Liberty Silver

Liberty Silver (born 1961/1962)^[1][2] is a Canadian singer, based in Toronto, Ontario. Her music draws inspiration from diverse genres, ranging from R&B, Jazz, Pop, Gospel, Reggae to Rock.

Liberty Silver
Liberty Silver
Background information
Born	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	R&B, Jazz, Reggae, Pop, Gospel, Rock
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Website	rammitrecords.com/team/liberty-silver/

Early life

Liberty Silver was born to a Jamaican-Irish mother and a Hawaiian father, who first met while competing at the Commonwealth Games. Not long after her birth, Silver was placed for adoption by her birth parents and was adopted into a household in Ontario, Canada. Silver grew up in various cities in Ontario, including Kingston and Peterborough. In her later years, she discovered through the Ontario adoption records that she has a biological brother who plays for an Ottawa-based band.^[3]

At 12 years old, Silver performed with a Toronto reggae band, The Wild Bunch, as an opening act for Bob Marley’s show at the Madison Square Garden in New York.^[4]

Career

As the first Black woman to receive a Juno Award, Liberty Silver is widely known for paving the way for future generations of Black female artists in the Canadian music industry.^[5] She won two 1985 Juno Awards, one for Best R&B/Soul Recording of the Year ("Lost Somewhere Inside Your Love") and the other for Best Reggae/Calypso Recording ("Heaven Must Have Sent You" with Otis Gayle). She has been nominated for a Juno Award a total of five times, from 1985 to 1989. She was also on the Super Dave Osborne show.

As merely 12 years old, she performed in a reggae band as an opening act in New York City for Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden.^[6] In 2000, Silver also hosted a TV series known as Centre Stage Chronicles, directed by Sylvia Sweeney and Aeyliya Husain. Season 1 aired a total of 13 episodes, with guests ranging from Martha Chaves to Carol Welsman.^[7]

As a member of a supergroup called Northern Lights, she appeared on the platinum-selling 1985 African charity ensemble single "Tears Are Not Enough", singing a duet with Mike Reno of Loverboy. Other artists on the track include Bryan Adams, Anne Murray and Joni Mitchell.

Silver competed as a vocalist on Star Search, winning the competition several weeks in a row. In 2016, she sang Amazing Grace at the funeral of a former Toronto mayor Rob Ford.^[8] Other prominent figures Silver performed for include: Former U.S. President Barack Obama, Celine Dion, Desmond Tutu, former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, among many others.^[9]

Silver has appeared in a wide range of distinguished music festivals throughout her career, from Niagara Jazz Festival, The Beaches International Jazz Festival, Antigua Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Jamaican Air Canada Jazz Festival, Barbados Jazz Festival, Toronto Funk + Soul Festival to TRIUS Jazz Festival, to name a few.^[10]

Discography

Albums

• Live! In Session - Liberty Silver With The Bill King Quartet (1994)^[11]
• At Last (2005)^[12]
• A Timeless Christmas (2010)^[13]
• Groove Symphony (2010)^[14]
• Private Property (2012)^[15]

Liberty Silver with The Bill King Quartet (Details)	Notes
''Liberty Silver With The Bill King Quartet – Live! In Session'' Type: Cassette album Released: 1994 Record label: Radioland Jazz	No. Title Length 1. "Ornithology" 2:24 2. "On a Clear Day" 3:45 3. "'Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do" 4:48 4. "'Round Midnight" 4:37 5. "May I Come In" 4:17 6. "Just One of Those Things" 3:06 7. "Crazy He Calls Me" 4:13 8. "Don't Cry Baby" 3:01 9. "Late Late Show" 3:49 10. "Fool That I Am" 4:32 11. "Fine and Mellow" 7:50 12. "I Was Lost, I Was Drifting" 2:44

At Last (Details)	Notes
''At Last'' Type: album Released: 2005 Record label: Thunder Dome Sounds	No. Title Length 1. "Your Sweet Love" 3:56 2. "You're the Only One for Me" 4:22 3. "Rain, Rain" 4:22 4. "Don't Ask My Neighbour" 3:37 5. "Jazz in the Eyes of God" 4:33 6. "My Funny Valentine" 5:24 7. "All in My Head" 4:15 8. "At Last" 4:27 9. "Living Without Your Love" 4:27 10. "Show Me the Way to Love" 4:32 11. "Alabama Blu" 2:48

