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Sheila Hylton

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Sheila Hylton
Born1956
London, England
GenresReggae
OccupationSinger
Years active1978–present
LabelsIsland Records

Sheila Hylton (born 1956)[1] is a British reggae singer who spent most of her childhood in Kingston, Jamaica. She is best known for the singles "Breakfast in Bed" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You".

Career

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Born in London in 1956, Hylton was sent to live with her grandparents in Kingston at the age of 5.[2][3][4]

Hylton's earliest exposure to music was through the record collection of her grandfather who was a jazz fan.[citation needed] As a young woman she listened to and absorbed the works of the greatest female jazz singers.[citation needed] Her earliest experience in the music industry was as a secretary at Total Sounds in Kingston, but started recording for Harry J while working as an air hostess for Air Jamaica, her first single, "Don't Ask My Neighbour", was a local hit,[3] and she also released a cover of Ebony's "Life in the Country".[4]

Island Records signed her to their Mango label. Hylton had her first major international success with a Harry J-produced cover of "Breakfast in Bed", which peaked at no. 57 on the UK Singles Chart in 1979.[3][5] Hylton then recorded a version of The Police's "The Bed's Too Big Without You" which also charted in the UK (no. 35 UK,[5] 1981). She had success on the reggae charts in 1983 with "Let's Dance", before moving to the United States the following year.[3]

In 1995 she recorded a cover of "My World Is Empty Without You" after returning to Jamaica and signing to Tommy Cowan's Talent Corporation.[3]

In 2006, she released her first album, Steppin.[4]

She has also worked as a model.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Cap.jamrid.com Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Sheilahylton.com – accessed March 2009 Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c d e "Sheila Hylton Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2017
  4. ^ a b c d Jackson, Kevin (2017) "Sheila Hylton returns with True Love", Jamaica Observer, 20 August 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017
  5. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 264. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.