Norman Sylvester (Portland) plays R & B music, and comes from a small town in Louisiana, where his father sang in a gospel quartet, The Spiritual Five. Sylvester grew up singing in church choirs and later learned to play the guitar from Isaac Scott in Portland. His band, The Norman Sylvester Band, has been a mainstay in the region’s R&B scene for more than 30 years.
Bio
Norman Sylvester plays R & B music in the Portland Metro. Sylvester was born in Bonita, Louisiana on the Arkansas border, where he spent the first 12 years of his life. His mother was a beautician and his father sang in an a cappella gospel group, The Spiritual Five. The group traveled the Missionary Baptist circuit singing in community churches. Following in the family tradition, Sylvester also sang in the church choir, where he developed a musical foundation that would serve him the rest of his life. The Sylvester family eventually settled in Portland where Sylvester attended Jefferson High School. Sylvester’s father bought him his first guitar for his high school graduation. At church he met Isaac Scott who taught him the basics on the guitar—the minor pentatonic scale, snapping the strings, and picking with his fingernails instead of a guitar pick. Sylvester also listened to music on the radio and imitated his favorites, always trying to find and nail down the perfect tone. Blues and rhythm and blues artists greatly influenced his playing. Sylvester’s first gig was with a small group of high school friends. He played in several bands before starting his own, the Norman Sylvester Band, in 1986. Over the years, Sylvester was the opening act for several “big name acts,” including twice for B.B. King, whom he greatly admired. When his day job ended in 1990, he dedicated himself to playing music full time and living his dream. In 2011, Sylvester was voted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, and in 2015 he received the Best R&B Band award from the Cascade Blues Association.
