Mickey Baker was a music instructor and Sylvia Vanderpool one of his pupils when Baker was inspired to form the group by the success of Les Paul & Mary Ford.
They had a Top 20 hit with the Bo Diddley and Jody Williams-penned single Love Is Strange in 1956. The duo eventually bought their own nightclub, established a publishing company, and formed their own record label.
Although Mickey & Sylvia disbanded by the end of the 1950s, they continued to record together on an infrequent basis until 1965, when Mickey quit the music industry.
Sylvia had a hit record in 1973 with Pillow Talk and was subsequently a driving force in the creation of the Sugar Hill rap label (she was a founder and the CEO). She died on 29 September 2011, aged 76.
Baker died at his home in Montastruc-la-Conseillère, France on 27 November 2012, aged 87.
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