Throw Back Thursday • Sylvester's "I (Who Have Nothing)"

For my second Throw Back Thursday post, I thought I would take a look back in history at some great performers from the LGBT community. And if I was going there, I wanted to start with the brilliant Sylvester. The performer, born Sylvester James, Jr., in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. As a youngster, Sylvester was a part of the church choir, until the persecution began as the congregation became increasingly aware of homosexuality. Sylvester soon left the area, and settled in San Fransisco. There he became involved with The Disquotays, a group of cross dressing men of color. As that group faded, he became a part of The Cockettes, a group that often played with the gender roles and traditional clothing.

In the early 1970s, Sylvester focused on his music career, and was soon recording with his band, Sylvester and his Hot Band. In 1977, he released his first truly solo effort, an eponymous album that was a mild success. That was followed up by 'Step II', which had the hit song, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". In 1979, he released the album 'Stars', which featured the single "I (Who Have Nothing)". The song had music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti, who wrote it in 1961. Since it was written in Italian, American writers Mike Stoller and Jerry Lieber adapted the song for the American audience, and offered it to Ben E. King, who released it in 1963. That same year, it was recorded by Shirley Bassey, who had the best known version of the song. This is Sylvester's Dance version of the song, "I (Who Have Nothing)".

It was unfortunate that Sylvester spent so little time recording, as he fell ill in the 1980s, before passing in 1988 from complications due to AIDS. I do wish Sylvester had more time to record, and leave us with an even greater library. You can find the album 'Stars', which featured "I (Who Have Nothing)", on iTunes and Amazon.

The Nylons • Poison Ivy

Late in the summer, I had been doing lots of work around the farm, and while it felt good to get out in the summer sun, I also discovered that I seem to have an ever-growing allergy to a few plants that can be found there. In particular, poison ivy. Of course, even being scarred, I found inspiration in the itchy. So here I bring you the song "Poison Ivy", as sung by the Canadian a cappella group, The Nylons.

The Nylons: Marc Connor, Claude Morrison, Arnold Robinson, and Paul Cooper

Their version first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1988 film, 'Stealing Home', and then on their 1989 album, 'Rockapella'. The song was written by the great team, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally released by The Coasterss in 1959, and became a Top 10 hit for the group, and #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.

One of the founding members of The Nylons was Marc Connor, and out and proud member of the LGBT community. Unfortunately, Connor passed away in 1991, from AIDS-related complications. In 1990, Micah Barnes joined the group, replacing Paul Cooper as baritone. Micah is also an out and proud performer, and since leaving the group in 1994, Barnes has released some good music of his own. You can purchase The Nylons album 'Rockapella' from iTunes.

In 1986, The Nylons released 'Seamless', a wonderful collection of Doo-Wop classics, many hits from the 1950s. Among the songs on the album was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", a true classic written and performed in 1939 by Solomon Linda, in Zulu. The song, which also had writing credits to Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss and Albert Stanton, remained popular, and was a huge hit in 1961 for The Tokens, when it topped the Billboard Hot 100.

You can purchase 'Seamless' from iTunes. You can also find both songs on 'The Best of The Nylons', available on iTunes. The Nylons continue to make great harmonies, still making great music. For more about them, you can find them on Facebook.

RIP Jerry Leiber

On Monday we lost another notable songwriter, Jerry Leiber. Writing with his professional partner Mike Stoller, they became one of the top teams of the 50s, 60s,and 70s. For the last decade, their music has become a staple on shows like American Idol, which dedicated a week to them on a few different occasions. The duo are perhaps best known for their song Stand By Me, which they co-wrote with Ben E. King who also recorded the most iconic version in 1961.



Hound Dog was first released in 1953 by Big Mama Thorton, to much critical praise. But it was brought into Pop History by a relative newcomer to the music industry, Elvis Presley. Here is Elvis singing it on Milton Berle's television show in 1956.



In 1963, Leiber and Stoller collaborated with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, another hugely successful team. There result was On Broadway, a Top 10 hit for The Drifters. It has since been covered by countless people, including by George Benson in a jazz-flavored version featured in the movie All That Jazz. But here is the original, sung by The Drifters.



In 1969, Miss Peggy Lee had what I would call an unlikely hit with another of their songs, Is That All There Is. The song is essentially an existential musing on the meaning of life.



Rest In Peace, Mr. Leiber.