Sylvester

Sylvester

The gender-bending diva of disco.

Founded

September 6, 1947

Full Name

Sylvester James Jr.

Date of Birth

September 6, 1947

Still Alive

Date of Death

December 16, 1988

Influenced By
Later Influenced

Prince, Walter Gibbons, DJ Kool Herc, Frankie Knuckles

Sylvester
Sylvester

About The artist

Sylvester was the rare 1970s music artist to be open about his homosexuality. He used his falsetto singing voice and androgynous appearance to expand the idea of gender fluidity and help establish the Black male diva tradition. He became an activist for people infected with HIV/AIDS and donated his music royalties to two HIV/AIDS charities.

Did you know...

Oh God, don't ask me how I got started or how old I am or about The Cockettes. Let's just say that I came from an upper-middle class black bourgeois family in Los Angeles, and that I left a boring nine-to-five job to move to San Francisco. Better yet, let's say I was the first test tube baby.

Sylvester

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