Sylvia Robinson

 Sylvia Robinson was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. She was born as Sylvia Vanderpool on May 29, 1935, in Harlem, New York, to Herbert, an immigrant from the Virgin Islands, and Ida Vanterpool. Robinson attended Washington Irving High School until dropping out at the age of 14 and began recording music in 1950 for Columbia Records under the stage name "Little Sylvia." In 1954, she began teaming up with Kentucky guitarist Mickey Baker, and the duo, now known as Mickey & Sylvia, recorded the hit single "Love Is Strange" in 1956. 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. Robinson restarted her solo career shortly after her initial split from Baker, first under the name Sylvia Robbins.

In 1966, the Robinsons moved to New Jersey, where they formed a soul music label, All Platinum Records, with artist Lezli Valentine, formerly of the Jaynetts, bringing the label its first hit with "I Won't Do Anything." In 1972, Robinson sent a demo of a song she had written called "Pillow Talk" to Al Green. When Green passed on it due to his religious beliefs, 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 US Billboard Hot 100 (#3), while also reaching #14 on the UK Singles Chart in the summer of 1973.

She later became known for her work as founder and CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. Robinson is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the hip hop genre: "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by the Sugarhill Gang, and "The Message" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, both of which she produced. Several publications have dubbed her as "The Mother of Hip Hop." Robinson received a Pioneer Award for her career in singing and for founding Sugarhill Records in 2000, and in 2022, she was 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. Robinson passed away on September 29, 2011, at the age of 76.