A disco and queer icon who was openly gay throughout his career, Sylvester possessed a supremely expressive high tenor voice unlike any other singer before or since him. He started recording in the early '70s with the rock-oriented Hot Band, releasing two albums before resurfacing later that decade as a solo R&B and disco artist. Recording for the Fantasy label, his singles regularly scaled the upper reaches of Billboard's club chart, truly breaking through with the ecstatic Top 40 crossover hits "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," both of which drove the 1978 album Step II to a gold certification. Sylvester continued to blaze paths after Disco Demolition Night, most significantly teaming with producer Patrick Cowley in 1982 for the Top Five club hit "Do Ya Wanna Funk," an early Hi-NRG classic.