View source for Sylvia Robinson

{{Short description|American singer and record producer (1935–2011)}}
{{for|the country singer|Sylvia (singer)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}

{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Sylvia Robinson
| image            = Sylvia_Robinson.jpg
| alt              = Sylvia
| caption          = Robinson in 1976
| background       = solo_singer
| birth_name       = Sylvia Vanterpool
| spouse = {{marriage|Joseph Robinson Sr.|1959|end=divorce}}
| alias            = {{hlist|Little Sylvia|Sylvia|Sylvia Vanderpool|Sylvia Robbins|Mother of Hip Hop<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tmz.com/2011/09/29/sylvia-robinson-mother-of-hip-hop-dead-75-dies-rappers-delight-producer-mickey-and-sylvia-pillow-talk-congestive-heart-failure-soul-train-sugar-hill-gang/|title=Sylvia Robinson – 'Mother of Hip-Hop' Dead at 75|website=Tmz.com|date=September 29, 2011|access-date=October 12, 2014|archive-date=October 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001113239/https://www.tmz.com/2011/09/29/sylvia-robinson-mother-of-hip-hop-dead-75-dies-rappers-delight-producer-mickey-and-sylvia-pillow-talk-congestive-heart-failure-soul-train-sugar-hill-gang/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1935|5|29}}<ref name=Book/><ref name=LRSR/><ref name=LRIG/>
| birth_place      = [[Manhattan]], New York City, U.S.
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|2011|9|29|1935|5|29}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BOdaOTOh3Iw/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BOdaOTOh3Iw |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|title=Instagram post by Leland Robinson • Dec 26, 2016 at 12:02am UTC|website=Instagram|access-date=October 26, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| death_place      = [[Secaucus, New Jersey]], U.S.
| origin           = [[Englewood, New Jersey]], U.S.
| genre            = {{hlist|[[Blues]]|[[rhythm and blues|R&B]]|[[rock music|rock]]|[[Soul music|soul]]|[[funk]]|[[disco]]|[[Hip hop music|hip hop]]}}
| occupation       = {{hlist|Singer|record producer}}
| instruments      = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|synthesizer}}
| years_active     = 1950–2011
| label            = {{hlist|[[Savoy Records|Savoy]]|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]|[[Jubilee Records|Jubilee]]|[[Cat Records|Cat]]|[[Groove Records|Groove]]|[[Rainbow Records|Rainbow]]|[[RCA Records|RCA]]|[[Vik Records|Vik]]|Willow Records|[[King Records (United States)|King]]|All Platinum|Stang|Vibration|[[Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label)|Sugar Hill]]}}
}}

'''Sylvia Robinson''' (née '''Vanterpool'''; May 29, 1935<ref name=Book/><ref name=LRSR>{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BUrd9Iegvb1/  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BUrd9Iegvb1 |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|title=Leland Robinson Sr.|author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=May 29, 2017 |website=Instagram |publisher=<!-- Not stated --> |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=LRIG>{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BUsVShEANd8/  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BUsVShEANd8 |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|title=Leland Robinson Sr. (@ lelandrobinson.nj)|author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=May 29, 2017 |website=Instagram |publisher=<!-- Not stated --> |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=DRIG>{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BGASpdHEDcs/  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BGASpdHEDcs |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|title=Darnell Robinson (@thedarnellroy)|author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=May 29, 2016 |website=Instagram |publisher=<!-- Not stated --> |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>&nbsp;– September 29, 2011), known [[mononym]]ously as '''Sylvia''', was an American singer and record producer. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of [[Mickey & Sylvia]] with the 1957 single "[[Love Is Strange]]", and her solo record "[[Pillow Talk (song)|Pillow Talk]]" in 1973. She later became known for her work as founder and CEO of the pioneering [[hip hop music|hip hop]] label [[Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label)|Sugar Hill Records]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5X_GCwAAQBAJ&q=sylvia+robinson&pg=PA289|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011|first=Harris M. Lentz|last=III|date=May 3, 2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786469949|access-date=October 26, 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2025}}

