A Sacramento native, Silva began her musical career in McClatchy High School's Concert Choir, which was number one in Northern California for two consecutive years. Just out of high school, she landed a choice spot with Sly Stone in the mid-70s, singing Co-lead and background vocals. She apparently was discovered by Sly's trumpet player Cynthia Robinson who saw Dawn singing in her garage one day.
Silva's work with Stone brought her into contact with the Who's Who of rhythm and blues, funk and country music, including Billy Preston, Tower of Power, Tom Jones, Helen Reddy, Doris Day, the Jackson Five and others.
Fate moved Silva full swing into the funk arena when Stone decided to drop out of his supporting slot on the Parliament-Funkdadelic U.S.Tour. P-Funk director George Clinton asked Silva to be a part of Parliament-Funkadelic, a movement that was just about to make its creative and commercial ascendancy.
Silva worked with the P-Funk organization for six years, touring and then recording a string of gold and platinum records. Clinton used Silva and vocalist Lynn Mabry (Sly Stone's cousin) to spin off a girl funk group called the Brides of Funkenstein, whose debut album, Funk or Walk, was released for Atlantic in 1978.
"Singing background for Parliament-Funkedelic, I probably would have been satisfied doing that for the rest of my life," said Silva, "then one day George came up to me and said he was putting a female group together. I said, 'That's nice George...Which girls are you gonna get?' He says, 'It's gonna be you and Lynn. 'And I just freaked...He signed us to Atlantic Records."
The Brides won a Rhythm and Blues nomination for Best New Female Artist. Plus their unprecedented popularity landed them spots on tours with Grace Jones, the Bus Boys, Was Not Was, Talking Heads, and others in the early 80s.
After the Brides broke up, Silva moved on to work with the Gap Band, touring with them for six years in the 1980s. She also toured with Patti LaBelle, The O'Jays, The Isley Brothers, New Edition, and Rick James. Silva later signed a solo recording contract with Polygram Records. Due to internal problems, Polygram never released the album.
Silva then worked with blues legends B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland, which allowed her to connect with pop duo Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox, known collectively as the Eurythmics. That connection led to Silva being featured on the flip side of the Annie Lennox-Al Green duet "Put A Little Love in Your Heart."
Silva's studio work has also included rappers such as Ice Cube and Coolio, including the soundtrack for Boyz In The Hood and a European tour with Ice Cube.
Recently, a two-week job at the Canadian Film Festival in Toronto turned into a thirteen-month stay for Silva. Similarly, a two-week stint with the world renowned Platters turned into an ongoing worldwide tour taking Silva to Brazil, Argentina, China, and Europe.
Silva says, "I like taking funk, rock 'n roll, and R&B and mixing it all together like a steamy melting pot. Who's says rock can't play funk, funk can't play rock. It's all about perception."
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