Pioneering New York Dolls punk guitarist Sylvain Sylvain was born Sylvain
Mizrahi on February 14, 1951 in Cairo, Egypt. As a teenager he played with
future New York Dolls bandmates Billy Murcia, Arthur Kane, and Johnny Thunders.
After the group’s tumultuous run from 1971-1977, only Sylvain and singer David
Johansen were still in the group, and they decided to abandon the name. He
played on Johansen’s early solo albums, and finally recorded his own self-titled
LP in 1980. Sylvain Sylvain sounded like a tribute to the 50s rock and roll that
laid at the heart of the songs Sylvain ha...