Sylvia (singer) - Career Heights in The 1980s

Career Heights in The 1980s

In 1982, from her "Just Sylvia" album, the singer released the single "Nobody", which reached No. 1 on the country music charts, hit No. 15 on Billboard's Hot 100, and sold more than a million copies. The song was also an Adult Contemporary hit, making the Top 5. "Nobody" became Sylvia's signature song and made her a success on both the Country and Pop music charts, which was what many of her contemporaries—such as Juice Newton, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers -- were doing at the time.

"Nobody" and the album Just Sylvia were certified gold in the United States and Canada. "Nobody" was the 1982 BMI Song of the Year, awarded for receiving more radio airplay than any other single that year. Sylvia's bouncy and youthful style made her popular among teenage girls, making her a teen idol briefly, which foreshadowed the female pop teen idols of the late 1980s, like Debbie Gibson and Tiffany Renee Darwish (a.k.a. Tiffany). In 1982, Sylvia was the Academy of Country Music's "Female Vocalist of the Year" and a Grammy nominee for "Best Female Vocalist".

In 1983 Sylvia's album Snapshot was released; its title song climbed to No. 5 on the Country charts and became her second-highest selling single release. She had two other songs in the Top 20 that year, "I Never Quite Got Back (from loving you)" and "The Boy Gets Around" (which she described in the notes of her 1998 anthology album as being "pretty forgettable").

In 1985, the momentum continued with such smash hits as "Fallin' in Love", "Cry Just a Little Bit", and "I Love You by Heart" (a duet with Michael Johnson). By 1986 though, Sylvia's chart success was fading as more traditionally styled country singers, such as Randy Travis, dominated the charts.

Sylvia continued to record for RCA until the end of 1987, charting 13 Top Ten and No. 1 songs, and sold more than 4 million records.