Vocalist Sylvia Syms earned the nickname “world’s greatest saloon singer” from Frank Sinatra while performing a broad range from cabaret to light jazz. Her signature strength lay in a versatility that recast each number with a distinctive style and sound. Born in New York City, she first displayed her musical interest as a child by singing for family and friends. Professional engagements in nightclubs soon followed, where she encountered Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Momentum built rapidly, leading to album releases on the DRG and Bainbridge labels as well as additional independent imprints. Jazz acquired a fresh dimension through her interpretations of the hit singles “Wild Is the Wind” and “Cuando Te Fuiste De Mi.”
Beyond jazz, she also issued several pre-rock songs and albums. The Prestige label issued Sylvia Is! and For Once In My Life, both supported by Milt Hinton, Osie Johnson, Bucky Pizzarelli, Willie Rodriguez, Sam Bruno, and Johnny “Hammond” Smith. Those sessions featured both established favorites—“If You Could See Me Now,” “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” “Vaya Con Dios,” “Yesterday,” and “For Once In My Life”—and newer material. Early rock numbers were transformed so thoroughly that they sounded newly composed, an approach that cemented her reputation within the industry.
A separate collection devoted to love songs appeared under the title Sylvia Syms Sings/Songs of Love, containing the sentimental standards “Isn’t It Romantic,” “What’s the Use of Won’drin,” “We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye,” and “Let Me Love You.” The nightclub singer should not be mistaken for the British film and television actress who shared her name. Although both women died in 1992, the actress was fifty-eight while the singer reached seventy-nine in New York City.
Across a lengthy career Syms recorded more than fifteen albums spanning multiple genres, her lasting contribution being the ability to deliver widely varied styles through a single voice. Despite lifelong confusion with the British actress, she was recognized at her death on May 10, 1992, as a gifted jazz singer.
