Sylvia St. James is an American gospel and soul singer, recording artist, and entertainment host. She is best known for her time as the Mistress of Ceremonies of the

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...

Sunday Gospel Brunch, and her appearances in her signature long, white embroidered dress with a wide, feathered hat. St. James has performed solo and as a leader of the St. James Gospel Choir on the television show

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

among others and with artists including

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...

Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia; August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until the age of 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in rural Mi ...

Sammy Davis Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which tou ...

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Each of her characters typically possessed a fervent expressiveness and an easily ide ...

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' country music charts, second onl ...

, and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

Early life and education

Born in

Waukegan Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its popu ...

, Illinois, St. James was introduced to music at a young age. She learned to sing gospel music from her mother, who was the church pianist and first soprano vocalist in the choir. Her grandparents, who also sang in the church choir, allowed her to join them during services. At the age of 15, St. James was offered a scholarship to study opera at The Chicago Conservatory of Music but before she could accept the scholarship, her family had to relocate. St. James continued performing in jazz fusion groups throughout the Midwest.

Career

1970s: Side Effect

St. James moved to California, where she lived in an

Ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Mike Curb Congregation Michael Curb (born December 24, 1944) is an American politician, record executive, and philanthropist who served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of California from 1979 to 1983. He is the founder of Curb Records and is the chairman of Word Ent ...

which led to recording sessions with artists including

George Duke George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fus ...

Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin jazz percussionist and jazz drummer of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino m ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

Ronnie Laws Ronald Wayne Laws (born October 3, 1950) is an American jazz and smooth jazz saxophonist, and singer. He is the younger brother of jazz flutist Hubert Laws, jazz vocalist Eloise Laws and the older brother of Debra Laws. Biography Born and rai ...

, and Wayne Henderson. St. James joined the band

Side Effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect of the use of a medicinal drug or other treatment, usually adverse but sometimes beneficial, that is unintended. Herbal and traditional medicines also have side effects. A drug or procedure usually use ...

as lead singer. Under an agreement with

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

, the band recorded the albums, " Goin' Bananas" (1977) and "

Rainbow Visions ''Rainbow Visions'' is the fifth album by R&B group Side Effect. Released in 1978, this was their fourth and final album for Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanle ...

" (1978), both produced by Wayne Henderson. For the 'Goin Bananas' album cover, St. James dressed in a

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

costume, and

had the album pressed on yellow vinyl. 'All In Your Mind', a track off 'Goin Bananas', reached number 18 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart . St. James was called "The Queen of Side Effect".

1980s: Solo career

Side Effect moved to

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

, where St. James was signed as a solo artist. Sylvia St. James released two albums, "Magic" produced by

Larry Dunn Larry Dunn (born Lorenzo Russell Dunn; June 19, 1953) is an American keyboardist, producer, songwriter and musical director, known as one of the original members of the music group Earth, Wind & Fire. Dunn was inducted, as a former band member, in ...

and

Lenny White Leonard White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". White has won thre ...

, and "Echoes and Images" produced by Andre Fischer. The single "Behind My Back", written by St. James, was a

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

single pick.

1990s-present: The St. James Gospel Choir and educational pursuits

Sylvia St. James is original Mistress of Ceremonies for the

Sunday Gospel Brunch. She produced and directed the event. Her appearances are in a signature long, white embroidered dress with a wide, feathered hat. The Sunday Gospel Brunch was hosted at House of Blues venues across the United States in major cities such as Houston, Orlando, Chicago, New York, San Diego, Vegas, and Dallas. On choice of repertoire, St. James was quoted as saying: Following the close of The House of Blues,

Lance Sterling Lance Sterling is an American entrepreneur and live entertainment venue owner who partnered early on with the House of Blues and its co-founder, Issac Tigrett. During his time at the House of Blues, Sterling helped the company expand from 3 venue ...

, owner of The Rose in Pasadena, brought St. James in to emcee The Rose's Soulful Sunday Brunch, adding live soul and

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

music along with gospel choir. St. James is the leader of The St. James Gospel Choir, recording and performing at different venues and on television programs including Next (

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

) and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. St. James taught a class at Musicians Institute of Hollywood, where she coached children in the contemporary and traditional elements of gospel music. She also performed as the headlining act at a Juneteenth celebration in

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

in 2018.

Discography

Solo

* 1980: ''Magic'' (

Elektra Electra, also spelt Elektra, was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Animals * ''Electra'' (bryozoan), a genus of aquatic invertebrates * ''Elektra'' (bug), a genus of insects in the ...

) * 1981: '' Echoes & Images ''(Elektra)

As group

With Side Effect * 1977: Goin Bananas (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

) * 1978:

(Fantasy) With others * 1977 – Gabor Szabo : ''Faces'' (

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

) * 1978 –

: ''Hell Of An Act To Follow'' (

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

) * 1978 – Wayne Henderson : ''Living On A Dream'' (

) * 1982 –

Jeff Lorber Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952) is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After six previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for ''Prototype'' ...

: ''It's A Fact'' (

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

) * 1987 –

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

: ''Tribe'' * 1994 –

: ''Three Originals'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

) * 2003 –

: ''

Harry For The Holidays ''Harry for the Holidays'' is American artist Harry Connick Jr.'s second Christmas album, released in 2003. The album features Connick and his 16 piece Big Band and a full section of chordophones. ''Harry for the Holidays'' was the best-selli ...

'' (Sony) * 2005 – All Nations Choir : ''Whole New Day'' * 2009 – Sylvia St. James and

Roxanne Seeman Roxanne Joy Seeman is an American songwriter and lyricist. She is best known for her songs by Billie Hughes, Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, The Sisters of Mercy, The Jacksons, Jacky Cheung, and ...

: Wailin' (Noa Noa Music) *2010 –

Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. One of the most influential artists in the Greater China region, Cheung is widely regarded as a Heavenly King of Cantopop music and an icon of Hong Kong popular culture. He ...

: ''

Private Corner Private Corner is a studio album by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, known as God of Songs and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. It is the first jazz album of Cantopop, a concept album recorded in the style of " Canto-jazz", coined by Cheung to de ...

'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

) *2014 – Jacky Cheung : ''

Wake Up Dreaming ''Wake Up Dreaming'' is a Mandarin studio album by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung. It was released on December 22, 2014. Background and release The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studi ...

'' (Universal Music)

Recognition

Timeout wrote, "5 Things We'll Miss Most About The House of Blues on Sunset: Sylvia St. James, the iconic buxom figure and the original mistress of ceremonies, earned her and HOB a page in The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. For almost two decades, the blinding light of her long, white, embroidered dresses and matching wide-brimmed feathered hats had people praising the holy spirit between spoonfuls of grits. Hallelujah."

References

External links

sylviastjamesmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. James, Sylvia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American gospel singers Singers from Illinois