The Underrated Legacy of Ms. Phyllis Hyman
By: Ciera Barnes
*Trigger Warning This article mentions Drug use, Eating Disorders, Mental Health and Suicide.
“I can’t stand this living all alone.” Phyllis Hyman sings in the chorus of “Living All Alone.” This is considered one of the biggest hits of her career. A career that spanned decades. A light that shined all too briefly. Personal and professional conflicts hindered her potential for greatest. Along with battling mental health in an industry that is unrelenting and unforgiving towards black women. Think of Whitney Houston’s Public and Private battles along with the lack of empathy and understanding shown towards her. Hyman’s mental health struggles led to a cycle of self-sabotage and self-loathing. Until it became too much for her to handle. Even though, she left behind an indelible body of work Hyman is never mentioned among her peers. Phyllis Hyman should be considered one of the greatest vocalists of all time. She should be remembered for her talent, style and beauty. So why is she never mentioned amongst the greats like Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle, and Aretha Franklin?
Phyllis Linda Hyman was born June 6, 1946. She was the eldest of seven children. Phyllis grew up on the south side of Pittsburg. The family lived in St. Claire village. From an early age, her vocal talents were noticed. School was where her talent would grow and flourish. She was in the choir at Carrick High School. Her music teacher Dave Tamburi was so impressed by her voice that he gave her private voice lessons. After graduating high school, Phyllis was the first recipient of the music scholarship to Robert Morris College. After a year Phyllis left college to devote herself full-time to music.
During this time, she was a part of different bands. She formed a socially conscious trio called Sound of Ebony. Next Phyllis joined a Jazz Sextet called New Directions. Here Phyllis would learn to hone her craft. Not that Phyllis couldn’t command attention when she was on stage. Phyllis was 6ft tall and statuesque, funny, bold, outgoing, and witty. Her humor and banter quickly made her stand out. Once she opened her mouth to sing the audience was hooked even more. After leaving new directions Phyllis moved to Miami to Join a band named All the people.
After performing in so many bands, Phyllis formed her own band named the PH Factory. The band played jazz, funk, and Latin music. In 1975, Phyllis took the plunge and moved with the band to New York. Phyllis and PH factory began performing at Rust Brown. A popular west side restaurant and jazz club. The audience was legendary at Rust Brown. Phyllis got to perform for Ashford and Simpson, Stevie Wonder, and George Harrison. One-night jazz musician Richard Clay brought along producer Norman Connors. Connors promised Hyman to get her in a recording studio in a week or two.
Connors kept his promise and asked her to record a cover of the Stylistics classic “Betcha By Golly Wow.” She also recorded the duet “We both need each other” with Michael Henderson. These two songs were featured on Connors 1976 album “You Are My Starship.”
Impressed with the success of “Betcha By Golly Wow” Phyllis signed a deal with Buddha records. Hyman released her debut album titled “Phyllis Hyman” in 1977. Loving you and losing you peaked at number 32 on the R&B charts. Another single “No One Can Love You More” peaked at number 58.
As Phyllis began working on her second album, there was a shake up with her record label. Buddha records was bought by Arista records. Her second album Sing A Song was released in 1978 before the buyout. The album flew under the radar. The president of Arista Records was Clive Davis. Clive was use to finding artist and molding them. For Phyllis this would be a constant battle throughout her time at Arista. She didn’t need Clive to mold her. She knew who she was as an artist. Clive on the other hand saw potential for crossover success. Clive took over production for her third album and brought in Barry Manilow to produce the title track. “Somewhere In My Lifetime” was released in January 1979. The single reached number 12 on the R&B charts. In Davis’s mind this was not good enough. He was use to doing numbers in the millions. His artist were always in the top five on the charts.
For her Fourth album Davis choose the R&B producers James Mtume and Reggie Lucas. The lead single “You Know How To Love Me” was released in October 1979. The single went to number twelve on the R&B charts. The album went on to sell 400,000 copies. It was her most success full record so far. Hyman’s personal life was also looking up as well, the previous year she married longtime partner and producer Larry Alexander.
