Biography
Sylvain Sylvain embodied the essential spirit of the New York Dolls, supplying the rhythmic guitar lines that anchored their material while serving as the enthusiastic motivator who sustained the group’s collective drive across its turbulent path. He contributed to the songwriting of numerous Dolls tracks, and once the original lineup dissolved he issued several solo albums that echoed the direct, street-smart sensibility of the band yet incorporated elements of early rock & roll vigor and exuberance. On guitar and vocals Sylvain consistently delivered shows marked by flair and energy, a quality he sustained during the Dolls’ 2000s regrouping. Among his solo releases the strongest statements arrived with the 1980 album Sylvain Sylvain, which explored his affinity for 1950s rock; the 1998 effort (Sleep) Baby Doll, a vigorous and spirited collection following an extended absence from recording; and the 2000 anthology Sylvain Sylvain...In Teenage News, which gathered earlier post-Dolls solo material.
Born Sylvain Sylvain Mizrahi in Cairo, Egypt, on February 14, 1951, he grew up in a family whose paternal Sephardic Jewish roots traced to Turkey via Egypt, while his mother’s background was Syrian. During the 1956 Suez Canal crisis, President Gamal Nasser’s policies prompted Egypt’s Jewish population to depart, sending the Mizrahi family first to France and then to the United States. As a teenager in Queens, New York, Sylvain formed a friendship with Colombian-born Billy Murcia; together they launched the clothing venture Truth & Soul and began planning a band, with Sylvain on guitar and Murcia on drums. After several months in Amsterdam, Sylvain returned to New York to find that the group, now called Actress, had replaced him. With guitarist Rick Rivets departing and Sylvain reinstated alongside Murcia, Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, and David Johansen, the ensemble became the New York Dolls and commenced performing in early 1972. The Dolls introduced a fresh approach to the city’s rock landscape, blending raw yet forceful hard rock with sharp wit and urban awareness, while their stage attire projected a gritty, provocative sexual fluidity that complemented the music’s intensity. Their self-titled debut album appeared in July 1973, by which point Billy Murcia had already perished in a drug-related incident during an English tour supporting Queen; Jerry Nolan took the drum chair. The band’s sound and visual style divided listeners, earning them simultaneous “Best New Band” and “Worst Band” honors in Creem Magazine’s 1973 readers’ poll. Substance issues and excess eventually eroded the lineup, and Thunders exited in April 1975. Sylvain and Johansen tried to keep the group afloat with temporary configurations until it dissolved at the end of 1976.
After the breakup Sylvain remained active with Johansen, appearing on the singer’s first two solo albums—1978’s David Johansen and 1979’s In Style—and frequently joining his touring band. Concurrently he began performing with a new group, the Criminals, that included keyboardist Bobby Blain, bassist Michael Page, and drummer Tony Machine, both Blain and Machine having previously played in the post-Thunders Dolls. In 1980 Sylvain signed with RCA and issued his self-titled solo debut, which drew favorable notices yet limited commercial response. His follow-up, 1981’s Syl Sylvain and the Teardrops, introduced a new trio featuring bassist Danny “Tubby” Reid and drummer Rosie Rex. Although the Teardrops drew strong local crowds in New York, the album failed to connect with reviewers or buyers, ending his RCA tenure. An independent single, “Out with the Wrong Woman” b/w “I Love a Little Pussy,” surfaced in 1983, and the brief duo Roman Sandals with Rosie Rex released one single the following year. Sylvain largely stepped away from music in the late 1980s and moved to Los Angeles. His return came with the 1998 album (Sleep) Baby Doll on the independent Fishhead label, which featured guitar contributions from Blondie’s Frank Infante and earned positive critical notice; a revised edition titled Paper, Pencil & Glue appeared on Spain’s Munster label in 2000. That same year Fishhead issued Sylvain Sylvain...In Teenage News, compiling early-1980s Criminals recordings.
In 2004 Morrissey invited surviving Dolls members Sylvain, David Johansen, and Arthur Kane to reunite for a Meltdown Festival performance in London. With Johnny Thunders having died in 1991 and Jerry Nolan in 1992, the concert proved successful enough that the group decided to continue, despite Kane’s death weeks later; the event was documented on The Return of the New York Dolls: Live from Royal Festival Hall, 2004. The reconstituted lineup, completed by additional musicians, released the studio album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This in 2006, followed by ’Cause I Sez So in 2008 and Dancing Backward in High Heels in 2011, along with the live sets Live at the Fillmore East, December 28 & 29, 2007 and Live from the Bowery 2011. In 2010 Sylvain formed the short-lived Batusis with Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, issuing a self-titled EP on Smog Veil Records. For the rest of the decade he concentrated mainly on live performances while contributing guest appearances to Cheetah Chrome’s 2013 EP Solo and Mitch Ryder’s 2019 album Detroit Breakout. By the time Detroit Breakout emerged, Sylvain was undergoing treatment for cancer; he continued fighting the illness for more than two years until his death on January 13, 2021, at age 69.
