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| Sylvester, the early days |
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A few reflections on Sylvester’s early days in San Francisco from filmmaker Tim Smyth. Keep watching for more developments on the documentary and more on Sylvester’s life. Please share your own stories and memories on the Sylvester: Mighty Real blog. Sylvester James was born in Los Angeles, California into a middle-class family, and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Letha and Robert Hurd. EASTER WEEKEND  1970 Former Cockette Kreemah Ritz said Sylvester arrived in San Francisco on Easter Weekend 1970, took a look around, was totally amazed by the freedom he experienced everywhere, and made a decision that would change his life forever. In his hometown, Los Angeles, gay life was becoming tired. In Los Angeles you had to play a role. In San Francisco you could be whoever you wanted to be. Sylvester’s weekend in San Francisco turned into a 19-year love affair with the city. It was not long before Sylvester became the city’s own local superstar. Whether it was Easter weekend or not, Sylvester had found his place to rise up and start a new life, and he never looked back. What Sylvester found exhilarating about his new home was the absolute freedom. For the first time Sylvester lived exactly the way he wanted to live. He could go out at any hour in full make up, his favorite platform shoes, a flowing blouse, pearls, and hot pants and feel totally free. There were no roles to play; there was acceptance. In a short time he found himself surrounded by like-minded friends. Some wore beards with their thrift store dresses, headdresses, or wigs. Some preferred to wear nothing at all. To the outside world they were misfits or lost souls, but they all found their home in San Francisco. They were high on free love, high on music, and thrilled by the easy access to a myriad of hallucinogenic drugs.M-I-C-K-E-Y It was common at the time to move from flophouse to flophouse in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, and Sylvester was making the rounds. He began to enjoy his status as a gay black hippie. Sylvester said, “There were very few of us around, and the attention I got was fabulous.” One day he found his way to a rehearsal of the radical drag performance group the Cockettes. While the typical rowdiness and just plain chaos that passed for a Cockettes rehearsal was going on, Sylvester sat at the piano and began tapping out a tune. Soon everyone on stage was standing around the piano listening to the androgynous 22-year-old black hippie deliver a gospel version of the Mickey Mouse Club theme. Sylvester immediately found himself the newest member of the hottest performance group in town. Cockette member Kreemah Ritz said of the rising young star, “Sylvester really found his voice and grew as a performer.” It wasn’t long before Sylvester was singing as a featured performer every Saturday night at the Palace Theater in North Beach. SING OUT, SYLVESTER It had been years since Sylvester sang with the traveling gospel choir. So when he took the stage for his first solo at a sold-out Cockettes show no one knew what to expect. The Cockettes shows were rowdy both on and off stage. When the Palace Theater was sold out it held 1,500 people, most of them on some sort of substance. When he walked out on stage in an evening gown, with his hair flowing and his perfect makeup, he would have made Diana Ross’ head spin. Sylvester quickly captivated the audience and commanded their undivided attention. He earned their respect and attention with his falsetto renditions of “Summertime,” “Stormy Weather,” and “God Bless the Child.” Sylvester loved making his audience cheer with standing ovations, hooting and hollering, and standing on the seats. PETER MINTUN All of the Cockettes, especially accompanist Peter Mintun, were amazed at the library of songs Sylvester had cataloged in his head. Sylvester knew old gospel songs, songs from World War II, and obscure songs from films of the ’30s and ’40s. Peter could just play the first few notes of a song, and Sylvester took it from there. “It took a very short time for him to become famous in an underground sort of way,” Mintun recalled. “People were saying Sylvester should have his own show since he was always stealing the show.” MRS. KING Sylvester’s popularity grew, and all publicity for the Cockettes shows read “the Cockettes with Special Guest Sylvester.” One memorable film performance showcased Sylvester playing Mrs. Coretta Scott King and the African Ambassador Miss Uma Guma in the Cockettes’ drug-induced spoof “Trisha’s Wedding,” which gave the White House wedding of Trisha Nixon a major twist. As the reception begins someone spikes the punch with LSD and suddenly Mrs. King, Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Martha Mitchell, and other dignitaries are dry-humping each other in an orgy worthy of ancient Rome. NEW YORK, NY In November 1971 Sylvester traveled east with the Cockettes for their big NewYork City debut. The show was a notorious flop, but The New York Times referred to Sylvester as “the one true talent in the cast.” By this time Sylvester began to distance himself from the Cockettes and left New York before the run of the show was over. His days being in command of the stage at the Palace Theater were winding down. Sylvester was moving on, performing in his own cabaret show, and appearing as Miss Ruby Blue at the Rickshaw Lounge in Chinatown. The shows were an homage to Sylvester’s idols, in particular Billie Holiday. Sylvester was realizing his dream, being who he wanted to be, singing the blues, and getting noticed for it. There was much more to come.
Watch for Part 2 of the Sylvester: Mighty Real website as Miss Ruby Blue is replaced by a brand new incarnation, the rock & roll sensation Sylvester and the Hot Band.
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I sure miss the generation of giving men. I miss them real b...