Sylvia Syms (December 2, 1917 – May 10, 1992) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

singer.

Biography

Syms was born Sylvia Blagman in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, she had polio. As a teenager, she went to jazz nightclubs on New York's 52nd Street and received informal training from

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

. She made her debut in 1941 at Kelly's Stable. In 1948, performing at the Cinderella Club in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, she was seen by

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

, who gave her a part in a show she was doing. Among others who observed her in nightclubs was

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

who considered her the "world's greatest saloon singer." Sinatra conducted her 1982 album, '' Syms by Sinatra''. She was signed to a contract by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

, having her major success with a recording of " I Could Have Danced All Night" in 1956, which sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Syms made regular appearances at the Carlyle in Manhattan. At times, impromptu, while enjoying a cocktail in the bar of the Carlyle, she would walk on stage and perform with the cabaret's other regular, Bobby Short. Syms had a lung removed around 1972. The operation did not stop her from performing as Bloody Mary in the

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

musical ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

'' at the Chateau de Ville Dinner Theater. She died of a heart attack while on stage in the Oak Room at the

Algonquin Hotel The Algonquin Hotel is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numer ...

in New York City on May 10, 1992. She was 74 years old.

Discography

Films

* ''The Goldbergs'' (1950) * ''The Blue Veil'' (1951) * ''Night Without Sleep'' (1952) * ''It Happens Every Thursday'' (1953) * '' Some of My Best Friends Are...'' (1971) * ''

Born to Win ''Born to Win'' is a 1971 black comedy crime drama film directed by Ivan Passer and starring George Segal, Karen Black, Paula Prentiss, Hector Elizondo, Jay Fletcher and Robert De Niro. Filming locations took place in Manhattan, specifically Tim ...

'' (1971)

Television

* ''Eddie Condon's Floor Show'' – 1949 * ''The Tonight Show'' – 1954 * ''The Tonight Show'' – 1955 * ''The Tonight Show'' – 1956 * ''The VIP Show of the Year'' – Sep 9, 1956 * ''The Tonight Show'' – October 1956 * ''Stars of Jazz'' – Dec 17, 1956 * ''Art Ford's All-Star Jazz Party'' – 1958 * ''Playboy's Penthouse'' – Sep 23, 1961 * ''Playboy's Penthouse'' – Apr 21, 1962 * ''The Merv Griffin Show'' – 1962 * ''The Merv Griffin Show'' – 1963 * ''The Tonight Show'' – Sep 17, 1963 * ''The Mike Douglas Show'' – 1965 * ''The Merv Griffin Show'' – Jun 29, 1966 * ''Donald O'Connor Show'' – Oct 21, 1968 * ''The Merv Griffin Show'' – 1969 * ''The Mike Douglas Show'' – 1969 * ''The Mike Douglas Show'' – Aug 9, 1970 * ''The Tonight Show'' – Aug 6, 1972 * ''The Mike Douglas Show'' – Aug 11, 1974 * ''The Merv Griffin Show'' – 1974 * ''The Tonight Show'' – Feb 25, 1975 * ''The Merv Griffin Show'' – 1978 * ''The Dick Cavett Show'' – Nov 16, 1978 * ''Dinah!'' – Nov 17, 1978 * ''Over Easy'' – Nov 24, 1978 * ''Over Easy'' – May 23, 1980 * ''Glenn Miller: A Moonlight Serenade'' – Dec 1, 1984 * ''American Masters: The Long Night of Lady Day'' – Aug 3, 1986 * ''Buddy Barnes Live at Studio B'' – 1986

References

External links

Sylvia Syms biography on oldies.comSylvia Syms manuscript, printed music, and sound recordings
Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University {{DEFAULTSORT:Syms, Sylvia 1917 births 1992 deaths Singers from New York City American women jazz singers American jazz singers Traditional pop music singers Jazz-blues musicians Musicians who died on stage Prestige Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Jazz musicians from New York (state)