Robinson is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the hip hop genre: "[[Rapper's Delight]]" (1979) by the [[Sugarhill Gang]],<ref>{{cite news|title='Rapper's Delight'|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1116242|work=[[National Public Radio]]|date=December 29, 2000|access-date=2010-12-20|archive-date=November 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126185229/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1116242|url-status=live}}</ref> and "[[The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)|The Message]]" (1982) by [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five]], both of which she produced.  At the 11th Annual Rhythm and Blues Awards Gala in 2000, she received a Pioneer Award for her career in singing and for founding Sugarhill Records.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H8QDAAAAMBAJ&q=sylvia+robinson+awards&pg=PA46|title=Rhythm & Blues Foundation Holds 11th Awards Gala in New York|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|JET]]|page=46|first=|last=|date=October 16, 2000|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|access-date=October 26, 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref> Several publications have dubbed her the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|Mother of Hip Hop]]". In 2022, she was posthumously inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in the [[Ahmet Ertegun]] Award category for being a major influence on the creative development of hip-hop's early successes,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/entertainment/music/rock-hall/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2022-inductees-induction-class-dolly-parton-pat-benatar-eminem-duran-duran-eurythmics-judas-priest-carly-simon/95-780d297f-76c2-4105-a73d-58bedbe693b4#longform_chapter_13|title=Artist: Sylvia Robinson:Ahmet Ertegun Award|author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=2022 |website=www.wkyc.com|access-date=May 4, 2022}}</ref> and she is the first woman to receive the award unaccompanied by another person.

== Life and career ==

=== Early life ===

Robinson was born as '''Sylvia Vanterpool'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cashboxmagazine.com/news548.html|title=Sylvia Robinson|publisher=Cashbox Magazine News|access-date=2011-10-06|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004044706/http://cashboxmagazine.com/news548.html|archive-date=October 4, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> on May 29, 1935, in [[Harlem]], New York, United States, to Herbert, who worked for General Motors,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/sylvia-robinson-582|title=Sylvia Robinson|website=Biography|language=en-us|access-date=2019-02-06|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213063121/https://www.biography.com/people/sylvia-robinson-582|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Ida Vanterpool.<ref name="Book">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZNfAQAAQBAJ&q=sylvia+robinson+may+29%2C+1935&pg=PA261 |title=Blues: A Regional Experience |first=Bob L. |last=Eagle|author2=Eric S. LeBlanc|date=2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9780313344244 |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}</ref><ref name="The New York Times">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/arts/music/sylvia-robinson-pioneering-producer-of-hip-hop-dies-at-75.html?_r=1 |title=Sylvia Robinson, Pioneering Producer of Hip-Hop, Is Dead at 75 |first=James C. |last=McKinley Jr. |date=September 30, 2011 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=October 1, 2011 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518233520/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/arts/music/sylvia-robinson-pioneering-producer-of-hip-hop-dies-at-75.html?_r=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Robinson attended [[Washington Irving High School (New York City)|Washington Irving High School]] until [[dropping out]] at the age of 14,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://teamugli.com/names-you-should-know-in-music-sylvia-robinson/|title=Names You Should Know: Sylvia Robinson|website=Teamugli.com|date=May 5, 2014|access-date=2015-08-26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928210112/http://teamugli.com/names-you-should-know-in-music-sylvia-robinson/|archive-date=September 28, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and began recording music in 1950 for [[Columbia Records]] under the stage name "'''Little Sylvia'''", including with the trumpeter / vocalist / bandleader [[Hot Lips Page]].<ref>{{Discogs release|14231598|name=Hot Lips Page – 1950–1953|type=album}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=15QbMJ6PPUE|title=Chocolate Candy Blues}}</ref>
[[File:Little Boy - How Long Must I Be Blue - Cash Box ad 1951.jpg|thumb|Advertisement for Little Sylvia's debut single, September 8, 1951]]

=== Early career ===

In 1954, she began teaming up with [[Kentucky]] guitarist [[Mickey Baker]], who taught her how to play guitar. In 1956, the duo now known as [[Mickey & Sylvia]] recorded the [[Bo Diddley]] and [[Jody Williams (blues musician)|Jody Williams]]-penned rock single, "[[Love Is Strange]]", which topped the R&B chart and reached number eleven on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop chart in early 1957. After several more releases including the modestly successful "There Oughta Be a Law", Mickey & Sylvia split up in 1958 and she later married Joseph Robinson. Sylvia restarted her solo career shortly after her initial split from Baker, first under the name Sylvia Robbins. In 1960, Robinson produced the record "[[You Talk Too Much (Joe Jones song)|You Talk Too Much]]" by [[Joe Jones (singer)|Joe Jones]], but she did not receive credit.

