How This Song Inspired a Generation of Dance Music
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Watch Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution on PBS: www.pbs.org/vi...
Why is Sylvester known as the Queen of Disco?
Vocalist Linda Diaz and DJ Jojo Lorenzo explore the life of Sylvester, the groundbreaking performer whose gospel roots, combined with jazz, rock, and disco, created unforgettable hits like "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)." They dig into his powerful falsetto and dynamic stage presence that redefined the disco era.
Linda interviews artist Myles E. Johnson to discuss Sylvester's profound influence on music and the LGBTQ community. From his iconic collaborations with Patrick Cowley on tracks like "Dance (Disco Heat)" to his fearless self-expression, Sylvester's legacy as a trailblazer for both music and LGBTQ rights has made him a pioneer in disco music.
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Martha Wash deserves a full episode explaining her influence and importance to vocal samples getting proper credits!
Another powerhouse. So underrated.❤
Jocelyn Brown and Loleatta Holloway should also be talked about in the same episode as they also paved the way for house music with other artists sampling their songs.
Yes please
I'm an old, straight black woman. Sylvester was the correct answer to both dance and social questions. May he rest in power.
Saw Sylvester and disco in the title and clicked immediately. Sylvester's Unsung episode would make a good accompanying watch if anyone wants more info
Unsung is a great series
Link please!!!
Thank you! I’ll be looking for that now!❤
Thanks, I knew the music --- but nothing about Sylvester's personal life.
I remember that TV One Unsung doc on Sylvester. A thorough documentary
“Do Ya Wanna Funk” is his true masterpiece!
Yesssss!
listen to it all the time.
≈clap clap≈
I love throwing Sylvester into my sets, and I play hardcore techno :D
Seriously, if you can't mix a set with the foundations of house/techno, what are you even doing 8-)
Those songs are universal, timeless classics.
Along with Donna Summer’s “I feel love”, Sylvester’s “Mighty Real” has the kind of longevity that is practically unheard of today. It wouldn’t be out of place to hear Derrick May or Kevin Saunderson play “Mighty Real” in their house and techno sets.
Have you ever heard of Tantra- The Hills of Katmandu? Include that in your set! 👍 It's quite a journey on the dance floor.
This song gave birth to so many other songs. It's like a sister to I Feel Love.
....PATRICK COWLEY....remixed I FEEL LOVE in his sets at the disco and he made money selling copies of it...and soon GIORGIO MORODER and DONNA SUMMER ...heard his remix because the gay community was RAVING ABOUT IT....and eventually DONNA and GIORGIO....went on and had him FORMALLY do a REMIX....look and you will find it...
@@soaribb32 I Feel Love by Donna Summer was released July 2, 1977 while You Make Me Feel Mighty Real by Sylvester was released in October 1978. It doesn't really matter who released what first because both were fantastic! I lived through that time & I’m an avid roller skater (since I was 18 mos old in 1973 to this day) & I became an avid dancer too. I will never understand how Disco got such a bad rap. I remember the “Disco Sucks!” bumper stickers & when they burned the Disco records too. If it wasn’t for Disco, then we wouldn't have the incredible dance/electronic music & various other types of music that all spun off of Disco. Donna Summer & Sylvester are two of the biggest, most amazing, talented Queens of Disco! They deserve our utmost respect, love, & gratitude!💜💜💜💜💜
Guitarist Slash mother used to make clothes for Sylvester
Are you serious?! That's a great factoid!
I love seeing these young folks embracing these legends like Sylvester and Martha Wash. Some of the best music ever that was so empowering.
Jocelyn Brown and Loleatta Holloway also deserve a shoutout. Ms Holloway was instrumental in the fight for vocalists getting the credit that they deserve when someone else samples their music and voice.
