The Sylvers
| The Sylvers | |
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The Sylvers circa 1972.
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Little Angels (early tenure) |
| Origin | Watts, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1971–1985 |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
| Past members | Olympia Ann "Olan" Sylvers Leon Frank Sylvers III Charmaine Elaine Sylvers James Jonathan Sylvers Edmund Theodore Sylvers Joseph Richard "Ricky" Sylvers Angelia Marie "Angie" Sylvers Patricia Lynn "Pat" Sylvers Foster Emerson Sylvers |
The Sylvers were an American R&B/Soul family vocal group from Watts, Los Angeles, California. The Sylvers were one of the most popular acts during the 1970s, recording the hit singles "Fool's Paradise", "Boogie Fever" and "Hot Line". Prior to becoming "The Sylvers", the four eldest members (Olympia, Leon, Charmaine, and James) recorded as The Little Angels, appearing on shows such as Make Room for Daddy and You Bet Your Life, and opening for such acts as Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles. During this time, two singles were released: "Santa Claus Parade" b/w "I'll Be a Little Angel" on Warwick Records (United States) and "Says You" b/w "Olympia" on Capitol Records.
The Sylvers consisted of ten siblings:
In 1972 Edmund and Ricky joined the act. The sextet changed their name from The Little Angels to The Sylvers and released three albums on the MGM/Pride label, titled simply The Sylvers, The Sylvers 2, and The Sylvers 3. Released between 1972 and 1974, these LPs offered soulful numbers written by Leon and produced by R&B legends Jerry Butler (of The Impressions) and Keg Johnson. Four singles from these self-titled albums charted on the Billboard R&B charts. "Fool's Paradise" was a thought-provoking song that reached 14 in the autumn of 1972. The single featured Charmaine, Edmund, and Ricky as lead singers, backed by the sumptuous harmonies of Olympia, Leon, and James.
"Wish That I Could Talk to You" was the next single and during early 1973 became the siblings' first top 10 song. The track, featuring Leon, Edmund and Ricky on lead, is considered a classic by old-school R&B fans. The two-sided hit "Stay Away From Me" (#33) and "I'll Never Be Ashamed" as well as "Through the Love in My Heart" (#50) followed; and the album track "Cry of a Dreamer" received significant airplay at R&B radio outlets. In early 1973, Leon wrote "Misdemeanor" for Foster, which featured Angie and Pat and received major airplay on many R&B radio stations. (Though the song originally featured Edmund on lead, it was passed to Foster due to Edmund's voice change.) This song later regained popularity in the late 1980s and 1990s after it was sampled by rapper/producer Dr. Dre for a song by The D.O.C. entitled "It's Funky Enough". In 1975, Foster, Angie, and Pat joined their older brothers and sisters and signed an exclusive contract with Capitol Records, the same label they recorded for as The Little Angels. Now nine members strong, the label teamed the family with legendary R&B producer Freddie Perren (The Jackson 5). The marriage paid off immediately, as Perren, with co-writer Keni St. Lewis, produced the two-million seller "Boogie Fever" which topped the R&B and Billboard Hot 100 charts, along with the RPM national singles chart.
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