Gaynor was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Queenie May Proctor and Daniel Fowles. Gaynor's grandmother always lived nearby and was involved in her upbringing. "There was always music in our house," Gaynor wrote in her autobiography, I Will Survive. She enjoyed listening to the radio, and to records by Nat "King" Cole and Sarah Vaughan. Her father played the ukulele and guitar and sang professionally in nightclubs with a group called Step 'n' Fetchit. Her brothers sang gospel and formed a quartet with a friend. Gaynor was not allowed to sing with the all-male group, nor was her younger brother, Arthur, because he was too young. Arthur later acted as a tour manager for Gaynor. The family was relatively poor, but Gaynor recalls the house being filled with laughter and happiness, and the dinner