Born Sylvain Sylvain Mizrahi in Cairo, Egypt, on February 14, 1951, he grew up in a family whose paternal Sephardic Jewish roots traced to Turkey via Egypt, while his mother’s background was Syrian. During the 1956 Suez Canal crisis, President Gamal Nasser’s policies prompted Egypt’s Jewish population to depart, sending the Mizrahi family first to France and then to the United States. As a teenager in Queens, New York, Sylvain formed a friendship with Colombian-born Billy Murcia; together they launched the clothing venture Truth & Soul and began planning a band, with Sylvain on guitar and Murcia on drums. After several months in Amsterdam, Sylvain returned to New York to find that the group, now called Actress, had replaced him. With guitarist Rick Rivets departing and Sylvain reinstated alongside Murcia, Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, and David Johansen, the ensemble became the New York Dolls and commenced performing in early 1972. The Dolls introduced a fresh approach to the city’s rock landscape, blending raw yet forceful hard rock with sharp wit and urban awareness, while their stage attire projected a gritty, provocative sexual fluidity that complemented the music’s intensity. Their self-titled debut album appeared in July 1973, by which point Billy Murcia had already perished in a drug-related incident during an English tour supporting Queen; Jerry Nolan took the drum chair. The band’s sound and visual style divided listeners, earning them simultaneous “Best New Band” and “Worst Band” honors in Creem Magazine’s 1973 readers’ poll. Substance issues and excess eventually eroded the lineup, and Thunders exited in April 1975. Sylvain and Johansen tried to keep the group afloat with temporary configurations until it dissolved at the end of 1976.
After the breakup Sylvain remained active with Johansen, appearing on the singer’s first two solo albums—1978’s David Johansen and 1979’s In Style—and frequently joining his touring band. Concurrently he began performing with a new group, the Criminals, that included keyboardist Bobby Blain, bassist Michael Page, and drummer Tony Machine, both Blain and Machine having previously played in the post-Thunders Dolls. In 1980 Sylvain signed with RCA and issued his self-titled solo debut, which drew favorable notices yet limited commercial response. His follow-up, 1981’s Syl Sylvain and the Teardrops, introduced a new trio featuring bassist Danny “Tubby” Reid and drummer Rosie Rex. Although the Teardrops drew strong local crowds in New York, the album failed to connect with reviewers or buyers, ending his RCA tenure. An independent single, “Out with the Wrong Woman” b/w “I Love a Little Pussy,” surfaced in 1983, and the brief duo Roman Sandals with Rosie Rex released one single the following year. Sylvain largely stepped away from music in the late 1980s and moved to Los Angeles. His return came with the 1998 album (Sleep) Baby Doll on the independent Fishhead label, which featured guitar contributions from Blondie’s Frank Infante and earned positive critical notice; a revised edition titled Paper, Pencil & Glue appeared on Spain’s Munster label in 2000. That same year Fishhead issued Sylvain Sylvain...In Teenage News, compiling early-1980s Criminals recordings.
In 2004 Morrissey invited surviving Dolls members Sylvain, David Johansen, and Arthur Kane to reunite for a Meltdown Festival performance in London. With Johnny Thunders having died in 1991 and Jerry Nolan in 1992, the concert proved successful enough that the group decided to continue, despite Kane’s death weeks later; the event was documented on The Return of the New York Dolls: Live from Royal Festival Hall, 2004. The reconstituted lineup, completed by additional musicians, released the studio album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This in 2006, followed by ’Cause I Sez So in 2008 and Dancing Backward in High Heels in 2011, along with the live sets Live at the Fillmore East, December 28 & 29, 2007 and Live from the Bowery 2011. In 2010 Sylvain formed the short-lived Batusis with Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, issuing a self-titled EP on Smog Veil Records. For the rest of the decade he concentrated mainly on live performances while contributing guest appearances to Cheetah Chrome’s 2013 EP Solo and Mitch Ryder’s 2019 album Detroit Breakout. By the time Detroit Breakout emerged, Sylvain was undergoing treatment for cancer; he continued fighting the illness for more than two years until his death on January 13, 2021, at age 69.
Albums
Singles
