It's about a larger than life character named 'Sly Stone' that was created over 40 years ago, whose purpose was to 'make us smile.' And when the Stewart family is in control of the character known as 'Sly Stone', it makes us smile.- However when other people control the character known as 'Sly Stone', it often makes us cry. Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco.Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music.Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's brother and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, sister and singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson. Sly Stone just scored $5 million thanks to a L.A. Jury, which ruled the psychedelic funk singer was done wrong by a former manager who pilfered his fortune. When Sly was on the skids, his former. In June 1983, Sly was arrested in Fort Myers, Fla., and charged with cocaine possession. His life did not improve. For a decade, “He recorded, but nothing ever happened,” says Fred. Seventies funk and soul icon Sly Stone, who has been living in a van for years, has just been awarded $5m in damages. The 71-year-old musician sued his former manager and lawyer after being.

1. What Happened To Sly Stone's Neck
2. Sly And The Family Stone Albums
3. Whatever Happened To Sly Stone
4. What Happened To Sly Stone Neck
5. Whatever Happened To Sly Stone
6. What Happened To Sly Stone
7. Where Is Sly Stone Today
8. How Old Is Sly Stone

Sly & the Family Stone’s 10th and final album, 1982’s “Ain’t But the One Way,” flopped. Stone kept his word and mostly vanished. He was arrested a few times in the 1980s for cocaine.

Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's brother and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, sister and singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Greg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham. It was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, male and female lineup.^[1]

Formed in 1966, the group's music synthesized a variety of disparate musical genres to help pioneer the emerging 'psychedelic soul' sound.^[2][3] They released a series of Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits such as 'Dance to the Music' (1968), 'Everyday People' (1968), and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' (1969), as well as critically acclaimed albums such as Stand! (1969), which combined pop sensibility with social commentary.^[4] In the 1970s, it transitioned into a darker and less commercial funk sound on releases such as There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and Fresh (1973), proving as influential as their early work.^[5] By 1975, drug problems and interpersonal clashes led to dissolution,^[6] though Sly continued to record and tour with a new rotating lineup under the name 'Sly and the Family Stone' until drug problems forced his effective retirement in 1987.^[7]

The work of Sly and the Family Stone greatly influenced the sound of subsequent American funk, pop, soul, R&B, and hip hop music. Music critic Joel Selvin wrote, 'there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone'.^[8] In 2010, they were ranked 43rd in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time,^[9] and three of their albums are included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

• 1Career
• 2It's not the individual, it's the music (2019)
• 3Awards and tributes

What Happened To Sly Stone's Neck

Career[edit]

Sylvester Stewart was born into the Dallas, Texas, family of K.C. and Alpha Stewart, followers of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) who encouraged musical expression in the household.^[10] After the Stewarts moved to Vallejo, California, the youngest four children (Sylvester, Freddie, Rose, and Vaetta) formed 'The Stewart Four', who released a local 78 RPM single, 'On the Battlefield of the Lord' b/w 'Walking in Jesus' Name', in 1952.

While attending high school, Sylvester and Freddie joined student bands. One of Sylvester's high school musical groups was a doo-wop act called The Viscaynes. The Viscaynes released a few local singles, and Sylvester recorded several solo singles under the name 'Danny Stewart'.

By 1964, Sylvester had become Sly Stone and a disc jockey for San Mateo, California located R&B radio station KSOL, where he included white performers such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in his playlists. During the same period, he worked as a record producer for Autumn Records, producing for San Francisco-area bands such as The Beau Brummels and The Mojo Men. One of the Sylvester Stewart-produced Autumn singles, Bobby Freeman's 'C'mon and Swim', was a national hit.^[11] Stewart recorded unsuccessful solo singles while at Autumn.^[12]

Early years[edit]

In 1966, Sly Stone formed a band called Sly & the Stoners, which included acquaintance Cynthia Robinson on trumpet. Around the same time, Freddie founded a band called Freddie & the Stone Souls, which included Gregg Errico on drums, and Ronnie Crawford on saxophone. At the suggestion of Stone's friend, saxophonist Jerry Martini, Sly and Freddie combined their bands, creating Sly and the Family Stone in November 1966. At first the group was called Sly Brothers and Sisters but after their first gig at the Winchester Cathedral, a night club in Redwood City, California, they changed the name to Sly & the Family Stone. Since both Sly and Freddie were guitarists, Sly appointed Freddie the official guitarist for the Family Stone, and taught himself to play the electronic organ. Sly also recruited Larry Graham to play bass guitar.