The black gays we have been here always been here the innovators of so much in black and queer communities…..we are the glue
In 1980 Sylvester came to perform in Brazil, I met him in a music store where he was trying to buy a vinil of a brazilian singer named Alcione but his accent didn’t help because the guy at the store wasn’t understanding what he was saying so I approached and asked if I could help after that he invited me to be part of his crew also his bass player had eaten feijoada a black brazilian food and due to the sauces and everything he wasn’t feeling good so he asked me if I could perform playing bass which was playback and I accepted but unfortunately he didn’t record the tv show because when we get there the studio wasn’t ready so he started one song but on the second he shut the piano and we left also that saturday I didn’t go to his show but remember that next week everybody was talking about the great show he did…he was a very nice person 🙏🏾r.i.p Sylvester!!!
As a teenager I literally took a greyhound bus from London, Ont to pick up all those albums from Sam the Record Man in Toronto 😂
I spent thousands of $$ at Sam's. It was a sound investment.
Bless the Europeans for keeping disco's power going in the 80s in the form of Italo, Hi-Nrg and Synthpop. It never left the popular cultural zeitgeist... and of course bless America for house and techno.
Hear hear! And don't forget Boogie, Electro, and Freestyle! Often forgotten genres that are wonderful in their own right!
The Weather Girls were called the Two Tons of Fun before they changed their name AFTER their mega hit "It's Raining Men"
Which was written by paul jabara and paul schaeffer and turned down by streisand/summer
@@scottjeune154thankfully both turned it down
@@ravenna9969 amen to that
They were called Two Tons O’ Fun when they were backup singers for Sylvester. They actually released an album under that name, but changed it to The Weather Girls to coincide with their release of “It’s Raining Men.”
One of Sylvester’s best live recordings is “You Are My Friend,” a gospel-infused ballad where he speaks highly of Martha and Izora and gives each of them feature solos to show off their pipes. Crowd went crazy!
ua-cam.com/video/ryPpiuZFtPw/v-deo.htmlsi=dTvzmZ2LYZrS8zFS
@@tomrobinsondc i believe you, but the promo copy i had said two tons of fun and weather girls on the label. In any case, as you said, at the time they were backing up Sylvester and before that hit they were definitely not called the weather girls when this video claims they were.
For my friend's 50th birthday next week, I am making her an old-school CASSETTE mixtape and this is the song I'm using to close out side-B.
Research enough and you'll find the church generated many artists who went on to create and influence Rock, R&B, Danceable R&B, Disco, and House.
I was honored to see Sylvester live in the early 80s. He had incredible presence! Sylvester is half of the hidden story of dance music. The other half is Patrick Cowley. I'm so glad you mentioned him. Cowley also had his own incredible original hits in the clubs. And his mixes were unparalleled. Together, Sylvester and Cowley made absolute magic!!!
The Weather Girls were important, as was Sylvester's band, my god the talent in that band!
The one true Queen of Disco was Donna Summers. Sylvester was the Grand Duchess.
Yes, Donna Summer is the undisputed Queen Of Disco!
@@seanpowell1661 💯👍🏾💯
Agreed. Great observation
I wonder did they ever meet or perform together
Except that she walked away from it when she became "born again." Sylvester never did
Gospel always is the root, you can find your own God anywhere.
I love that black folks, black gay folks continue the momentum of the culture.
You make me feel and I feel love will have you twirling in skates for hours.
I turned 21 in the 80s and this song was on rotation at every club I went to. And I went to Urban clubs, clubs for youth (no alcohol), clubs in Westwood, downtown, and the San Fernando Valley. And that song was playing at all of them!
Patrick Cowley! Yes!
The first time I heard "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" I LIVED. And that video! The song was one of the very first modern LGBTQIA+ anthems. All-around Sylvester was a pioneer, and I will always love him.
Thank-you to everyone who helped make this gorgeous video come to life and celebrate Sylvester/Queer Blackness! I recently discovered Sylvester's "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight", and I'm so captivated by the extended version because it's such a powerfully enchanting song. THANK-YOU Sylvester, your legacy is sacred medicine.
In America during the 1980's, Radio stations rarely played dance music. Sylvester was an underground superstar in the gay bars and on the dancefloor.
Not just the gay bars. Sylvester and Two Tons of Fun ruled *all of the Disco dance floors* !
Recommending Sound Barrier: Sylvester, an 8 episode podcast documentary to anyone and everyone. Martha Wash could be her own Sound Field episode . This was great, thank you for the thoughtful piece. Sylvester is always relevant.