In 1961, Mickey & Sylvia recorded more songs together for various labels including their own. Their label was called Willow Records and was distributed by [[King Records (United States)|King Records]] of [[Cincinnati]]. That year, Baker provided vocals and Robinson played guitar on [[Ike & Tina Turner]]'s hit single "[[It's Gonna Work Out Fine]]" which earned Ike & Tina their first Grammy nomination. "I paid for the session, taught Tina the song; that's me playing guitar," Robinson said in a 1981 interview with ''Black Radio Exclusive''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-hip-hop-godmother-8533108/|title=The Rise and Fall of Hip-Hop's First Godmother: Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson|last=Charnas|first=Davis|date=October 17, 2019|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 23, 2022|archive-date=October 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019045202/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8533108/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-hip-hop-godmother|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1964, frustrated with the music business, Baker moved to [[Paris]].

In 1966, the Robinsons moved to [[New Jersey]] where they formed a soul music label, [[All Platinum Records]], the following year, with artist Lezli Valentine, formerly of [[the Jaynetts]], bringing the label its first hit with "I Won't Do Anything". In 1968, the duo signed a [[Washington, D.C.]] act named [[Ray, Goodman & Brown|The Moments]], who immediately found success with "Not on the Outside". Within a couple of years and with a new lineup, the group scored their biggest hit with "[[Love on a Two-Way Street]]" (1970), which Sylvia co-wrote and produced with [[Bert Keyes]] and (uncredited) lyrics by Lezli Valentine. Other hits on the label and its subsidiaries, including Stang and Vibration, included [[Shirley & Company]]'s "[[Shame, Shame, Shame (Shirley & Company song)|Shame, Shame, Shame]]" (1975), The Moments' "Sexy Mama" and "[[Look at Me (I'm in Love)]]", Retta Young's "(Sending Out An) S.O.S." (1975), and the Whatnauts/Moments collaboration, "Girls". Robinson co-wrote and produced many of the tracks, although later she was supported by two members of The Moments, Al Goodman and Harry Ray, as well as locally based producers, George Kerr and Nate Edmonds.

=== Solo career ===
[[File:Pillow Talk - Billboard ad 1973.png|thumb|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement, March 24, 1973]] 

In 1972, Robinson sent a demo of a song she had written called "[[Pillow Talk (song)|Pillow Talk]]" to [[Al Green]]. When Green passed on it due to his religious beliefs,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Robinson decided to record it herself, returning to her own musical career. Billed simply as Sylvia, the record became a major hit, reaching number-one on the R&B chart and crossing over to reach the [[Billboard Hot 100|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100]] (#3), while also reaching #14 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in the summer of 1973. She was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] by the [[R.I.A.A.]] in May 1973, and earned a nomination for the [[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]] at the [[1974 Grammy Awards]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd.|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/338 338]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/338}}</ref> "Pillow Talk"'s subtly orgasmic gasps and moans predated those of the 1975 [[Donna Summer]] song "[[Love to Love You Baby (song)|Love to Love You Baby]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Laing|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Laing|date=September 30, 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/sep/30/sylvia-robinson|title=Sylvia Robinson obituary|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=May 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507201839/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/sep/30/sylvia-robinson|url-status=live}}</ref> (Both were preceded by [[Serge Gainsbourg]]'s 1967 "[[Je t'aime... moi non plus]]," first recorded with [[Brigitte Bardot]], then the following year with [[Jane Birkin]].) Reviewing Robinson's 1973 debut LP (also titled ''Pillow Talk''), [[Robert Christgau]] wrote in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981) that it is "''[[Let's Get It On]]'' without production values. Call it underdeveloped if you want; I'll mention that it's unaffected. Including the best peace lyric heard lately, entitled 'Had Any Lately?{{'"}}<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: S|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70|access-date=March 13, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413002147/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70|url-status=live}}</ref>

Robinson recorded four solo albums on the Vibration subsidiary<ref>[[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]], ''Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 7th edition ({{ISBN|0-8230-7690-3}}), p. 619.</ref> and had other R&B hits including "Sweet Stuff" and "Pussy Cat". "Pillow Talk"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pillow-talk-mw0000043300|title=Pillow Talk - Sylvia Robinson - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=October 26, 2017}}</ref> was a soulful medium dance number.

