Sylvia Robinson Jacket and Giannini Acoustic Guitar

Known as the “Godmother of Street Music” for her pivotal role in bringing hip-hop music to the masses, Robinson was also a talented singer and musician. “I was singing since I was about 11 or 12 years old,” Robinson recalled. “I used to go under the name Little Sylvia and would take weekends away from school to do the revue shows and such. Then really it was my brother-in-law who was taking me around to different record companies and so forth when I was a kid, that's how I started. [Later] I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, and as soon as I learned to play guitar, I started writing.”