This
Yup!
The gospel version of you make me feel was the 45 B-side to Dance, Disco Heat.
Please do a video on Patrick Cowley ✨ His compositions in club music and pornos are legendary
YES! THIS!
I’m imagining Silvester and Ms Marsha P. Johnson crossing paths ❤❤❤❤
It probably happened!
I doubt it since they were on opposite coasts
First time I watched Trading Places when I was around 10 I heard that song and was like who dat
Great to see Sylvester getting more recognition! Great episode 👏
Patrick Cowley doesn't get enough love in UA-cam. He was amazing. Megatron Man is a banger for the ages. Teaming up together they were too powerful for this Earth.
This is beautiful. Thank you for cohosting these Jojo. I’m glad it wasn’t just for June :)
Thank you guys for shedding light on Sylvester and this song. It is by far my favorite disco song of all time!
I like "You Are My Friend"(Live) by Sylvester
"I've been looking around and you were here all the time"
Both versions😁
Old head here. This song, that woman. Nothin but love.
As a person who grew up in (and was immersed in) the disco era, I cannot think of any other song that is the pure, in-your-face, non-diluted expression of disco than MIGHTY REAL. Yes, there is an argument that Donna Summer and The Bee Gees and KC and Chic and the others had their anthems but none are as strong and organic as MIGHTY REAL. Sylvester was a pioneer when no one else was. If you were ever there, back-in-the-day, in a disco with a fairly standard, six figure, massive sound system with lights, lasers and fog - MIGHTY REAL would make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and fill the dance floor in seconds (whether you had someone to dance with or not). Glad to see that Sylvester is getting his recognition that he always deserved!
The best biography of Sylvester is a book entitled The Fabulous Sylvester.
....yes by JOSHUA GAMSON who is quoted in this video....i love the book and have interviewed him and danced with him several times....the LEGENDARY GUEER BAR...THE STUD.....every year has a SYLVESTER NIGHT...and all of his old friends and admirers come out and celebrate him...theres also a very BEAUTIFUL MURAL of him on the side of a FABULOUS QUEER BAR...by the name of OASIS....we LOVE him here in his HOME SAN FRANCISCO....
I love Sylvester so much! Thank you for this video. I hope you cover more Disco artists and topics!
I thought Donna Summer was the Queen of Disco? 🤔
Your thoughts are correct!!!!!
@@patricksmith2274 lol...thanks bro! Ur absolutely right! They need to stop disrespecting Lady Summer!
Paul jabara?
But Donna was super homophobe at the time… hard to reconcile her with her main audience : the gays.
She redeemed herself at the end of the 80s.
Damn I just said the same thing before I saw this post. Spooky
Not only did Sylvester help Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes jumpstart their careers, Jeanie Tracy and Jocelyn Brown also sang backup for him and went on to successful solo careers. Jeanie, who physically cared for Sylvester during his final days, appeared on Star Search and was very prominent in the Hi NRG genre. Jocelyn is best known for her huge hit “Somebody Else’s Guy.” His influence was significant then and now.
Jocelyn also had Love’s Gonna Get You which was sampled by Snap with The Power and Bizarre Inc with I’m Gonna Get You.
I love me some Sylvester!
Quite literally my favorite song on EARTH!!!!!!!!
Sylvester is one of our beloved Queens of Disco.
I. Had. No. Idea. I didn’t even know Sylvester was the singer on that song! I thought that was just the name of the band and a female band member sang some of the songs (Fleetwood Mac style). That is INCREDIBLE!!!! Oh my GAAAAHD!! Thank you for this vid!!
I know what you mean; I knew Sylvester was the guy before I heard his music (hilariously learned about Mighty Real from the Bear Force One medley of all things), but I definitely used to guess the gender of singers wrong fairly frequently. But lots of practice led me to recognize Studio Killers' vocalist had to be a guy before that was publicly known, haha
My first thought exposure to Sylvester was through GTA 4's soundtrack. K109 The Studio was a disco station hosted by late fashion icon Karl Lagerfield. It also included artist like Dan Hartman and other queer disco anthems.
