Kokomo's country star is releasing a children's album

Jan. 22—A few decades ago, Kokomo-born Sylvia Hutton was visiting the Tennessee property where her grandfather once lived. Stepping off the porch of the abandoned white farmhouse, she noticed a pinkish-red piece of plastic poking out of the dirt.

Upon inspection, she realized it was the same toy pony she played with when she was young. The miniature horse had teeth marks on its legs where she used to chew on it.

Fast-forward to today, and the country musician — who prefers to record and perform under just her first name — is preparing to release her new album, "Nature Child — A Dreamer's Journey" through her self-made label, Red Pony Records.

The Grammy-nominated artist said she considers the new record to be a concept album. Each song is able to stand on its own, but listening to it from start to finish is meant to take the listener on a journey through a magical realm.

"'Nature Child' is really kind of a 'coming home' to our connection to the earth and to ourselves, to who we truly are. And that's really, to me, the dreamer's journey. We're all born with gifts in this life," Sylvia said.

The album will be released on major digital platforms on Tuesday, Feb. 22 — or 2/2/22, otherwise referenced as Two's Day. The album will also be available for preorder on Bandcamp and Amazon on Feb. 9.

The idea for the project began 34 years ago.

During the waning of her days with RCA, she began to look back to time spent touring. For a decade, she said, she had spent over 250 days a year on tour. One of the most surprising things she remembered was all the children who came to her shows.

"When I looked back, I felt this tinge of sadness that I didn't really have music that I would really want to be sang to kids, that was affirming of who they are, and that they're loved for who they are, not for what they do," Sylvia said.

She started writing songs for the album with Verlon Thompson, another singer/songwriter, around that time, but life got in the way. She didn't start recording the album until 2019.

She doesn't mind that the record took three years to record, though.

"If it had come out years ago, I wouldn't have been grown up enough, or mature enough in some ways, to make the record that I've made," Sylvia said.

In fact, four of the album's songs were written in 2020 with the help of John Mock, who also co-produced the album. "Dancing Over An Emerald Isle," "Home Is," "(Hey, Hey, Hey) It's A New Day" and the album's title track, "Nature Child," were all co-written by Mock. He would write and record guitar for the songs, then Sylvia would live with the music until the lyrics began to emerge.

The album was recorded in Mock's home studio in Nashville.

Sylvia said the team was really getting into full swing in March 2020 when the COVID pandemic forced them to take a break. They returned, wearing masks, after getting vaccinated and tried to minimize the number of artists in the recording studio.

Slowing down and minimizing their exposure to other musicians forced Sylvia and Mock to get creative. Instead of bringing in backup singers to add harmonic texture, Sylvia recorded her own backup and experimented with effects to shape an ethereal-sounding background.

"It's funny," Sylvia said. "It's like when you kind of dance with whatever's happening in your life, instead of opposing it or wishing it was different than it is, it's amazing how life can just find its way in a real beautiful way."

Also included on the album is Sylvia's previously released "Every Time A Train Goes By." In a 2017 interview with the Tribune, she said the song is about a true story based on her childhood in Kokomo.

Living near train tracks as a child, Sylvia used to be afraid of the cacophonous locomotives that barreled past the trailer park she lived in. Then, one day she realized that although the trains were scary, they didn't bring any harm.

She went outside the next time a train rolled by and found that she felt better for having faced her fears.

Later, Sylvia remembered living on Ohio Street, which was near the Delco Electronics factory both of her parents worked at. They made car radios for General Motors, and Sylvia likes to joke that they were in the music business before she was.

Although she now calls Nashville her home, Sylvia still visits Kokomo fairly regularly. Her mother and sister still live here.

Some parts of town, Sylvia said, have changed.

For example, she remembers when the land at Markland Mall was used for farmland. Her old stomping grounds on Ohio Street also feel time-worn. The playful children she remembers crowding the street and sidewalks have grown up. She suspects some even have grandchildren to bring back to the area.

"I almost always try to drive down Ohio Street when I come back. Just check it out," Sylvia said.

After graduating from Northwestern High School, she decided to move to Tennessee, where her father is from. She had always wanted a job in the music industry, but didn't want to move to a big city like New York or Los Angeles. She was also drawn to Nashville for its connection to country music.

Sylvia said she was drawn to the genre, listening to artists like Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. But she also loves country music for its ability to convey stories.

Although she received piano lessons for six years when she was young, Sylvia said didn't begin singing lessons until she moved to Nashville. She met with her voice teacher, Gerald Arthur, at 11:30 a.m. every Wednesday for 32 years.

"But it was more than voice," Sylvia said. "I learned so much about life and about myself and grew in confidence as a singer."

Arthur would often stop her during a lesson to ask what a passage of the song was really about and how she could relate to it. If you tell the story, it all falls into place.

Sylvia continued to attend her lessons with Arthur when she took a break from being a professional musician.

She graduated from the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara, California, in 2002 with a certificate in career and life coaching. She juggled her careers as a coach and musician while working on the album.

Although nothing is set in stone yet, Sylvia hopes to bring the new family album on tour — aiming for more intimate venues like local libraries, schools or small theaters instead of the stadiums she once played. You can keep an eye out for concert announcements on her website, sylviamusic.com.

She plans on performing in Kokomo during the tour.

"Sometimes, you know, you're not always accepted fully in your hometown. But that's not been my case," Sylvia said. "Kokomo has been behind me all the way, and it's really meant a lot."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.