MY TUNE OF THE DAY

Back in the 70's, musical family acts were the rage because of the major success of The Jackson 5 and The Osmonds. There was another group of siblings that achieved some chart-topping hits. The Sylvers were originally from Memphis, TN and made up of four sisters (Olympia, Charmaine, Angie and Pat) and five brothers (Leon, James, Edmund, Ricky and Foster) who sang and played multiple instruments. The family had their first top ten r&b hit with "Wish That I Could Talk To You" in 1972 with their biggest hit being "Boogie Fever" which went to number one on the pop and soul charts in 1975.

Just like those other popular singing groups, The Sylvers had a prepubescent male vocalist who became a teen heartthrob. That is what leads us to today's tune of the day as Foster Sylvers, the youngest member of the act, released his first solo album in 1973. The single, "Misdemeanor" (written by brother, Leon) became a big hit, making it to number seven on the r&b chart. Despite being sung by an eleven year-old boy, the song remains an appealing slice of bubble-gum soul.

After the family's popularity began to wane by the mid-1980's, Foster went on to record a few other solo albums that went largely unnoticed as well as writing and producing for other artists such as Evelyn "Champagne" King and Janet Jackson. Recently, things have not being going well for Foster as he's currently in prison on drug charges.

Let's go back to a simpler time for Foster Sylvers with his hit single:

"Misdemeanor" - Foster Sylvers (1973)

Here is most of the family performing their biggest hit song, "Boogie Fever" on Soul Train: