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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
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 made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
. She made her debut in 1941 at
Kelly's Stable.
In 1948, performing at the Cinderella Club in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
, she was seen by
Mae West
Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...
, 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. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
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 (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
, having her major success with a recording of "
I Could Have Danced All Night
"I Could Have Danced All Night" is a song from the musical ''My Fair Lady'', with music written by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, " in 1956, which sold over one million copies and was awarded a
gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
.
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
Robert Waltrip Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer and pianist who interpreted songs by popular composers from the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold ...
.
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 musical ...
musical ''
South Pacific'' 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 (officially The Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Autograph Collection) 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 Goldwi ...
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'' (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)