Sly & The Family Stone

Sly & the Family Stone harnessed all the disparate musical and social trends of the late '60s, creating a wild, brilliant fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia, and funk that broke down boundaries without a second thought. Led by <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sly Stone</a>, the Family Stone comprised an interracial mix of men and women, making them the first fully integrated band in rock history. Along with <a href="spotify:artist:7GaxyUddsPok8BuhxN6OUW">James Brown</a>, they brought hard funk into the mainstream and did so with sociopolitical commentary. The Family Stone's arrangements were ingenious, filled with unexpected group vocals, syncopated rhythms, punchy horns, and pop melodies. Their music was joyous, as exemplified by the number one pop hits "Everyday People" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," but as the '60s ended, so did the good times. <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> became disillusioned with the ideals he had been preaching in his music, becoming addicted to drugs in the process. His music gradually grew slower and darker, culminating in 1971's There's a Riot Going On, a chart-topping album that set the pace for funk with its elastic bass, slurred vocals, and militant Black Power stance. <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> was able to turn in one more classic, 1973's Fresh, before his addictions sapped him of his once-prodigious talents. Nevertheless, his music continued to provide the basic template for funk, contemporary R&B, and even hip-hop well into the '90s. Sly & the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Three decades later, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> was the subject of the documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius).

<a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sly Stone</a> (born <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sylvester Stewart</a>, March 15, 1944) and his family moved from his home state of Texas to San Francisco in the '50s. He had already begun to express an interest in music, and when he was 16, he had a regional hit with "Long Time Away." <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> studied music composition, theory, and trumpet at Vallejo Junior College in the early '60s; simultaneously, he began playing in several groups on the Bay Area scene, often with his brother Fred. Soon, he had become a disc jockey at the R&B station KSOL, later switching to KDIA. The radio appearances led to a job producing LPs for Autumn Records. While at Autumn, he worked with a number of San Francisco garage and psychedelic bands, including <a href="spotify:artist:4DQj1q0unpi9KF8jO1Wqks">the Beau Brummels</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2ukLYCAJW8XDlyobhmWQ8x">the Great Society</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5oMWW19j0AXl7Sy4Xn9rmg">Bobby Freeman</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0RMmoLhiIGyaVI6icgcJU9">the Mojo Men</a>.

In 1966, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> formed the Stoners, which featured trumpeter Cynthia Robinson. Though the Stoners didn't last long, he brought Robinson along as one of the core members of his next group, Sly & the Family Stone. Formed in November 1966, the Family Stone also featured Fred Stewart (guitar, vocals), <a href="spotify:artist:6lUcc15t11bnaPr2qOuFs2">Larry Graham, Jr.</a> (bass, vocals), Greg Errico (drums), Jerry Martini (saxophone), and <a href="spotify:artist:26vZVgT8TbCeIsa3oVsjvz">Rosie Stone</a> (piano), who were all of different racial backgrounds. The group's eclectic music and multiracial composition made them distinctive from the numerous flower-power bands in San Francisco, and their first single, "I Ain't Got Nobody," became a regional hit for the local label Loadstone. The band signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Epic+Records%22">Epic Records</a> shortly afterward, releasing their debut album, A Whole New Thing, in 1967. The record stiffed, but the follow-up, Dance to the Music, generated a Top Ten pop and R&B hit with its title track early in 1968. Life followed later in 1968, but the album failed to capitalize on its predecessor's success. "Everyday People," released late in 1968, turned their fortunes back around, rocketing to the top of the pop and R&B charts and setting the stage for the breakthrough success of 1969's Stand!

Featuring "Everyday People," "Sing a Simple Song," "Stand," and "I Want to Take You Higher," Stand! became the Family Stone's first genuine hit album, climbing to number 13 and spending over 100 weeks on the charts. Stand! also marked the emergence of the political bent in <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a>'s songwriting ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey"), as well as the development of hard-edged, improvisational funk like "Sex Machine." The Family Stone quickly became known as one of the best live bands of the late '60s, and their performance at Woodstock was widely hailed as one of the festival's best. The non-LP singles "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" b/w "Everybody Is a Star" became hits, reaching number two and number one, respectively, in late 1969 and early 1970. Both singles were included on Greatest Hits, which became a number two record upon its 1970 release. While the group was at the height of its popularity, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sly</a> was beginning to unravel behind the scenes. Having developed a debilitating addiction to narcotics, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> soon became notorious for arriving late for concerts and frequently missing the shows all together.

