Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Remembering Phyllis


Timeless - Its hard to believe that Phyllis Hyman took her life 22 years ago.  The troubled vibrant beauty, had vocal range for the GODS.  Hyman sang of pain, love, loss, desperation and depression.  Battling Record companies executives, booze, drugs and food dependency.   She attempted suicide several times in her life, but on June 30, 1995 a week before her 46th Birthday, she succeeded.  The world mourned her life, seemingly on upswing, of conquering her depression, she relapsed.  She always felt that her life was hers to take.


Phyllis Linda Hyman born July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995, was an American singer and actress. She is best known for her singles from the late 1970s to the early 1990s: "You Know How to Love Me", "Living All Alone" and "Don't Wanna Change the World". Hyman also performed on Broadway in the 1981 musical based on the music of Duke Ellington, Sophisticated Ladies, which ran from 1981 to 1983. The musical earned her a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.


The 'You Know How To Love Me' project is one of my all time favorites, by Hyman, that long extended note that producer James Mtume,  forced her to hold,  gets me HIGH, It's STILL makes me smile and feel good.  I was fortunate to see her perform LIVE on many occasions, her wit, charm, sense of humor, charisma, crass and class, are things that I will always remember about her.  The vocals were always the featured delight, with and occasional whistle here and there.

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