Career
She had a top 40 hit in 1989 in collaboration with the Blow Monkeys and again in 1990/1991 with People’s Will Eat Itself. Born in 1961 in Manchester, England to Ghanaian parents, Tella"s career began as a vocalist for Boney Master in concert only as a back up singer After the group split up, she recorded as a solo artist, initially under the guidance of veteran reggae artist Lloyd Charmers. Her 1981 debut album, Spell, became one of the best-selling lovers rock albums of all time.
In 1983 she provided backing vocals on the Alton Ellis album Daydreaming.
In the late 1980s she had a major success on the United Kingdom reggae chart with "Spell", and contributed to a charity record in aid of victims of Hurricane Gilbert released under the collective name Windjammer. She then collaborated with the Blow Monkeys, having a hit single in 1989 with "Choice" (which reached number 22), and another minor hit with "Slaves Number More" (#73) three months later.
Sylvia provided lead vocals for 92°F on People’s Will Eat Itself"s 1990 European Parliament "Very Metal Noise Pollution" (#45) and subsequent album Cure for Sanity (#33), and backing vocals for the single version of 92°F which reached 22 in the singles charts in 1991. In 1996 she had several successes on the reggae chart both with Vivian Jones, and solo with "Searching Foreign The One" and "Happy Home".
A second album was issued in 2000, recorded mostly in New York City and produced by Sidney Mills of Steel Pulse.
