Biography

Like railroad tracks, two musical genres—swing and folk—have coursed in parallel lines through Sylvia Herold's career.

At 16, she joined her first Irish band. At 20, drawn by the vibrant music scene, she left Los Angeles for San Francisco. Her first swing harmony group, the Android Sisters, appeared regularly on local public radio.

In the mid '80s, she joined a new swing trio that would flourish for the next 16 years: Cats & Jammers. The trio formed with Tony Marcus and Piper Heisig featured lush vocal harmony and natty vintage clothing, playing major festivals and recording four albums.

Concurrently, Herold continued playing folk music and led a double life: feathered and sequined swing diva one night and scruffy Irish guitarist/chanteuse the next. She toured with noted Irish musicians such as James Kelly, Noel Hill, Joe Burke and Paddy Reynolds. At the same time, she worked for five years as a guitarist and singer in The Hot Club of San Francisco and recorded two albums with that band.

In 2002, Herold was enlisted into Wake the Dead, a concept band blending traditional Celtic music with the songs of the Grateful Dead. The group now has three albums to its credit and has performed at venues such as the Fillmore Auditorium, Oregon Country Fair, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and Sugar Bowl Music Festival.

Parallel lines also wend through Herold's solo recording career. A Bowl of Crystal Tears (1997) features ballads from the British Isles. A Mockingbird Sings in California (2001) freely mixes nature-themed swing and folk songs. In 2005, Sylvia Herold & Euphonia recorded Lovely Nancy, folk songs from the British Isles and America. Euphonia’s The Old Jawbone (2009) melds old and new Americana songs and tunes. Herold's newest album, The Spider and the Fly (2012), is pure swing, with lush harmony vocals.