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Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman's music career spanned the late 1970s through the early 1990s, and she was best known for her expansive contralto range. Some of her most notable songs are "You Know How to Love Me" (1979), "Living All Alone" (1986) and "Don't Wanna Change the World" (1991). Hyman is also known for her covers of popular songs, which include renditions of "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "What You Won't Do For Love".
Hyman performed on Broadway in the 1981 musical revue Sophisticated Ladies, which ran from 1981 until 1983. The revue, based on the music of Duke Ellington, earned Hyman a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.
After an extended struggle with mental health issues, Hyman died by suicide in 1995, aged 45, at her New York City apartment.
The eldest of seven children, Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to Phillip, a World War II veteran, and Louise Hyman, a waitress at a local night club, and grew up in St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh. Hyman's paternal great-grandparents were Ishmael and Cassandra (Cross) Hyman.
After leaving Pittsburgh, Hyman started her music training at a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group, New Direction, in 1971. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. She appeared in the film Lenny (1974). She also did a two-year stint leading a band called "Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor." In 1975, music industry veteran Sid Maurer, and former Epic Records promoter Fred Frank, discovered and signed her to their Roadshow Records/Desert Moon imprint.
Hyman moved to New York City, where she did background vocals on Jon Lucien's Premonition and worked in clubs. In 1975, when Norman Connors was laying tracks for You Are My Starship (1976), he could not get permission to use singer Jean Carne for the album. He heard about Phyllis Hyman, who was working at a club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. One night, after a Jon Lucien concert at Carnegie Hall, he saw Hyman perform and offered her a spot as the female vocalist on his fourth album for Buddah Records. After the title song got airplay on jazz radio, You Are My Starship went Gold, catapulting the careers of Hyman, Norman Connors, and Michael Henderson to new heights. R&B radio jumped on board, and Connors and Hyman scored on the R&B chart with a remake of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow".
Hyman sang with Pharoah Sanders and the Fatback Band while working on her first solo album, Phyllis Hyman, released in 1977 on the Buddah Records label. When Arista Records bought Buddha, she was transferred to that label. Her first album for Arista, Somewhere in My Lifetime, was released in 1978; the title track was produced by then-labelmate Barry Manilow. Her follow-up album, You Know How to Love Me, made the R&B Top 20 and also performed well on the club–dance charts. Around that time, she lent her background vocals to the debut album by The Beck Family, Dancin' on the Ceiling. The group had a hit with "Can't Shake the Feeling".
In the late 1970s, Hyman married her manager Larry Alexander (the brother of Jamaican pianist and melodica player Monty Alexander), but both the personal and professional associations ended in divorce. Around this time, Hyman began using cocaine, for which she developed a lifelong dependency. Hyman's first solo R&B Top-Ten hit came in 1981 with "Can't We Fall in Love Again?", a duet with Michael Henderson. The song was recorded while she was performing in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, a tribute to Duke Ellington. She performed in the role for almost two years, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical and winning a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer. Problems between Hyman and her label, Arista, caused a pause in her recording career. She used the time to appear on movie soundtracks, television commercials and guest vocals, working with Chuck Mangione, The Whispers and The Four Tops. Hyman provided vocals for three tracks on jazz pianist McCoy Tyner's Looking Out (1982). She toured often and did a college lecture tour.
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Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman's music career spanned the late 1970s through the early 1990s, and she was best known for her expansive contralto range. Some of her most notable songs are "You Know How to Love Me" (1979), "Living All Alone" (1986) and "Don't Wanna Change the World" (1991). Hyman is also known for her covers of popular songs, which include renditions of "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "What You Won't Do For Love".
Hyman performed on Broadway in the 1981 musical revue Sophisticated Ladies, which ran from 1981 until 1983. The revue, based on the music of Duke Ellington, earned Hyman a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.
After an extended struggle with mental health issues, Hyman died by suicide in 1995, aged 45, at her New York City apartment.
The eldest of seven children, Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to Phillip, a World War II veteran, and Louise Hyman, a waitress at a local night club, and grew up in St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh. Hyman's paternal great-grandparents were Ishmael and Cassandra (Cross) Hyman.
After leaving Pittsburgh, Hyman started her music training at a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group, New Direction, in 1971. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. She appeared in the film Lenny (1974). She also did a two-year stint leading a band called "Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor." In 1975, music industry veteran Sid Maurer, and former Epic Records promoter Fred Frank, discovered and signed her to their Roadshow Records/Desert Moon imprint.
Hyman moved to New York City, where she did background vocals on Jon Lucien's Premonition and worked in clubs. In 1975, when Norman Connors was laying tracks for You Are My Starship (1976), he could not get permission to use singer Jean Carne for the album. He heard about Phyllis Hyman, who was working at a club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. One night, after a Jon Lucien concert at Carnegie Hall, he saw Hyman perform and offered her a spot as the female vocalist on his fourth album for Buddah Records. After the title song got airplay on jazz radio, You Are My Starship went Gold, catapulting the careers of Hyman, Norman Connors, and Michael Henderson to new heights. R&B radio jumped on board, and Connors and Hyman scored on the R&B chart with a remake of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow".
Hyman sang with Pharoah Sanders and the Fatback Band while working on her first solo album, Phyllis Hyman, released in 1977 on the Buddah Records label. When Arista Records bought Buddha, she was transferred to that label. Her first album for Arista, Somewhere in My Lifetime, was released in 1978; the title track was produced by then-labelmate Barry Manilow. Her follow-up album, You Know How to Love Me, made the R&B Top 20 and also performed well on the club–dance charts. Around that time, she lent her background vocals to the debut album by The Beck Family, Dancin' on the Ceiling. The group had a hit with "Can't Shake the Feeling".
In the late 1970s, Hyman married her manager Larry Alexander (the brother of Jamaican pianist and melodica player Monty Alexander), but both the personal and professional associations ended in divorce. Around this time, Hyman began using cocaine, for which she developed a lifelong dependency. Hyman's first solo R&B Top-Ten hit came in 1981 with "Can't We Fall in Love Again?", a duet with Michael Henderson. The song was recorded while she was performing in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, a tribute to Duke Ellington. She performed in the role for almost two years, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical and winning a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer. Problems between Hyman and her label, Arista, caused a pause in her recording career. She used the time to appear on movie soundtracks, television commercials and guest vocals, working with Chuck Mangione, The Whispers and The Four Tops. Hyman provided vocals for three tracks on jazz pianist McCoy Tyner's Looking Out (1982). She toured often and did a college lecture tour.