=== Sugar Hill Records ===

In the 1970s, the Robinsons co-founded [[Sugar Hill Records (hip-hop label)|Sugar Hill Records]]. The company was named after the culturally rich [[Sugar Hill, Manhattan|Sugar Hill]] area of Harlem, an affluent [[African-American neighborhood]] in [[Manhattan|Manhattan, New York City]], known as a hub for artists and performers in the early and mid-1900s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/realestate/articles/neighborhoods/harlem.htm|title=Harlem – New York City Neighborhood – NYC|website=Nymag.com|access-date=2011-09-30|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140306/http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/neighborhoods/harlem.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ny.com/sights/neighborhoods/harlem.html|title=Harlem, Hamilton Heights, El Barrio, New York City|website=Ny.com|access-date=2011-09-30|archive-date=February 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215234437/http://www.ny.com/sights/neighborhoods/harlem.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The song "[[Rapper's Delight]]" (1979), performed by [[The Sugarhill Gang]], brought rap into the public music arena by attaining one of the first commercially successful hip hop songs<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/arts/music/sylvia-robinson-pioneering-producer-of-hip-hop-dies-at-75.html|title=Sylvia Robinson, Pioneering Producer of Hip-Hop, Dies at 75|last=McKinley|first=James C. Jr.|date=2011-09-30|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-28|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204034631/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/arts/music/sylvia-robinson-pioneering-producer-of-hip-hop-dies-at-75.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and revolutionized the music industry by introducing rap, scratch, and breakdance. Later acts signed to Sugar Hill Records included all-female rap/funk group [[The Sequence]], featuring a teenage [[Angie Stone]] (recording as "Angie B"), who had a million-selling hit in early 1980 with "Funk U Up".

In 1982, Sylvia Robinson with [[Grandmaster Melle Mel]] produced the record [[The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)|"The Message"]], which was performed by [[Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five]]. <ref name="blackpast.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/robinson-sylvia-1936-2011/|title=Sylvia Robinson (1936-2011)|first=Yonaia|last=Robinson|website=[[BlackPast.org]]|date=June 22, 2016|access-date=May 7, 2019|archive-date=May 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507164748/https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/robinson-sylvia-1936-2011/|url-status=live}}</ref> The record discussed life in the ghetto and  became one of the most influential tracks of the hip-hop genre.<ref name="blackpast.org" /> On December 5, 2012, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' selected "The Message" as one of the "50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". In order for ''Rolling Stone'' to compose this list, the publication asked 33 different artists and experts from every genre of music including [[Busta Rhymes]], [[Boots Riley]] from [[the Coup]], [[Mike D]] from the [[Beastie Boys]] and [[Talib Kweli]].<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{Cite magazine|url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-150547/grandmaster-flash-and-the-furious-five-the-message-2-96795/|title = 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time|magazine = [[Rolling Stone]]|date = December 5, 2012|access-date = May 7, 2019|archive-date = May 7, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190507164758/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-150547/grandmaster-flash-and-the-furious-five-the-message-2-96795/|url-status = live}}</ref> Once the votes were in, "The Message" was placed in the number 1 spot on the list.<ref name="rollingstone.com" /> Grandmaster Flash stated, "And when that project was on the slate to be done--The Message, I'm talking about--she would ask us for a period of time about doing a record having to do with the real life things that happen in the 'hood. And we kind of ducked it for a minute."<ref name="creativeloafing.com">{{Cite web|url=https://creativeloafing.com/content-154379-How-Sylvia-Robinson-mastered-%27The-Message%27|first=Rodney|last=Carmichael|title=How Sylvia Robinson mastered 'The Message'|website=Creative Loafing|date=September 30, 2011|access-date=May 7, 2019|archive-date=May 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507164801/https://creativeloafing.com/content-154379-How-Sylvia-Robinson-mastered-%27The-Message%27|url-status=live}}</ref> Without Sylvia Robinson's insistence and pressure there would be no [[The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)|"The Message"]]. This was the first record of its kind, where the DJ who was the cornerstone of [[hip hop]] at the time (1980s) was not involved in creating a track that they performed.<ref name="creativeloafing.com" />

