With his striking androgynous appearance and stunning falsetto, disco artist
Sylvester was one of the few openly gay artists in the late 70s disco scene.
Born Sylvester James on September 6, 1947 in Los Angeles, the lovingly dubbed
“Queen of Disco” grew up in a religious household and took his first steps in
music singing in his local Pentecostal church. After being rejected by the
congregation because of his homosexuality, he relocated to San Francisco in 1970
and found solace in the city’s thriving drag scene, namely avant-garde theater
group The Cockettes. Following a brief st...