After the success of her fourth album Phyllis expected to be treated like the star that she was. What happened was push back from the label and Clive. Leaving Phyllis feeling frustrated and tired. On top of all that Arista began to sign more female artist. Angela Bofill, Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin to name a few. Hyman started to get lost in the shuffle. During this time Phyllis began to have mild bouts of depression. Mental health struggles ran in the family. She watched her mother battle her own mental health problems when she was growing up. The pressure of fame began to weigh her down. While singing in a local jazz club, she was spotted by the arranger for the musical Sophisticated ladies. The production was a celebration of Duke Ellington’s work. She auditioned and won the role of Etta. Clive was vehemently opposed to her doing Broadway. This was a battle Phyllis refused to lose. She saw this as a chance to expand on her talents. While exposing herself to a new audience.
Sophisticated Ladies opened on Broadway on March 1, 1981 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. The cast also included Gregory Hines, Hinton Battle and Judith Jamison. Phyllis received rave reviews for her performance. She was nominated for a Tony award for best featured actress in a musical. She went on to win the theatre world award. The musical ran for 22 months and had 767 performances.
In the midst of her Broadway success, she released her fifth album. This album was a welcome relief for Phyllis. Davis brought in Norman Connors. The album Can’t We Fall In Love Again peaked at number 12. The title track a duet with Michael Henderson reached number nine on the R&B charts. This was Phyllis’s first top ten hit. Phyllis still felt dissatisfied with the direction her label wanted to take. There was a lot of pressure to produce a commercial hit. A struggle for control always ensued when making albums. Phyllis wanted to work with musicians and producers of her choosing. Davis wanted producers that could produce hits.
She ended up divorcing Alexander Larry in 1982. A relationship that lasted nearly a decade. Not only was she losing her partner, but her manager and producer as well. After her Broadway run and divorce Phyllis was ready to get back in the studio. If only it were that easy. More problems were on the horizon for Phyllis. Her sixth album was a complete disaster. It showed that Arista did not get Phyllis Hyman at all. Clive hired producer Narada Michael Walden along with several others. The album is a miss match of conflicting genres. The first single “Riding the Tiger” only reached number thirty on the R&B charts. The album “Goddess of Love” reached number 20 on the charts. This considered to be her weakest album. It drove a bigger wedge between her and Arista.
Phyllis was able to find a bright spot amidst the chaos of her music career. She hired managers Glenda Garcia and Sydney Francis. At the time her business was in shambles. Phyllis wanted a change in her life. The first change was her style. She hired designer Cassandra McShepard. Phyllis became known for the plunging v necks and signature hats.
Meanwhile Clive and Phyllis continued to battle behind the scenes. She resisted his advice and guidance. Phyllis had spent years perfecting her craft. Clive saw her as someone he could mold into the next big thing. He couldn’t see the talent in front of him. He did not understand R&B and Jazz connection to the black community. He liked to whitewash his black artists. New managers Glenda and Sydney tried to repair the relationship. Clive had a new focus. They had just signed an up-and-coming artist named Whitney Houston. Glenda arranged a meeting to discuss Phyllis’s future with the company. Her fate had already been decided. Arista dropped Phyllis from her record deal.
Another blow to her career was losing the role of Shug Avery in the Color Purple. During a table read which included Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and director Steven Spielberg. Hyman turned everyone off with her attitude. She tried to control how the meeting went and was telling everyone what to do. The cast and director couldn’t imagine having to deal with her through five months of filming. This was devastating to Phyllis. It was a cycle of self sabatoge followed by disappointment. To those who didn't know Phyllis personally she could come off as rude and abrassive. Friends and Family were use to this off the cuff behavior and moodiness. Unfortunately, in the entertainment industry one or more off days sets a precedent for being known as difficult.
Disappointment aside Phyllis remained unsigned to a record label. She was hesitant to sign another deal. Then came Philadelphia International Records. The record company had been founded in 1971 by Kenny Gamble and Leon Hough. It was known as the sound of Philadelphia. What made this experience different from Arista was they understood the Phyllis Hyman sound. She signed with them in 1985. The album “Living All Alone” was released on August 15, 1986. The title track went on to number 12 on the R&B charts. The album went on to sell 465,000 copies. She finally had music worthy of her talent. The song living all alone was one she could relate too. It is a song about heart break and loneliness.
