold (1978). Honkers and Shouters. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. pp. 460–466. ISBN 0-02-061740-2.
- ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 84. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ↑ Bernard " Pretty " Purdie, Let The Drums Speak! ,2014, page 54
- ↑ http://www.Bernardpurdie.com
- ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Mickey Baker biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Sylvia Robinson biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 16, 2014.