Joyce Sims obit

Hitmaking R&B singer Joyce Sims dies at age 63

 

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She burst onto the R&B music scene in the 1980s with a powerful voice a string of hits that showed off her songwriting skills. Today we mourn the passing of singer Joyce Sims at age 63, cause of death unknown.

Sims first hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in 1986 with the Kurtis Mantronik-produced “All and All,” but took it to the next level two years later with “Come Into My Life,” a top 10 hit that became Sims’ signature song. She followed with several solid charters over the next few years, including “Lifetime Love,” “Walk Away” and “Looking for a Love.”

Sims was a talented songwriter and pianist who penned most of her hits, but she also proved herself a song stylist, hitting the top 30 with a remake of Barbara Acklin’s “Love Makes a Woman.”

While the hits slowed for Sims by the end of the 90s, she continued to work regularly, performing both R&B and Gospel, and finding a large following in Europe, where she spent much of her time in the ‘10s. And just this summer she released a very nice cover of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love,” that became a SoulTracks First Listen story.

The music world will mourn the passing of this multi-faceted talent whose impact on music was even greater than the mass popularity that she achieved over the past three and a half decades.

In 1986, Sims signed with the now-defunct record label Sleeping Bag Records.[1] Her first hit single was "(You Are My) All and All" in 1986, which was produced by Kurtis Mantronik and reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart. It entered the US Dance Chart at #51; peaking at No. 6.

Sims followed up in 1988 with "Come into My Life" also produced by Kurtis Mantronik which peaked at No. 10 on the US Billboard R&B Chart and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. This became her biggest success, although it was her only top-10 single on the R&B chart. Both "All and All" and her remake of "Love Makes a Woman" with Jimmy Castor were also chart entries.[1] Sims' debut album, Come into My Life, reached No. 22 in the US R&B album chart and No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart following the Top 10 success of the title track in the UK Singles Chart.[3] All songs on the album were written by Sims except for "Love Makes a Woman". Sims' second album, All About Love, was released in 1989 and reached No. 64 in the UK Albums Chart.

In 1994, Sims released the single "Who's Crying Now" on Warlock Records, which absorbed her Sleeping Bag Records contract after purchasing the label in 1992.

In 2006 she released the single "What the World Needs Now is Love," from her album A New Beginning, after teaming up with record producers Junior Vasquez and Glen Frisica.

In 2009, Come into My Life: the Very Best of Joyce Sims, a double-CD of her greatest hits and remixes was released, which includes the original studio versions on the first disc and extended mixes on the second disc. That same year, she formed a record label, August Rose Records, and started work on a new album.

In 2014, Sims released the album Love Song, which includes a duet with reggae vocalist Maxi Priest.

Sims' music can be heard on the soundtrack of the film Species, and her songs have been recorded or sampled by Randy Crawford, Angie Stone, and Snoop Dogg. Sims released "Wishing You Were Here" on her own record label, August Rose Records, and another album, Back in Love Again.