Phyllis Hyman Discography

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Even though she was born in Philadelphia, Phyllis grew up in the Northview Heights section in Pittsburgh. After leaving Pittsburgh, her music training started with a scholarship to a music school. On graduation, she performed on a national tour with the group New Direction in 1971. After the group disbanded, she joined All the People and worked with another local group, The Hondo Beat. At this time, she appeared in the film Lenny (1974). She also did a two-year stint leading a band called Phyllis Hyman and the P/H Factor.

Hyman moved to New York City to work on her reputation. She did background vocals on Jon Lucien`s Premonition and worked in clubs. It was during one of these performances that she was spotted by Norman Connors, who offered her a spot as a vocalist on his album, You Are My Starship (1976). Her best performance on the album is a remake of The Stylistics` Betcha By Golly Wow.


[edit] Popular success
Hyman sang with Pharoah Sanders and the Fatback Band while working on her first solo album, Phyllis Hyman, released in 1977 on the Buddah label. When Arista Records bought Buddah, she was transferred to that label. Her first album for Arista, Somewhere in My Lifetime was released in 1979; the title track was produced by then-labelmate Barry Manilow. Her follow up album You Know How to Love Me made the R&B Top 20 and also performed well on the club/dance charts. Hyman`s first solo Top Ten hit came in 1981 with Can`t We Fall In Love Again, a duet with Michael Henderson. The song was recorded while she was performing in the Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, a tribute to Duke Ellington. She performed in the role for almost two years, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical and winning a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer. It is here that she was crowned as The Sophisticated Lady.

Problems between Hyman and her label, Arista, caused a pause in her recording career. She used the time to appear on movie soundtracks, television commercials and guest vocals, working with Chuck Mangione, Barry Manilow, The Whispers and The Four Tops. She toured often and did a college lecture tour.

Free from Arista in 1985, she released the album Living All Alone, and capitalized on the torch songs Old Friend and the melancholy title track, as well as You Just Don`t Know and Screaming At The Moon in 1986. Shortly after she appeared in the films School Daze and The Kill Reflex. She would also continue to lend her voice on albums for other artist and musicians like Grover Washington, Jr. and Lonnie Liston Smith, while at the same time doing international tours. Her next album, Prime of My Life, released in 1991, was the biggest of her career and included Phyllis` first number one R&B hit, Don`t Wanna Change the World, along with top ten singles Living In Confusion, When You Get Right Down To It, and the hit I Found Love. Just over a year later she appeared one last time on a Norman Connors album, singing the title song Remember Who You Are, which became a minor R&B hit.

Hyman`s last album, I Refuse To Be Lonely, was a journey into her personal life. Both the title track and the single I`m Truly Yours became minor R&B hits. She struggled with bipolar disorder, depression, alcoholism, weight gain and financial problems. She was also emotionally exhausted from lending her talents to AIDS benefits concerts and support groups. Adding to her sorrow, in 1993 her mother, grandmoth

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