Sylvester Dons a Dress, Feels Mighty Real
Long before RuPaul sashayed onto the Billboard charts in the early '90s, drag diva Sylvester was paving the way for queens everywhere with his hi-energy club tracks. Best known for his 1978 anthem "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," Sylvester James found his calling and adopted his one-name moniker after moving to San Francisco to peruse music just a couple of years before New York's Stonewall riot launched the national gay liberation movement. It was via the welcoming world of disco that the out, loud and proud soul singer found worldwide acceptance. Though he tragically died of AIDS in 1988 at age 41, Sylvester's flamed burned bright during his brief life: In his '70s & '80s heyday, Sylvester earned 10 top 10s on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs chart (including two No. 1s) and a place on the dancefloor for evermore. --Jessica Letkemann
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