Sugar Hill Records folded in 1985 due to changes in the music industry, the competition of other hip-hop labels such as [[Profile Records|Profile]] and [[Def Jam Records|Def Jam]] and also financial pressures. Robinson, who had by now divorced Joe Robinson,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Charnas |first=Dan |date=2019-10-17 |title=The Rise and Fall of Hip-Hop's First Godmother: Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-hip-hop-godmother-8533108/ |access-date=2022-04-01 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019045202/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8533108/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-hip-hop-godmother |url-status=live }}</ref> continued her efforts as a music executive, forming Bon Ami Records in 1987. The label was noted for signing the act The New Style, who later left and found success as [[Naughty by Nature]].

== Personal life ==

Robinson was married to businessman Joseph Robinson Sr. from May 1959 until their amicable divorce in the late 1980s.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Charnas |first=Dan |date=2019-10-17 |title=The Rise and Fall of Hip-Hop's First Godmother: Sugar Hill Records' Sylvia Robinson |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-hip-hop-godmother-8533108/ |access-date=2022-04-01 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019045202/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8533108/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-hip-hop-godmother |url-status=live }}</ref> Together they had three children, sons Joseph "Joey" Robinson Jr. (1962–2015),<ref name=Joey>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/joseph-robinson-jr-sugar-hill-records-exec-dead-at-53-20150714 |title=Joseph Robinson Jr., Sugar Hill Records Exec, Dead at 53: Son of Sugar Hill founders Joe and Sylvia Robinson played pivotal, yet contentious, role in Sugar Hill Gang's career |author=Christopher R. |date=July 14, 2015 |website=Rollingstone.com |access-date=January 2, 2018 |archive-date=January 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103133755/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/joseph-robinson-jr-sugar-hill-records-exec-dead-at-53-20150714 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6633529/sugar-hill-records-exec-joseph-robinson-dies-of-cancer |title=Sugar Hill Records Exec Joseph Robinson Dies of Cancer |author=Billboard staff |date=July 14, 2015 |website=Billboard.com |publisher=Billboard |access-date=January 2, 2018 |archive-date=May 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508104417/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6633529/sugar-hill-records-exec-joseph-robinson-dies-of-cancer |url-status=live }}</ref> Leland Robinson (b. 1965 or 1966) and Rhondo "Scutchie" Robinson (1970–2014).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cresskill.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/rhondo-scutchie-robinson-youngest-of-sugar-hill-heirs-dies-at-43/630507/ |title=Rhondo 'Scutchie' Robinson, youngest of Sugar Hill heirs, dies at 43 |first= Jerry|last= DeMarco |date=February 26, 2014 |website= Daily Voice|publisher=<!-- Not Stated --> |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}</ref> Robinson owned a bar in Harlem, New York named "Joey's Place" after her husband in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_a4DAAAAMBAJ&q=Sylvia+Robinson&pg=PA64 |title=New York Beat |author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=November 3, 1960 |via=Google Books |magazine=JET|page=63|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}</ref> Robinson also owned another New York bar and nightclub named the Blue Morocco during the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=07kDAAAAMBAJ&q=Sylvia+Robinson&pg=PA62|title=New York Beat |author=<!-- Not stated --> |date=April 20, 1967|via=Google Books|magazine=JET|page=62|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |access-date=January 2, 2018 }}</ref>

== Death ==

Robinson died on the morning of September 29, 2011, at the age of 76, at Meadowlands Hospital in [[Secaucus, New Jersey]], due to congestive heart failure.<ref name="The New York Times" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Tracy |last=Scott|title=Sylvia Robinson, mother of Hip Hop, dead|url=http://www.s2smagazine.com/stories/2011/09/sylvia-robinson-mother-hip-hop-dead|work=s2smagazine.com|date=September 29, 2011|access-date=2011-09-29|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001112741/http://www.s2smagazine.com/stories/2011/09/sylvia-robinson-mother-hip-hop-dead|archive-date=October 1, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==

* In 2003, American electronic musician [[Moby]] sampled her song "Sunday" for his song "[[Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)]]".
* In the ''[[Drunk History]]'' episode "[[List of Drunk History episodes#Season 2 .282014.29|American Music]]" (2014), Sylvia Robinson was portrayed by [[Retta]].
* Sylvia Robinson is one of the inspirations for the character [[Cookie Lyon]] (portrayed by [[Taraji P. Henson]]) on the popular [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] television show ''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2015/03/08/was-empire-inspired-by-these-real-hip-hop-stars|title=Was 'Empire' inspired by these real hip-hop stars? &#124; New York Post|last=Cummings|first=Jozen|date=2015-03-08|website=Nypost.com|access-date=2015-08-26|archive-date=November 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102150541/http://nypost.com/2015/03/08/was-empire-inspired-by-these-real-hip-hop-stars/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Robinson is featured on the documentary series ''[[Profiles of African-American Success]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-kelly/sylvia-robinson-pioneerin_b_6894924.html|title=Sylvia Robinson: Pioneering Record Producer, Ushered in Era of Rap &#124|first=Kate|last=Kelly|date=2015-03-18|website=[[Huffingtonpost.com]]|access-date=2015-08-26|archive-date=February 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213000750/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-kelly/sylvia-robinson-pioneerin_b_6894924.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In a March 2015 piece in ''[[The New York Times]]'' debating U.S. copyright laws, writer [[M. K. Asante]] cited the need for artists to return to Robinson's mantra of "Don't copy things that are out there... come up with something new, something different."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/03/17/robin-thicke-pharrell-williams-and-a-blurry-copyright-law/update-our-culture-not-just-copyright-laws|title=Update Our Culture, Not Just Copyright Laws|first=M. K.|last=Asante|date=2015-03-17|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2015-08-26|archive-date=March 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326055444/http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/03/17/robin-thicke-pharrell-williams-and-a-blurry-copyright-law/update-our-culture-not-just-copyright-laws|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Biopic ===

In 2014, producer [[Paula Wagner]] acquired the film rights to Robinson's life story from her son, Joey Robinson, an executive at Sugar Hill Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paula-wagner-developing-sylvia-robinson-726330|title=Paula Wagner Developing Sylvia Robinson Biopic|first=David|last=Rooney|date=August 19, 2014|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=October 12, 2014|archive-date=November 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123083026/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paula-wagner-developing-sylvia-robinson-726330|url-status=live}}</ref> Joey (who died in July 2015)<ref name="Joey" /> was scheduled to executive produce and serve as a consultant on the project, along with rapper [[Grandmaster Melle Mel]], while music executive [[Robert Kraft (composer)|Robert Kraft]] was to co-produce the film along with [[Stephanie Allain]].<ref name="THR">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-writers-pen-movie-mother-833206|title='Empire' Writers to Pen Movie About the "Mother of Hip-Hop" (Exclusive)|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Lacey|last=Rose|date=October 21, 2015|access-date=October 26, 2017|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411191656/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-writers-pen-movie-mother-833206|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsone.com/3046398/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-biopic/|title=Sugar Hill Record's Co-Founder Sylvia Robinson Biopic in the Works|author=ionerlogan|date=August 24, 2014|work=News One|access-date=October 12, 2014|archive-date=October 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015030440/http://newsone.com/3046398/sugar-hill-records-sylvia-robinson-biopic|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2015, [[Warner Bros.]] announced that it would be the studio producing the film, and that [[Malcolm Spellman]] and Carlito Rodriguez, two of the writers on ''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]'', were writing the script.<ref name="THR" /> In October 2018, it was announced that Wagner and Warner Bros. were still moving forward with the film, Spellman and Rodriguez had been joined by Tracy Oliver in completing the script, [[Justin Simien]] had been attached as the director, and that Oliver would join Robinson's son Leland as executive producers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/justin-simien-sylvia-robinson-movie-1202969474/|title=Justin Simien Directing Sylvia Robinson Biopic|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=2018-10-24|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=2019-03-09|archive-date=March 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329074300/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/justin-simien-sylvia-robinson-movie-1202969474/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{See also|Mickey & Sylvia#Discography}}

