Meet Sylvester James, Letha Weaver

Sylvester, an African-American of the middle class who was born in Watts, Los Angeles, discovered his passion for singing through his Pentecostal church’s gospel chorus. Following the congregation’s rejection of his homosexuality, he left the church and became friends with a group of black cross-dressers and transgender women who went by the name of the Disquotays.

At the age of 22, Sylvester relocated to San Francisco and joined the avant-garde drag group the Cockettes. He embraced the counterculture and created solo performances for their performances that drew significantly on female blues and jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker.

Sylvester James’ parents: Meet Sylvester James, Letha Weaver

Sylvester James was born into a middle-class household on September 6, 1947, in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His mother, Letha Weaver, was an African-American who was raised in a moderately well-off family who owned their farms close to Palestine, Arkansas.

Gertha Weaver, Letha’s real mother, was unmarried and too ill to care for her kid; as a result, Letha was adopted by Gertha’s sister Julia, also known as JuJu to the family.

His mother, stepfather Robert Hurd, and five siblings—John James, Larry James, Bernadette Jackson, Bernadine Stevens, and Alonzo Hurd—all contributed to his upbringing. About his biological father, there is little information.

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