<a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a>'s growing personal problems, as well as his dismay with the slow death of the Civil Rights movement and other political causes, surfaced on There's a Riot Goin' On. Though the album shot to number one upon its 1971 release, the record -- including "Family Affair," <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a>'s last number one single -- was dark, hazy, and paranoid, and his audience began to shrink slightly. In 1972, several key members of the Family Stone, including <a href="spotify:artist:6lUcc15t11bnaPr2qOuFs2">Graham</a> and Errico, left; they were replaced by Rusty Allen and Andy Newmark, respectively. The relatively lighter Fresh appeared in 1973, and it went into the Top Ten on the strength of "If You Want Me to Stay." Released the following year, Small Talk was a moderate hit, reaching number 15 on the charts and going gold, but it failed to generate a big hit single. High on You, released in late 1975 and credited only to <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sly Stone</a>, confirmed that his power and popularity had faded. "I Get High on You" reached the R&B Top Ten, but the album made no lasting impact.

Disco had overtaken funk in terms of popularity, and even if <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sly</a> wanted to compete with disco, he wasn't in any shape to make music. He had become addicted to cocaine, his health was frequently poor, and he was often in trouble with the law. His recordings had slowed to a trickle, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Epic%22">Epic</a> decided to close out his contract in 1979 with Ten Years Too Soon, a compilation of previously released material that had the original funky rhythm tracks replaced with disco beats. <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warner+Bros%22">Warner Bros</a> that same year, crafting the comeback effort Back on the Right Track with several original members of the Family Stone, but the record was critically panned and a commercial failure. In light of the album's lack of success, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> retreated even further, eventually joining forces with <a href="spotify:artist:2GVBp7QyHckoOg7rYkLvrA">George Clinton</a> on <a href="spotify:artist:450o9jw6AtiQlQkHCdH6Ru">Funkadelic</a>'s 1981 album The Electric Spanking of War Babies. Following the album's release, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> toured with <a href="spotify:artist:2GVBp7QyHckoOg7rYkLvrA">Clinton</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:4jbdFVscwgzbzxNFmCHjGY">P-Funk All-Stars</a>, which led him to embark on his own tour, as well as a stint with <a href="spotify:artist:0vqkz1b2qBkoYrGMj2CUWq">Bobby Womack</a>. The culmination of this burst of activity was 1983's Ain't But the One Way, an album that was ignored. Later that year, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> was arrested for cocaine possession; the following year, he entered rehab.

<a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:31h3nKJjsutodtNKRj6Joy">Jesse Johnson</a>'s 1986 R&B hit "Crazay." The following year, he duetted with <a href="spotify:artist:2ioCVuqjcRCoQPhEYY0kmg">Martha Davis</a> on "Love & Affection" for the Soul Man soundtrack; he also he recorded "Eek-a-Bo-Static," a single that didn't chart. <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> was arrested and imprisoned for cocaine possession near the end of 1987, and continued to battle his addiction with varying degrees of success. By the 1993 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction of Sly & the Family Stone, he had disappeared from public view. Minus <a href="spotify:artist:6lUcc15t11bnaPr2qOuFs2">Larry Graham</a>, Sly & the Family Stone reunited to briefly play at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2006. He gave a handful of performances over the next several years. In 2011, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> released I'm Back! Family & Friends, featuring new versions of vintage material with appearances from the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:5K0rbdBrs2tNXe5LeWMATT">Bootsy Collins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4lPDIYPFDs5gpcToUczJDs">Ann Wilson</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0AD4odMWVQ2wUSlgxOB5Rl">Jeff Beck</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Stone</a> had released a handful of singles with musician Sal Filipelli by the 2025 release of Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), a documentary directed by <a href="spotify:artist:1h2OVSKRdJHnVqyCKqCLkf">Questlove</a>. A compilation that coincided with the film combined hits, alternate mixes and versions, remixes, and rarities. After years of living with a variety of health issues, particularly lung disease, <a href="spotify:artist:66XuLc224VwkhDVuPMZL9c">Sly Stone</a> died on June 9, 2025. He was 82 years old. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi