Dawn Silva is an American funk vocalist. Silva started her career as a background vocalist for

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...

. She joined

Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive ...

in 1977. She was the only original

Brides of Funkenstein The Brides of Funkenstein were an American Soul and Funk girl band, originally composed of singers Dawn Silva and Lynn Mabry. History Previously background singers for Sly Stone, singer of Sly and the Family Stone, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva joi ...

member to continue through the Brides' entire career. In 1978, with Lynn Mabry, she released the successful '' Funk Or Walk''. The Bride's first single release on Atlantic Records, "Disco To Go", sold over five hundred thousand units, and was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

. In 1979, with

Sheila Horne Brides of Funkenstein member Sheila Horne was hired as a back-up singer for original Brides Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva in 1978. She became a main singer with Silva and Jeanette McGruder in 1979 for the second Brides album ''Never Buy Texas from a C ...

and

Jeanette McGruder Jeanette McGruder (born November 8, 1954) is a singer, comedian, sketch actress, and writer, who has performed with P-Funk, Brides Of Funkenstein, and Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva. In 1979, she recorded with Silva and Sheila Horne on "Never Buy Texa ...

, she released the top single "Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy," voted by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' in 2001 as one of the top 50 coolest albums ever released. The Brides were the only group in the P-Funk organization to receive a Rhythm and Blues Award in 1981 for ''

Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy ''Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy'', released on Atlantic Records in November 1979, was the second album from the American female funk band, The Brides of Funkenstein. Morphing into a trio on the second album release, the vocalists consisted of ...

''.

Later career

Silva recorded and toured with

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, and ...

in 1982. She signed a solo deal with

Polygram Records PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

in 1988, but her debut album was never released. Her recording and touring credits include but are not limited to; Ice Cube, Boyz n the Hood,

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Po ...

, Snoop Dogg, Coolio,

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

, and

Parliament Funkadelic In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. Her first solo album release in Europe on Musisoft (Paris France) ''All My Funky Friends'', December 2000, sold thousands of units, and was hailed by

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Recor ...

(2001) as the only authentic funk album to be released in over two decades.

Discography

*''High On You'' Sly & The Family Stone (Epic/CBS)1975 *''Heard Ya Missed Me,Well I'm Back'' Sly & The Family Stone (Epic/CBS)1976 *''Parliament Live P.Funk Earth Tour'' Parliament (Casablanca)1977 *''Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrom'' Parliament (Casablanca)1977 *''Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs'' Eddie Hazel (Warner Bros) 1977 *''One Nation Under a Groove'' Funkadelic (Warner Bros) 1978 *''Motor-Booty Affair'' Parliament (Casablanca)1978 *''GloryHallaStopoid'' Parliament(Casablanca)1979 *''Trombibulation'' Parliament(Casablanca)1980 *''Games Dames & Guitar Thangs'' Eddie Hazel (Warner Bros) 1977 * Fred Wesley and The Horny Horns (Atlantic) *''Funk or Walk'' The Brides Of Funkenstein (Atlantic)1978 *''Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy'' The Brides of Funkenstein (Atlantic)1979 *''This Boot is Made For Fonk-N'' Bootsy Collins (Warner Bros) 1979 *''Gap Band IV'' The Gap Band (Total Experience) 1982 *''Gap Band V'' The Gap Band (Total Experience) 1983 *''Gap Band VI'' The Gap Band (Total Experience) 1984 *''Gap Band VII'' The Gap Band (Total Experience) 1985 *''All My Funky Friends'' Dawn Silva ( SilvaSounds/JDC Records) 2000

References

* * *

External links

*. {{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Dawn 1954 births Living people Musicians from Sacramento, California African-American women singers American funk singers American women singers P-Funk members