===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:11em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details
! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:85%;"| [[Billboard 200|US]]<br/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MAkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62|title=Billboard Top LPs & Tape|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=July 7, 1973|access-date=September 17, 2024|archive-date=September 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917031428/https://books.google.com/books?id=MAkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62|url-status=live}}</ref>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:85%;"| [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|US R&B]]<br/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MAkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23|title=Billboard Best Selling Soul LPs|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=July 7, 1973|access-date=September 17, 2024|archive-date=September 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917031429/https://books.google.com/books?id=MAkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''Pillow Talk''
|
* Released: May 1973
* Label: Vibration
* Formats: [[LP record|LP]], [[Compact disc|CD]], [[Cassette tape|cassette]], [[8-track cartridge|8-track]]
| 70 || 16
|-
! scope="row"| ''Sweet Stuff''
|
* Released: 1975
* Label: Vibration
* Formats: LP, CD
| — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Sylvia''
|
* Released: 1976
* Label: Vibration
* Format: LP
| — || —
|-
! scope="row"| ''Lay It on Me''
|
* Released: 1977
* Label: Vibration
* Format: LP
| — || —
|-
| colspan="14" style="font-size:85%"| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}

===Compilation albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of compilation albums, with selected details
! scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title
! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Details
|-
! scope="row"| ''Pillow Talk''
|
* Released: 1991
* Label: K West
* Format: CD
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Queen of Sexy Soul''
|
* Released: 1991
* Label: [[P-Vine Records|P-Vine]]
* Format: CD
|-
! scope="row"| ''Queen & King of Sweet N.J.''<br />{{small|(with George Kerr)}}
|
* Released: 1991
* Label: P-Vine
* Format: LP
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Greatest Hits''
|
* Released: 1994
* Label: [[Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label)|Sugar Hill]]
* Formats: CD, cassette
|-
! scope="row"| ''Pillow Talk: The Sensual Sounds of Sylvia''
|
* Released: August 20, 1996
* Label: [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]]
* Formats: CD, cassette
|-
! scope="row"| ''Pillow Talk: The Best of Sylvia''
|
* Released: 22 April 1997
* Label: Deepbeats
* Format: CD
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Best of Sylvia''
|
* Released: September 29, 2014
* Label: [[Sanctuary Records|Sanctuary]]
* Formats: [[Music download|Digital download]], [[Streaming media|streaming]]
|-
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:1em;"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="7"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:9em;"| Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br><ref>Peaks on the Hot 100 Chart:
* {{cite magazine |title=Sylvia Chart History: Billboard Hot 100|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/sylvia-rb/chart-history/hsi/|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117202121/https://www.billboard.com/artist/sylvia-rb/chart-history/hsi/|archive-date=November 17, 2021|access-date=September 17, 2024}}
* {{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IwkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA58|title=Billboard Hot 100 – Soul Je T'aime|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=September 8, 1973|access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B]]<br><ref>Peaks on the R&B Singles Chart:
* {{cite magazine |title=Sylvia Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hip Songs|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/sylvia-rb/chart-history/bsi/|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531203810/https://www.billboard.com/artist/sylvia-rb/chart-history/bsi/|archive-date=May 31, 2022|access-date=September 17, 2024}}
* {{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA25|title=Billboard Hot Soul Singles – Soul Je T'aime|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=September 15, 1973|access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<br/><ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=303}}</ref>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[Irish Singles Chart|IRE]]

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[New Zealand Listener|NZ]]<br/><ref>[http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=1437#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 23 July 1973]</ref>

