Dawn Silva, born and raised in Sacramento, California, is hailed on social networks as a Funk Diva of epic proportions. Her career began as a background singer for Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sly Stone, as well as touring with original members of Sly & The Family Stone. This world-class exposure brought her into contact with the who’s who of Rhythm and Blues, Funk, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, and New-Wave music.
Fate moved Silva full swing into the Funk arena when Stone dropped out of his supporting slot on Parliament-Funkadelic’s 1976 U.S. Tour. Funk mastermind, George Clinton, impressed with Sly’s backing vocalists invited the duet, Lynn Mabry, and Dawn Silva to sing on some of his up-and-coming music projects; which included “The Horny Horns” featuring Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker from James Brown’s band, star protégé, guitarist and vocalist, Eddie Hazel’s debut album, “Games ~ Dames ~ and Guitar Thangs,” while making their debut performance on the 1977 “Mothership Connection Live album,” as extra singing clones.
The P-Funk experience was on the threshold of making their ascendancy into mainstream America and Silva had a first-class seat on the Mothership; touring, and recording on a string of Gold and Platinum records.
Clinton would produce another spin-off group on Atlantic Records called The Brides of Funkenstein, featuring Sly’s girls, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva. The Brides unprecedented popularity earned them a top #10 hit record on Billboard’s R&B singles, with back-to-back music awards. (Record World) was the first award in 1979 for Best New Single on a song written and produced by Bootsy Collins called, “Disco to Go,” and second, Best New Group in 1980 on (The Cashbox R&B Awards) for “Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy;” also voted by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2001 as the top #50 Coolest Albums of all times. The Brides of Funkenstein added two new members, Sheila Horne, and Jeanette McGruder, and was the only group out of the P-Funk Empire, during that era, to win mainstream music awards, embarking on a hard-core rock and funk combination that left their audience in an unadulterated state of funkiness!
Silva moved on to record and tour with The Gap Band, credited on “Gap Band V” (Jamming) and the Platinum selling album “Gap Gold.” She stood on stage at the Greek Theatre, in Hollywood, California, singing behind the world-famous B.B. King. Dawn crossed paths with the talented and gifted duo, The Eurythmics, and recorded with guitarist Dave Stewart on various studio projects and soundtracks.
While working as a session vocalist in Los Angeles, California, she recorded with Hip-Hop Artists, W.C. and The Maad Circle, Dale The Funky Homosapien, “Coolio,” “Ice Cube, and others, and was featured on John Singleton’s “Boyz in the Hood’s, title soundtrack called, “How to Survive in South-Central.”
In December of 2000, Silva released her critically acclaimed debut album entitled, “All My Funky Friends,” released on her independent label, (Silva-Sounds), selling well over a quarter of a million CDs globally. Dawn’s (Body Shaking CD) (Billboard Magazine) was hailed as the only authentic funk offering in the new millennium, (Tower Records), and is now available on vinyl records for the first time.
Fast forward to 2022 and Dawn Silva is now releasing a 544-page Table-Book Autobiography, entitled The Funk Queen / Just for the Funk of It on New Rising Publishing LLC (NRP) in 2023. Pre-orders start on November 2022, and according to Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, noted historians’ top journalists’ filmmakers’ and authors who have written hundreds of music industry books;
“Silva’s autobiography is an Underground Railroad to the funk, and then the Sun comes out.”’
Sly Stone ~ Roll & Roll Hall of Famer, Poet, Songwriter, Innovator
“One of the most honest in my life-in-music-and books you’re going to read and also one of the most exploratory.”
Dave Thompson ~ English Author ~ Rolling Stone & Goldmine Magazine
“Her story is a life well-funked, from young rebel, to rock star, to rock bottom, to revived music maven, to rising above it all.”
Melissa A Weber ~ Music Historian ~ Writer ~ Educator
Dawn Silva is a dynamic storyteller with a raw, incandescent aura. Dawn wasn’t twenty feet from stardom. The stars were twenty feet from Dawn.”
Nelson George ~ American Author, Columnist, Culture Critic, Journalist and Filmmaker
Stay Tuned!!! Why? Just For The Funk Of It!