I recently was listening to Brazilian pop music, and heard a singer named Jorge Ben. I loved the little bits of falsetto he used, so I looked up lists of male singers who used falsetto-and Sylvester was one on the list. I really didn’t like his music when I was young, didn’t even like dance music. But now I’m old I find myself listening to more dance music, and I really love You Make Me Feel. Ad well as Jimmy Somerville, and several others. Also in the non dance world-I have always loved Morissey and The Smiths. But I found Perfume Genius; also Anohni, fka Antony Hegarty. There’s probably several others that I’m forgetting
Oh and house music also is born out of gospel!! It is so soulful and deep--I love it!
You folks did great on this episode!
Over & Over is my favorite Sylvester song! Written by the amazing Ashford & Simpson.
Do you have an email I reach out to? I can get you in direct contact with a living disco legend that did a lot of famous mixes in the 80s from Depeche Mode to D-Train.
You could try going on the PBS Digital Studios homepage and filling in the contact form under the "Contact Us" tab. Since this is a PBS show, that should be able to get you in touch with the right people!
Of course. "Over and Over" that was the HIT for us Black/Brown/Latino kids in our underground Disco/Dance scene in the late 70s early 80s. They don't talk about the Sylvester tunes that WE played in OUR Black/Brown/Latino underground Disco/Dance spaces. I remember very clearly the White, (gay or not) music critics denouncing Sylvester's "Sell My Soul" LP. That was the dopest Sylvester LP ever!!!! As well as the 1st Two Tons O Fun LP, that birthed "Just Us", which is a staple at Black/Brown cookouts on the east coast and I'm sure in Black Chicago, the home of House Music as well.
Sylvester was a pioneer in many ways.
came here from the Songs that Saved my life substack, great video! learned a lot
May Sylvester rest in power. His work and his message will live on. His voice is timeless. I pray his legacy continues inspires myself and others to live our truth achieving our dreams.
Loved this video, thank you! I grew up with this music... so nice to hear folks many generations later appreciating, reflecting on it... thank you again!! 🎹🥁🎻🎶🕺✨️ ❤🙏
I love Sylvester!!!!
Sylvester was Everything!!! Owned all the albums. My fave had him/ her dressed in cleopatra-esque face and look!!! Thanks for exposing his loving influence.
This was so good! Loved learning more about this artist and song. Music is eternal!
It's a classic.
2 Many DJs dropped "mighty real" in the middle of their set at Fuji Rock 2 weeks ago.
Turned 21 & saw Sylvester perform at a after hours club. Sylvester's voice was high/powerful, tempo was fast. Was hooked. Saw Sylvester 2 other times.
Sylvesters songs are a-ma-zing and never get old. ❤❤❤
You, Mack, Remi, and Barbie are so different from each other in style but I enjoy each of you so very much. I love your corny sense of humor. I love how you narrate.... you are just so genuine.
Always liked this song, never really thought about who sung it. It’s interesting finding out what goes on behind the scenes.
2024 it's still in my Playlist the first time I heard it was 1994
Actually… while Donna Summer is known as the Queen of Disco by mainstream audiences, it was the LGBT community that originally referred to Sylvester as the Queen of Disco, as a term of endearment. And Sylvester, in all his vainglorious flamboyance and challenge of gender norms, most definitely embraced the title and referenced himself as the Queen of Disco.
So we actually have 2 amazing Queens of Disco.
I adore Sylvester. I actually liked "Disco Heat" better but "You Make Me Feel..." is Iconic
I believe Carl Bean predated Sylvester. He was Motown first gay act. Also Tony Washington of the Dynamic Superiors was out in the mid 70s.
Monte rock 3rd, paul jabara. But sylvester is iconic.
There are allot of elements to this recording that make it a top 10 dance track of all time.
I was there! It was epic!
Educate the children, PBS! ❤
Sweet Ade-Lyne... Not adeleene
Sylvester is an icon. Despite the dubious talent of modern performers, glad to see his imprint.
The original gospel version is also on ‘Step II’.
I hope you do a program featuring Celeda. She was a Trans Singer who had hits in the 90s. Music is the Answer and Be Yourself. These records also changed dance music history forever.
I'm sorry but Sylvester is not the queen of disco. Donna, Summer is the queen of disco. Get your facts right.
Exactly
FACTS/ they need to stop disrespecting her. SMH
These youngins literally have all the information in their hands but want to make their mark by rewriting history to fit today's narrative. Yes, some facts from the past need to be updated. However, it would be extremely difficult to change pop culture information that has officially been documented from the 1960s up till now.
Great video but… You can’t skip over Two Tons o’Fun before they became the Weather Girls!😩❤
I only know them as the Weather Girls.
Donna Summer is the "UNDISPUTED QUEEN " of DISCO/ don't get it twisted and stop disrespecting her!!!!! FACTS/ SMH
So what title would you give Sylvester?
@PurpleSilk I have no idea but arguably Donna Summer holds the title of "QUEEN OF DISCO"💿🎤📀🎼🎶.
I say this all the time…Sylvester danced and pranced so that we could be seen and heard. 🙏
I know this song from a Richard Simmons video 😅
I am so glad I came across your comment because that is how I know the song too.
I got news for Myles E. Davis & anyone who did not live through that era, Sylvester wasn’t embraced by only black people. Everyone who danced, roller skated, & loved Disco music loved Sylvester. You Make Me Feel Mighty Real has been played all through the years at roller rinks & on the radio even though its heyday was in the disco era. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as us versus them because we are one race, the human race. Music is supposed to unite us, not divide us. Sylvester was a trailblazer who didn’t allow the opinions of others hold him back. Sylvester will always be one of the beautiful, brilliant Queens of Disco!💜💜💜💜💜
Best comment.
@@7thWardCreole Thank you so much!💜😽💋
True. However, they (white media) control the narrative and NEVER tell OUR story from OUR perspective. Yes, Music is music and is embraced by all, the human race...FACTS. My issue is that OUR story gets left out or told "matter-of-fact" which is WRONG! How I know what I'm saying is TRUE, when young white kids trace the roots of House/Techno they are SHOCKED to find out that it was created by Black Folk. And yes, I lived through the that era as a teen and young adult in the NYC/NJ metropolitan area.
Sylvester musically influenced some great gospel songs, He even wrote a hit, Can't stop praising his name/ Can't stop dancing ( even though it was stolen by another so called gospel artist) I loved him because he never mocked God and continued contributing his gift to the world.
Without Sylvester there would be no aerobics, among other things. I miss his powerful voice and fun personality. We are less without him.
That dude is a futurama character.
I saw him live in Vancouver and he was amazing! Of in the USA the white heterosexual Americans hated disco because it was popular in gay, black and Latino clubs. They actually had a destroy disco night in Chicago, first time there’s been a full attack on a musical genre. Thank the European, Asian and lgtbt clubs that kept it alive. No better dance music than the 70s and early 80s. Not even close nowadays, just a boring dirge…
❤ you make me feel
I really didn't know Sylvester made so many tracks! A lot of them where very hot growing up!
Jojo 🤟🏾🤟🏾
You left out the part that he was sexually abused by someone in the church 🥺
I’m not 🌈 but this is one of my all time favorite songs. He’s so underrated ❤
First time I ever heard Sylvester was gay, I just liked the song!
Great video!!! Very informative. Thanks.
❤
thank you for making this
Excellent 🫶 Thank you 😘😃
🤍🕊️🫡 your video was interesting, as gave roots to his life and legacy 🇬🇧💛
I met Sylvester at a gay resort at the Russian River just north of SF in the summer of 1986.
Also having grown up Pentecostal (edit: and still deep in the closet), I had no idea who he was.
So I wasn’t star struck *at all.*
It seemed to confuse everyone. 😂
Donna Summers is THE REAL Queen Of Disco.
Sylvester is more like a Grand Marshal Of Disco.
#FACTS 💯
beautiful ! 😉
It’s a song that listen to it and want to dance….
very nice doc!!!
Very well made item!
Great Video!!!!
It was blueprint the foundation of all that came after
Moroder and Summer a YEAR earlier.