Phyllis was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder ten years prior. This was not the only obstacle Phyllis was battling. She had an unhealthy relationship with food. This would cause her weight to fluctuate. She would eat to numb the pain of her life. Phyllis also delved deeper into her drug use. She used alcohol and cocaine. On top of that, she had depression. There were periods where she would find it difficult to get out of bed. These problems along with difficulties maintaining relationships led her down a dark path. Phyllis longed to overcome these feelings. She entered rehab in 1986. By the time she left, she had a new sense of optimism. Phyllis embarked on a tour. Here, she endeared herself to the audience. She was funny, spontaneous and beautiful. Each city was treated to the wonderful talents of miss Phyllis Hyman.
Behind the scenes cracks started to show in her facade. She had stopped taking the medication used to treat bi-polar disorder. She didn’t like the way it made her feel. She was afraid she would lose her creativity. Instead, she went back to using cocaine and alcohol. While also abusing food and sex to cope with the pain. She had relationships with both men and women. Each relationship pushed her further into despair. Especially not being able to fully be with someone you love. It became too much for Phyllis while at her home in June of 1990 Phyllis tried to take her life with sleeping pill. She had made a previous attempt the year before. Luckily her friends found her in time and called 911.
The following year in January Phyllis entered rehab facility in Naples Florida to treat addiction for food and drugs. She released her seventh album living “Prime of my Life” on June 11, 1991. The first single “Don’t Wanna Change The World” went to number one on the R&B/Hip hop charts. The album was number 10 on the R&B charts and went on to sell 454,000 copies. Along with two other singles that entered the top ten.
Phyllis’s sobriety didn’t last long. She lost both her mother and grandmother in 1993. As well as her friend songwriter Linda Creed. All within a month of each other. Then in 1994 she broke her foot and had to rest for a while. Hyman gained weight and began to battle with self-esteem. The music industry is very fatphobic, ageist and racist. Phyllis always felt pressure about her body and look. Even though, she was beautiful and talented. The industry made her feel worthless and underserving of success. Her finances were in shambles due to cavalier spending. Phyllis sunk deeper and deeper into the throughs of depression. It was a repeated cycle of self-sabotage. Phyllis never felt loved in her life. Loneliness and emptiness consumed her. She began to contemplate her life and its meaning.
Her demeanor worried friends. On June 30, 1995, Phyllis was in New York. She was preparing for a concert with the Whispers at the Apollo Theater. She instructed her assistants to wake her up for the soundcheck. When they arrived at the apartment, the chain lock was on the door. They broke down the door. Only to find Phyllis in bed unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital. This time it was too late. Hyman left a note behind. The note said “I’m tired. I’m tired. Those of you that I love you know who you are. May God bless you.” She was a week away from her forty sixth birthday.
Phyllis Hyman died not knowing how loved she truly was. Make no mistake she fought hard to overcome her demons. In the end, she truly felt this was the only way out. After years of suffering and carrying on. Hyman longed for love professionally and personally. No one talks about the prolonged feeling of loniliness. How you could be surronded by people but still feel utterly alone. While feeling misunderstood and frustrated. Which can lead to feelings of unworthiness. Phyllis was worth it and more. We all are worth it. Even if the world makes us feel otherwise. On November 21, 1995, her final album was released. The album I Refuse To Be Lonely is a heartbreaking look into her mind at the time. She co-wrote every song on the album. The title track “I Refuse To Be Lonely” is hard to listen to without crying. You feel her pain in every word she sings. It’s a beautiful song.
Even though, Phyllis Hyman was gone too soon. She left behind a body of work that stands the test of time. Phyllis is one of the greats. She deserves to be remembered as such. As well as a beautiful soul who went under appreciated by the industry. Hopefully, her story can start a conversation on mental health in the black community. We need work to destigmatize mental health. No one should have to suffer in silence or feel shame. There also needs to be a conversation on accessibility and access to therapy. It’s not as easy to receive if you don’t have the funds or insurance. Mental health should be a right not a privilege. Here are some hotlines listed below.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline
