Short answers, pulled from the story.
Sylvia Vanterpool entered the world on the 29th of May 1935, within the vibrant streets of Harlem, New York. Her father Herbert worked for General Motors while her mother Ida raised the family in a neighborhood that would later inspire her business name.
By 1950 she recorded for Columbia Records under the stage name Little Sylvia alongside trumpeter Hot Lips Page. An advertisement for her debut single appeared on the 8th of September 1951, marking the start of a long career. In 1954 she began teaming up with Kentucky guitarist Mickey Baker who taught her how to play guitar. The duo known as Mickey & Sylvia recorded Love Is Strange in 1956 which topped the R&B chart and reached number eleven on the Billboard pop chart in early 1957.
Billed simply as Sylvia the record became a major hit reaching number one on the R&B chart in summer 1973. It crossed over to reach number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number fourteen on the UK Singles Chart. She received a gold disc from the Recording Industry Association of America in May 1973 for the single. Robinson earned a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1974 ceremony.
The Robinsons co-founded Sugar Hill Records during the 1970s naming it after the culturally rich neighborhood in Harlem. Sugar Hill Gang released Rapper's Delight in 1979 bringing rap into the public music arena for the first time commercially. In 1982 Sylvia Robinson produced The Message with Grandmaster Melle Mel performed by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. The record discussed life in the ghetto becoming one of the most influential tracks of the hip-hop genre.
She was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 under the Ahmet Ertegun Award category. Robinson became the first woman to receive this award unaccompanied by another person. Her induction recognized her major influence on the creative development of hip-hop's early successes.