Sylvia (Sylvia Jane Kirby, country singer)

Sylvia Jane Kirby (born December 9, 1956), known professionally as Sylvia, is an American singer, songwriter and life coach. In the 1980s decade, she had 11 US top ten country chart songs, including "Nobody" (1982), which crossed over onto the pop charts around the world. She was signed to RCA Records in 1979 and began working with producer Tom Collins, who produced her 1981 debut album, Drifter. The LP spawned four top ten country songs, including the title track and "The Matador". Her second album, Just Sylvia (1982), sold nearly a million records in both the US and Canada, along with featuring "Nobody" and the top ten song, "Like Nothing Ever Happened". Although she did not have further crossover success, Snapshot (1983), spawned three more successful singles, including the title song, which was also Sylvia's second music video. Following the less-successful, Surprise (1984), Sylvia was produced by Brent Maher on 1985's One Step Closer. The album featured three top ten singles including a cover of "Cry Just a Little Bit". After years of touring, Sylvia took a professional hiatus and explored songwriting with musician, John Mock. He would help craft her 1996 album, The Real Story, which was released on her own label titled Red Pony Records. She also became a life coach during this period and worked with clients to help them make personal and professional decisions. Sylvia then released two albums in 2002 on Red Pony: Where in the World (a collection of covers) and A Cradle in Bethlehem (a Christmas project). She returned in 2016 with an album inspired by her upbringing titled It's All in the Family, followed by two more studio albums since 2022. Sylvia also continues to tour and perform across North America. Sylvia Jane Kirby was born on December 9, 1956, in Kokomo, Indiana, United States. Her parents made automobile radios for the General Motors company while her grandfather operated a sawmill and grew tobacco. Although both her parents were not musically inclined, her mother often wrote poems and songs as a hobby. Her family spent time in Tennessee during her childhood where Kirby was routinely exposed to country music. As a young child she started singing in Kokomo's Pilgrim Holiness Church and routinely sang in front of her parents' bathroom mirror while listening to country music. Following high school graduation in November 1975, Kirby moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in pursuit of country music stardom. Kirby's first Nashville job was working as a secretary at Pi-Gem Records under the supervision of record producer, Tom Collins. According to her website, Kirby stayed with Pi-Gem for four years, doing secretarial tasks and learning the music business. Kirby also had interest in recording with Collins. Collins believed she had potential if she made changes to her appearance and continued working on her vocals. Collins helped her become a demo singer and background vocalist for Janie Fricke and Barbara Mandrell. She also auditioned for the country group, Dave & Sugar, but did get into the group. Kirby's new connections and Collins's support helped her secure a recording contract, with Jerry Bradley signing her to RCA Records in 1979. To distinguish her from RCA's Deborah Allen, Kirby (whose married name at the time was "Sylvia Allen") was billed only under first name, "Sylvia". Her first RCA single was released in 1979 called "You Don't Miss a Thing", a top 40 US country chart song that year. A second single, "It Don't Hurt to Dream" (1980), also made the US country top 40. Despite never performing before a live audience, the singles' chart appearances led to her serving as the opening act in Charley Pride's 1979 tour. Sylvia also learned performance techniques in the recording studio alongside Tom Collins, who was now serving has her producer. In late 1980, "Tumbleweed" was her first single to make the US country top ten. It was followed by Sylvia's first US number one single, "Drifter", which also climbed to number 13 on Canada's Country Tracks chart. Sylvia had two more US-Canadian top ten country hits in 1981: "The Matador" and "Heart on the Mend". All were featured on her 1981 debut album, also titled Drifter, which reached number ten on the US Country LP's chart. The album incorporated a western theme that was described as "airy" by critics while also being self-described by Sylvia as "prairie music". RCA then promoted the LP with appearances on Johnny Cash's television special, Hee Haw and The Mike Douglas Show. Sylvia's sound moved further towards pop and country pop with her second album in 1982 titled Just Sylvia. Its lead single, "Sweet Yesterday", made the US and Canadian country top 15 while its second release, "Nobody", became a number one country song in both countries. The song (whose story centers on a wife who suspects her spouse is committing infidelity) was a crossover success on the pop charts, reaching number 15 on the US Hot 100, number five on the Canadian Top Singles chart and number two on New Zealand's Recorded Music chart. "Nobody" then received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, making Sylvia the only country artist to receive one in 1982. Its success also pushed Just Sylvia towards a gold certification as well. Sales of "Nobody" kept Just Sylvia on the US charts through 1983, eventually peaking at number two on the US country albums chart and number 56 on the US Billboard 200. With "Nobody's" success, Sylvia started touring more than 250 dates annually, most of which were county and state fairs that attracted crowds as high as 7,000. She also made appearances on television shows like American Bandstand and Solid Gold. She also received nominations from the Grammy Awards and Academy of Country Music Awards. "Nobody" was followed in late 1982 by "Like Nothing Ever Happened", which made the US country top five and became her second Canadian country chart topper. Sylvia's third album, Snapshot, was released by RCA in May 1983 and a similar musical style that included more uptempo selections. Critics compared the album's sound and material to that of Just Sylvia while also highlighting its use of crossover production styles. Snapshot became Sylvia's third top ten album on the US country chart and third to make the US Billboard 200. Its title tune was the LP's lead single and became another US-Canadian country top five hit. The single also featured a music video, which was considered one of country music's first "modern video clips". The LP also spawned the US top 20 song, "The Boy Gets Around", and another US-Canadian top five song titled "I Never Quite Got Back (From Loving You)". Sylvia also won the Top Female Vocalist accolade from the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1983. With a new hairstyle on the front cover came the release of her 1984 album, Surprise. It received less favorable critical reception for moving further away from country while other critics favored the depth of its song choices. The album itself was less commercially successful, only reaching number 40 on the US country chart, while both of its singles only made the US country top 40. Sylvia took a new musical direction after becoming frustrated by the country pop and upbeat material she was recording. Instead, she sought out producer, Brent Maher (known for his work with The Judds), and recorded material that had traditional country music elements. The resulting album was Sylvia's fifth for RCA titled One Step Closer. It was also her fifth to make the US country albums chart and peaked at number 19 in 1985. Its lead single, "Fallin' In Love", rose to number two on the US country songs chart and became her third chart-topping Canadian country song. It was followed by her cover of Shakin' Stevens's "Cry Just a Little Bit" that became a US-Canadian country top ten hit. She helped bring 1970s pop artist, Michael Johnson, to the attention of country audiences with their duet of "I Love You by Heart" (his first