Sylvia Jane Hutton (née Kirby, born December 9, 1956), also known mononymously as Sylvia, is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

singer and songwriter. Her biggest hit (a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

chart topper), was her single "

Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters * Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...

" in 1982. It reached number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart, number 9 on the ''Cashbox'' Top 100, and number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles chart. The song earned her a

gold record 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 ...

certification and a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination for

Best Female Country Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes: *From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female *In 1 ...

. Her other country chart hits include "

Drifter A drifter is a vagrant who moves from place to place without a fixed home or employment. Drifter(s) or The Drifter(s) may also refer to: Films and television Films * ''The Drifter'' (1917 film), an American film directed by Fred Kelsey * ''Th ...

" (number one in 1981), " Fallin' in Love", "Tumbleweed" and "Snapshot". She was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...

for 1982. She is also credited with making the first "concept" music video clip to air on Country Music Television (CMT), with "The Matador".

Early life

Sylvia was born in Kokomo, Indiana, United States. She began performing at age 3 when she was asked to sing at a small local church. Sylvia eventually relocated to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, on December 26, 1976. Wishing to become a recording artist, Sylvia took a job as a secretary for producer and publisher

Tom Collins The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically serv ...

, who produced records for both

Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artist ...

and Ronnie Milsap.

Career

After auditioning for

Dave & Sugar Dave & Sugar was a pop-styled American country music trio which enjoyed its peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. The trio consisted of lead singer Dave Rowland and initially on backing vocals, Vicki Hackeman and Jackie Frantz. Over time, the ...

, Sylvia was signed as a solo artist by

RCA Records 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 A ...

in 1979. Her first RCA single was called "You Don't Miss a Thing". The song reached the Country Top 40. In 1980 she released another single, "It Don't Hurt to Dream". The record rose a little higher, to number 35. That same year, she finally made it to the Top 10 with "Tumbleweed". In 1981, her song "Drifter" hit number 1 on the country charts, and two other songs, "The Matador" and "Heart on the Mend" landed in the Top 10. "The Matador" was country music's first conceptual music video to air on CMT. ''

'' was her 1981 RCA debut studio album, containing the hits "Tumbleweed" and "Heart On The Mend".

Chart hits in the 1980s

In 1982, from her '' Just Sylvia'' studio album, Sylvia released the single "Nobody", which reached number 1 on the country music chart, hit number 15 on ''Billboard''s Hot 100 chart, and sold more than a million copies. The song was also an

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

hit, making the Top 5. "Nobody" became Sylvia's signature song. "Nobody" and the album ''Just Sylvia'' were certified gold in the United States and Canada. "Nobody" was the 1982 BMI Song of the Year, awarded for receiving more radio airplay than any other single that year. In 1982, Sylvia was the Academy of Country Music's "Female Vocalist of the Year" and a Grammy nominee for "Best Female Vocalist". In 1983, Sylvia's album ''Snapshot'' was released; its title song climbed to number 5 on the country chart and became her second-highest selling single. She had two other songs in the Top 20 that year, "I Never Quite Got Back" and "The Boy Gets Around". In 1985, Sylvia released ''One Step Closer'', produced by

Brent Maher Brent Maher is a producer, engineer, and songwriter currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. He has produced and engineered six Grammy-winning records and received awards from the CMA, ACM, CCMA, ASCAP, SOCAN and NSAI. Maher engineered ...

, who brought a more guitar-driven feel. Three singles were released: " Fallin' in Love", " Cry Just a Little Bit", and " I Love You By Heart." This was followed up by Sylvia's last top 40 country hit, "Nothin' Ventured, Nothin' Gained", from the unreleased album ''Knockin Around''. The shelving of this album marked the end of Sylvia's tenure with RCA Records. Sylvia recorded for RCA until the end of 1987, delivering 11 Top Ten songs, and selling more than four million records. RCA put together a ''Greatest Hits'' compilation and issued a new single titled "Straight from My Heart", written with Jimmy Fortune of

the Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

. With little promotion from RCA, the single charted in the low 60s.

Later career

When her contract with RCA ended, Sylvia took a break from touring and recording to focus on developing as a songwriter. In 1988 and 1989, she guest-hosted TNN's '' Crook and Chase'' show and her own ''Holiday Gourmet'' cooking special. Sylvia's first independent album, ''The Real Story'', was released in 1996 on her own label, Red Pony Records. In a May 1998 ''People'' magazine review, Ralph Novak wrote, "Sylvia always sang with more intensity and resonance than most country singers... and she can still sing a story song better than almost anyone around." In 2002, she followed with ''Where in the World'', a set that marked the culmination of an 11-year musical collaboration with John Mock. Songwriter Craig Bickhardt contributed the song "Crazy Nightingale". Bickhardt had previously performed with Sylvia from 1984, and wrote the title cut to ''One Step Closer''. Also in 2002, Sylvia released, ''A Cradle in Bethlehem'', her first Christmas album. In 2016, the album, ''It's All in the Family'', was released on Red Pony Records. In 2018, Sylvia released, ''Second Bloom: The Hits Re-Imagined'', an album of some of her hits she re-recorded with a more acoustic yet fully produced approach. Sylvia's new album, ''Nature Child -- A Dreamer's Journey'', is to be released on February 22, 2022.

Discography

Awards and honors

References

External links

Sylvia page
at CMT.com
Sylvia's personal page

Sylvia's music website

Bibliography

* Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra & Stephen Thomas Erlewine (ed.) (2003)
All Music Guide to Country, 2nd ed., p. 756
', . * Richard Carlin (1995)
The Big Book of Country Music, A Biographical Encyclopedia, p. 450
', . * The Editors of

Country Music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

(1994)
The Comprehensive Country Music Encyclopedia, p. 380
', . * Michael Erlewine with Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra & Stephen Thomas Erlewine (ed.) (1997)
All Music Guide to Country, 1st ed., p. 458
', . * Brian Mansfield & Gary Graff (ed.) (1997)
MusicHound Country: The Essential Album Guide, p. 427-8
', . * Barry McCloud (1995)
Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers, p. 791-2
', . * Tad Richards & Melvin B. Shestack (1993)
The New Country Music Encyclopedia, p. 219
', . * Kurt Wolff (2000)
Country Music: The Rough Guide, p. 454-5
', . {{DEFAULTSORT:Sylvia 1956 births Living people American women country singers American country singer-songwriters People from Kokomo, Indiana RCA Records Nashville artists Country musicians from Indiana 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Indiana