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em; font-size:90%;"| [[UK singles chart|UK]]<br/><ref name="UKCharts">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14854/sylvia/|title=Sylvia|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=September 17, 2024|archive-date=December 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203181915/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14854/sylvia/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| "Little Boy"{{efn-ua|Credited as ''Little Sylvia''.|name="littlesylvia"}}
| 1951
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
| rowspan="13" {{Non-album singles}}
|-
! scope="row"| "[[I Went to Your Wedding]]"{{efn-ua|name="littlesylvia"}}
| rowspan="3"| 1952
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "I Found Somebody to Love"{{efn-ua|name="littlesylvia"}}
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "A Million Tears"{{efn-ua|name="littlesylvia"}}
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "The Ring"{{efn-ua|name="littlesylvia"}}
| 1953
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Fine Love"<br />{{small|(with [[Mickey Baker]] and His Band)}}{{efn-ua|Credited as ''"Little" Sylvia Vanderpool''.}}
| 1954
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Frankie and Johnny (song)|Frankie and Johnny]]"{{efn-ua|Credited as ''Sylvia Robbins''.|name="robbins"}}
| 1960
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Don't Let Your Eyes Get Bigger Than Your Heart"{{efn-ua|name="robbins"}}
| rowspan="2"| 1964
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Our Love"{{efn-ua|name="robbins"}}
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Oo-Wee Baby"{{efn-ua|Credited as ''Sylvia Robinson''.|name="robinson"}}
| rowspan="2"| 1967
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "I Can't Help It"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Have You Had Any Lately?"{{efn-ua|name="robinson"}}
| 1970
| —{{efn|group=upper-alpha|"Have You Had Any Lately?" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but peaked at number 102 on the [[Bubbling Under Hot 100]] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA94|title=Bubbling Under the Hot 100 – Have You Had Any Lately?|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 22, 1970|access-date=September 17, 2024|archive-date=September 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917031428/https://books.google.com/books?id=lSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA94|url-status=live}}</ref>}} || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Lieutenant (Had Any Lately?)"{{efn-ua|Credited as ''Mother of Three''.}}
| 1971
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Pillow Talk (song)|Pillow Talk]]"
| rowspan="5"| 1973
| 3 || 1 || 59 || 3 || 18 || 15 || 14
| rowspan="2"| ''Pillow Talk''
|-
! scope="row"| "Didn't I"
| 70 || 21 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Soul Je T'aime"<br />{{small|(with [[Ralfi Pagan]])}}
| 99 || 39 || — || — || — || — || —
| rowspan="5"| ''Sweet Stuff''
|-
! scope="row"| "Alfredo"
| — || 62 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Private Performance"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Sweet Stuff"
| rowspan="4"| 1974
| —{{efn|group=upper-alpha|"Sweet Stuff" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but peaked at number 105 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34|title=Bubbling Under the Hot 100 – Sweet Stuff|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 18, 1974|access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>}} || 16 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Sho Nuff Boogie (Part 1)"<br />{{small|(with [[Ray, Goodman & Brown|the Moments]])}}
| 80 || 45 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Easy Evil"
| — || 68 || — || — || — || — || —
| rowspan="2" {{Non-album singles}}
|-
! scope="row"| "Gimme a Little Action"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "Pussy Cat"
| 1975
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
| ''Sweet Stuff''
|-
! scope="row"| "L.A. Sunshine"
| 1976
| — || 54 || — || — || — || — || —
| ''Sylvia''
|-
! scope="row"| "We Can't Hide It Anymore"<br />{{small|(with [[Chuck Jackson]])}}
| rowspan="3"| 1977
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
| {{Non-album single}}
|-
! scope="row"| "The Lollipop Man (Kojak-Theme '77)"
| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
| rowspan="2"| ''Lay It on Me''
|-
! scope="row"| "Lay It on Me"
| — || 65 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Automatic Lover]]"
| 1978
| — || 43 || — || — || — || — || —
| rowspan="2" {{Non-album singles}}
|-
! scope="row"| "It's Good to Be the Queen"
| 1982
| — || 53 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
| colspan="14" style="font-size:85%"| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist-ua}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons}}

* {{discogs artist}}
* {{allMusic|artist/sylvia-robinson-mn0000049200}}

{{All Platinum Records}}

{{2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Sylvia}}

[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women]]
[[Category:African-American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American record producers]]
[[Category:African-American songwriters]]
[[Category:African-American women guitarists]]
[[Category:American funk singers]]
[[Category:American music industry executives]]
[[Category:American soul singers]]
[[Category:American women guitarists]]
[[Category:American women hip-hop musicians]]
[[Category:American women record producers]]
[[Category:Burials at George Washington Memorial Park (Paramus, New Jersey)]]
[[Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United States]]
[[Category:Mickey & Sylvia members]]
[[Category:Record producers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Singers from New York City]]
[[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Sugar Hill Records (hip-hop label) artists]]
[[Category:Washington Irving High School (New York City) alumni]]
[[Category:Women hip-hop record producers]]