Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo composed of

Mickey Baker MacHouston "Mickey" Baker (October 15, 1925 – November 27, 2012) was an American guitarist, best known for his work as a studio musician and as part of the recording duo Mickey & Sylvia. Early life Baker was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His m ...

and Sylvia Vanderpool, who later became

Sylvia Robinson Sylvia Robinson (née Vanderpool; May 29, 1935 – September 29, 2011) was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with ...

. They are best known for their number-one R&B single "

Love Is Strange "Love Is Strange" is a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label. The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams and was written by Bo Diddley un ...

" in 1957. Baker and Vanterpool began recording together in 1954. They first recorded as Mickey & Sylvia in 1955 on Rainbow Records before signing to

Groove Records Groove Records was a subsidiary of RCA Victor records, founded by '' Billboard'' writer Bob Rolontz in 1953 as a rhythm and blues label. The label tried hard to break into the R&B market. Piano Red had its first hit but Mickey & Sylvia was its ...

where they became the first big seller for the label. The duo later formed their own label, Willow Records. Although Mickey & Sylvia initially disbanded in 1958, they reunited in 1960 and continued to record together on an infrequent basis until 1965, when Baker moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Career

In the mid-1950s, music instructor Mickey Baker was inspired by the success of husband-and-wife musical duo Les Paul & Mary Ford to form a duo with one of his pupils Sylvia Robinson. They released their first record together, "Fine Love," as "Little" Sylvia Vanterpool with Mickey Baker and His Band on

Cat Records Cat Records was a short-lived subsidiary of Atlantic Records, specializing in rhythm and blues music. The label was founded in April 1954 to cash in on the popularity of R&B records among white teenager which were called "cat" records in the Sou ...

in 1954. Baker and Vanterpool released their first record, "I'm So Glad," as Mickey & Sylvia on Rainbow Records in 1955. They recorded for the

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

label subsidiary

in 1956. While sharing the bill with

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

Howard Theatre The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In its heyday, the theater was known for catering to an African-A ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, Vanterpool was inspired by his song "Love Is Strange." With his blessing, Mickey & Sylvia recorded their own rendition. Their single was released in November 1956. It became their biggest hit, topping the

US R&B The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart and peaking at No. 11 in the US pop chart in January 1957. The record 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 ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. In 1957, Mickey & Sylvia recorded for

Vik Records Vik Records was a subsidiary of RCA Victor Records established in April 1953. In the '' Billboard'' issue of the 11th of that month, it was announced that RCA was launching, namelessly, a new label that was the company's first to be distributed ind ...

. They had two other singles chart in 1957 with "There Oughta Be A Law" and "Dearest." In 1958, Mickey & Sylvia split up because Vanterpool wanted to pursue a solo career. Vanterpool married Joseph Robinson in 1959 and thereafter went by Sylvia Robinson. Baker replaced her with singer Kitty Noble. Mickey & Kitty released three records on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

in 1959. Baker also released his debut solo album, ''The Wildest Guitar'', in 1959. After a two year hiatus, Mickey & Sylvia were reunited by

Hugo & Luigi Hugo & Luigi were an American record producing team, made up of songwriters and producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, who shared an office in New York's Brill Building. Besides their working relationship, they were cousins. Background First ...

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

in 1960. They also established a publishing company. In 1961, they formed their own label, Willow Records, distributed by King Records, which produced the singles "

Lovedrops "Lovedrops" is a song written by S. Robinson and M. Baker. The song was originally recorded by the American R&B duo, Mickey & Sylvia, who are best known for their 1957 single, "Love Is Strange". Mickey & Sylvia's version of "Lovedrops" was re ...

" and " Baby You're So Fine." That year they contributed to

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocal ...

's hit record "

It's Gonna Work Out Fine "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a song written by Rose Marie McCoy and Joe Seneca (also known as Sylvia McKinney). It was originally released by Ike & Tina Turner in 1961 as a single from their album ''Dynamite!'' (1962). The record is noted for b ...

." Robinson produced the track and played guitar while Baker played the role of

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...

. The single earned Ike & Tina Turner their first Grammy Award nomination. Ike Turner wrote Mickey & Sylvia's song "He Gave Me Everything," which was released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

single to "Since I Fell For You" in 1962. A second studio recording of "Love Is Strange" in 1962 featured now-legendary drummer

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

, on his first paid session gig. After the duo split, Baker recorded a successful instrumental solo album, ''The Wildest Guitar''. He moved to France in the 1960s, where he worked with various French musicians. Baker died at his home in Montastruc-la-Conseillère, France on November 27, 2012, at the age of 87. Sylvia Robinson had a

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

in 1973 with "

Pillow Talk Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners, sometimes after sexual activity, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, kissing, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with honesty, sex ...

," and was subsequently a driving force in the creation of the Sugar Hill rap label. Robinson died in 2011, at the age of 76.

Legacy

"Love Is Strange" (in its 1956 version) was later featured in movies like ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'', ''

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

'' and ''

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

'', and was covered many times (for instance, on

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's third post-

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

album '' Wild Life''). The song became a UK hit by

the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

in 1965.

Peaches & Herb Peaches & Herb is an American vocal duo. Herb Fame (born October 1, 1941) has remained a constant as "Herb" since the duo was created in 1966; seven different women have filled the role of "Peaches", most notably Francine Edna "Peaches" Hurd B ...

had a hit with their rendition in 1967. In 2004, "Love Is Strange" was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

Discography

Albums

* 1957: ''New Sounds'' (Vik LX-1102) * 1965: ''"Love Is Strange" And Other Bests'' (RCA Camden CAL-863/CAS-863) (LP compilation) * 1973: ''Mickey And Sylvia Do It Again'' (RCA Victor APM-1-0327) (LP compilation) * 1989: ''Love Is Strange & Other Hits'' (RCA/BMG 9900-2-R) (CD compilation) * 1990: ''Love Is Strange'' (Bear Family BCD-15438) (2-CD compilation) * 1995: ''The Willow Sessions'' (Sequel NEM-CD-763) (CD compilation) * 1997: ''Love Is Strange: A Golden Classics Edition'' (Collectables COL-5833) (CD compilation)

Singles

References

External links

Mickey & Sylvia
on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Mickey & Sylvia Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mickey and Sylvia American rhythm and blues musical groups Rhythm and blues duos American musical duos Male–female musical duos African-American musical groups RCA Victor artists Groove Records artists King Records artists