A Timeless Christmas (Details)	Notes
''A Timeless Christmas'' Type: album Released: 2010 Record label: Famous Records Corp.	No. Title Length 1. "Let It Snow" 4:14 2. "Silent Night" 4:04 3. "Jingle Bells" 3:52 4. "Silver Bells" 3:55 5. "The Christmas Song" 3:51 6. "Winter Wonderland" 4:22 7. "Joy To The World" 3:07 8. "Frosty The Snowman" 2:20 9. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" 3:32 10. "Little Drummer Boy" 3:43 11. "O' Little Town of Bethlehem" 2:32

Groove Symphony (Details)	Note
''Groove Symphony'' Type: Album Released: 2010	No. Title Length 1. "Who Will Save The World" 4:32 2. "All in my Mind" 4:15 3. "So Sexy" 1:35 4. "Money can't buy U Love" 3:24 5. "I got Angels" 2:44 6. "You're the Only One" 4:22 7. "Don't Ask My Neighbour" 3:37 8. "At Last" 4:26

Private Property (Details)	Notes
''Private Property'' Type: album Released: January 22, 2012 Record label: WHATTAGUY MUSIC	No. Title Length 1. "I Do Love You" 3:58 2. "Private Property" 4:21 3. "Let It Begin Tonight" 4:23 4. "Oh No" 3:46 5. "On My Way" 3:39 6. "Baby It's You" 2:45 7. "Can't Get Over You" 4:39 8. "It's You" 3:47 9. "Crazy Love For You" 4.44 10. "I Knew It Was You" 3:54

Singles & EPs

• Rapture Rapp (1980)^[16]
• I Need Lovin (1980)^[17]
• Tide is High (1980)^[18]
• Magic (1981)^[19]
• The Sweetest Thing To Me (1983)^[20]
• Baby It's You (1988)
• Let It Begin Tonight (1988)^[21]
• My Desire (2016)
• Falling Again (2016)^[22]

References

1. Brownstein, Bill (26 July 1986). "Making waves: Silver set to take over Le Portage". The (Montreal) Gazette. p. D6.. Indicates Detroit birthplace with Kingston, Ontario childhood.
2. Brownstein, Bill (4 August 1986). "Silver was a bargain unlikely to be repeated". The (Montreal) Gazette. p. C5. Identified as 24-year-old.
3. "Adoptee Liberty Silver found identity in faith and music". Mississauga.com. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
4. Infantry, Ashante (28 July 2010). "Liberty Silver: A silver anniversary". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
5. Media, Pennant. "The first black woman to receive a Juno Award, Liberty Silver is back once again to take on the Canadian music scene by storm with her brand new album, Groove Symphony – Pennant Media Group". Retrieved 10 February 2021.
6. Barr, Greg (3 February 1989). "Liberty Silver: Unleashing that amazing voice". Ottawa Citizen. p. B3.
7. Centre Stage Chronicles (TV Series 2000– ) - IMDb, retrieved 21 February 2021
8. Nickle, David (30 March 2016). "Rob Ford's daughter Stephanie remembers her dad, now the 'mayor of heaven'". Toronto.com. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
9. "Liberty Silver | Ontario | Music Expo". musicexpo. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
10. "Liberty Silver". TD Niagara Jazz Festival. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
11. Liberty Silver With The Bill King Quartet – Live! In Session (1994, Dolby, Cassette), retrieved 21 February 2021
12. At Last by Liberty Silver, retrieved 21 February 2021
13. A Timeless Christmas, retrieved 21 February 2021
14. eMinor. "Groove Symphony | Liberty Silver". ReverbNation. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
15. Private Property by Liberty Silver, retrieved 21 February 2021
16. Liberty Silver – Rapture Rapp (1980, Vinyl), retrieved 22 February 2021
17. Liberty Silver – I Need Lovin (1980, Vinyl), retrieved 22 February 2021
18. Liberty Silver – Tide Is High (1980, Vinyl), retrieved 22 February 2021
19. Liberty Silver – Magic (1981, Vinyl), retrieved 22 February 2021
20. Liberty Silver – The Sweetest Thing To Me (1983, Vinyl), retrieved 22 February 2021
21. "Liberty Silver - Let It Begin Tonight / On My Way". Discogs. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
22. Falling Again - Single by Liberty Silver, retrieved 22 February 2021

External links

• Liberty Silver on ReverbNation
• Liberty Silver on YouTube