Description: Sylvester - Stars LP 1979 DJ Promo 1st Press Patrick Cowley Martha Wash ExThe coming together of Cowley Sylvester & Two Tons of Fun was the magic that created these fantastic dance floor fillers Stars is the fifth studio album by American singer Sylvester, released in 1979 on the Fantasy label.The album peaked at No. 27 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 63 on the Billboard 200. The album features a disco-styled cover version of Ben E. King's "I (Who Have Nothing)", which peaked at No. 27 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 4 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart along with the title track and "Body Strong". Sylvester James Jr. (September 6, 1947 – December 16, 1988), known simply as Sylvester, was an American singer-songwriter. Primarily active in the genres of disco, rhythm and blues, and soul, he was known for his flamboyant and androgynousappearance, falsetto singing voice, and hit disco singles in the late 1970s and 1980s. Focusing on a solo career, Sylvester signed a recording contract with Harvey Fuquaof Fantasy Records and obtained three new backing singers in the form of Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes – the "Two Tons O' Fun" – as well as Jeanie Tracy. His first solo album, Sylvester (1977), was a moderate success. This was followed with the acclaimed disco album Step II (1978), which spawned the singles "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)", both of which were hits in the US and Europe. Distancing himself from the disco genre, he recorded four more albums – including a live album – with Fantasy Records. After leaving this label, he signed to Megatone Records, the dance-oriented company founded by friend and collaborator Patrick Cowley, where he recorded four more albums, including the Cowley penned hit Hi-NRG track "Do Ya Wanna Funk". Sylvester was an activist who campaigned against the spread of HIV/AIDS. He died from complications arising from the virus in 1988, leaving all future royalties from his work to San Francisco-based HIV/AIDS charities.During the late 1970s, Sylvester gained the moniker of the "Queen of Disco" and during his life he attained particular recognition in San Francisco, where he was awarded the key to the city. In 2005, he was posthumously inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame, while his life has been recorded in a biography and made the subject of both a documentary and a musical.Sylvester followed the success of Step II with an album entitled Stars. Consisting of four love songs, the title track – released as a single in January 1979 – had been written by Cowley, and Sylvester would proceed to tell the press that it was his first completely disco album, but that it would also probably be his last. He premiered the album's four tracks on March 11, 1979, at a sold-out show in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. The performance was attended by a number of senior figures in local government, and halfway through, Mayor Dianne Feinstein sent her aide, Harry Britt, to award Sylvester with the key to the city and proclaim March 11 to be "Sylvester Day". The Opera House gig was recorded, and subsequently released as a live album, Living Proof. Sylvester thought very highly of the album, but it did not sell well. A single released from this album, "Can't Stop Dancing", was a hit in the disco clubs but not in the pop music charts. Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 – November 12, 1982) was an American disco and hi-NRG dance music composer and recording artist, best known for his collaborations with disco singer Sylvester. Along with Giorgio Moroder, he has been credited as a pioneer of electronic dance music. Cowley met San Francisco-based musician Sylvester in 1978. Sylvester had asked Cowley to join his studio band after hearing some of his early synthesizer recordings. He played synthesizer on Sylvester's 1978 album Step II which included the hits "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)". In addition, he wrote "Stars" and "I Need Somebody to Love Tonight" from his 1979 album Stars. Cowley also joined Sylvester's live band and joined him on several world tours.
Price: 19.99 USD
Location: Portland, Oregon
End Time: 2024-08-11T20:27:03.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.13 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Sylvester, Martha Wash, Two Tons O' Fun, Izora Armstead, Patrick Cowley
Speed: 33 RPM
Record Label: Fantasy
Release Title: Stars
Color: Black
Material: Vinyl
Inlay Condition: Excellent (EX)
Catalog Number: Fantasy – F-9579
Edition: First Pressing, Promo
Type: LP
Record Grading: Excellent (EX)
Format: Record
Release Year: 1979
Sleeve Grading: Excellent (EX)
Style: Dance & Clubsound, Disco, Hi NRG, Funk / Soul
Record Size: 12"
Features: Original Cover, Original Inner Sleeve, Play Tested, Archival Sleeve, Printed Inner Sleeve
Genre: Disco, Electronic
Number of Audio Channels: Stereo