Vanetta Stewart wanted to join the band as well. She and her friends, Mary McCreary and Elva Mouton, had a gospel group called The Heavenly Tones. Sly recruited the teenagers directly out of high school to become Little Sister, Sly and the Family Stone's background vocalists.^[13]

After a gig at the Winchester Cathedral, CBS Records executive David Kapralik signed the group to CBS's Epic Records label. The Family Stone's first album, A Whole New Thing, was released in 1967 to critical acclaim, particularly from musicians such as Mose Allison and Tony Bennett.^[14] However, the album's low sales restricted their playing venues to small clubs, and caused Clive Davis and the record label to intervene.^[14][15] Some musicologists believe the Abaco Dream single 'Life And Death In G & A', recorded for A&M Records in 1967 and peaking at #74 in September 1969,^[16] was performed by Sly and the Family Stone.^[17]

Davis talked Sly into writing and recording a record, and he and the band reluctantly provided the single 'Dance to the Music'.^[18] Upon its February 1968 release, 'Dance to the Music' became a widespread ground-breaking hit, and was the band's first charting single, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[19] Just before the release of 'Dance to the Music', Rose Stone joined the group as a vocalist and a keyboardist. Rose's brothers had invited her to join the band from the beginning, but she initially had been reluctant to leave her steady job at a local record store.^[18]

The Dance to the Music album went on to decent sales, but the follow-up, Life, was not as successful commercially .^[20] In September 1968, the band embarked on its first overseas tour, to England. It was cut short after Graham was arrested for possession of marijuana and because of disagreements with concert promoters.^[21]

Stand! (1969)[edit]

In late 1968, Sly and the Family Stone released the single 'Everyday People', which became their first No. 1 hit.^[19] 'Everyday People' was a protest against prejudice of all kinds^[22] and popularized the catchphrase 'different strokes for different folks'.^[23] With its B-side 'Sing a Simple Song', it served as the lead single for the band's fourth album, Stand!, which was released on May 3, 1969. The Stand! album eventually sold more than three million copies; its title track peaked at No. 22 in the U.S. Stand! is considered one of the artistic high points of the band's career.^[24] It contained the above three tracks as well as the songs 'I Want to Take You Higher' (which was the B-side of the 'Stand!' single), 'Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey', 'Sex Machine', and 'You Can Make It If You Try'.^[24]

The success of Stand! secured Sly and the Family Stone a performance slot at the landmark Woodstock Music and Art Festival. They performed their set during the early-morning hours of August 17, 1969; their performance was said to be one of the best shows of the festival.^[15] A new non-album single, 'Hot Fun in the Summertime', was released the same month and went to #2 on the U.S. pop chart (peaking in October, after the summer of 1969 had already ended).^[19] In 1970, following the release of the Woodstock documentary, the single of 'Stand!' and 'I Want to Take You Higher' was reissued with the latter song now the A-side; it reached the Top 40.^[19] The band previewed their Woodstock performance three weeks earlier, when they headlined the Harlem Cultural Festival, frequently dubbed, 'The Black Woodstock,' before tens of thousands of spectators in Mount Morris Park. The full-length television program for which it was filmed never aired.^[25][26]

Internal problems and a change of direction[edit]

With the band's new-found fame and success came numerous problems. Relationships within the band were deteriorating; there was friction in particular between the Stone brothers and Larry Graham.^[27] Epic requested more marketable output.^[28] The Black Panther Party demanded that Sly replace Gregg Errico and Jerry Martini with black instrumentalists and fire manager David Kapralik.^[29][30]

After moving to the Los Angeles area in fall 1969, Sly Stone and his fellow band members became heavy users of illegal drugs, primarily cocaine and PCP.^[31] As the members became increasingly focused on drug use and partying (Sly Stone carried a violin case filled with illegal drugs wherever he went),^[32] recording slowed significantly. Between summer 1969 and fall 1971, the band released only one single, 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' / 'Everybody Is a Star', released in December 1969. 'Thank You' reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970.^[19]

In 1970, Sly Stone spent most of his waking hours on drugs.^[33] He became erratic and moody, and missed nearly a third of the band's concerts that year.^[34] The band did close out the Strawberry Fields Festival near Toronto, Ontario in August but live appearances on television talk shows such as The Mike Douglas Show and The Dick Cavett Show went unpredictably.^[35] Meanwhile, Sly hired his streetwise cohorts, Hamp 'Bubba' Banks and J.B. Brown, as his personal managers; they in turn brought in gangsters such as Edward 'Eddie Chin' Elliott and Mafioso J.R. Valtrano to be Sly's bodyguards. Sly enlisted these individuals to handle his business dealings, to retrieve drugs, and to protect him from those he considered his enemies, some of whom were his own bandmates and staff.^[36] A rift developed between Sly and the rest of the band;^[37] in early 1971, drummer Errico became the first to leave the band for other ventures. He was replaced with a succession of drummers until Sly settled on Gerry Gibson, who only remained with the band for a year before being replaced by Andy Newmark in 1973.

To appease fan demand for new songs, Epic began re-releasing material. A Whole New Thing was reissued with a new cover, and several of the Family Stone's most popular recordings were packaged into the band's first Greatest Hits album. Greatest Hits reached number two on the Billboard 200 in 1970.

Sly And The Family Stone Albums

During this period, Sly Stone negotiated a production deal with Atlantic Records, resulting in his own imprint, Stone Flower Productions. Stone Flower released four singles, including one by R&B artist Joe Hicks, one by a group called 6IX, and two pop Top 40/R&B Top 10 singles by Little Sister: 'You're the One' and 'Somebody's Watching You', a cover of a song from Stand!. For unclear reasons, Sly gradually withdrew his attention from Stone Flower, and the label was closed in 1971. Little Sister's 'Somebody's Watching You' is the first popular recording to feature the use of a drum machine for its rhythm track.^[38]

There's a Riot Goin' On (1971)[edit]

In 1971, Sly and the Family Stone returned with a new single, 'Family Affair', which became a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. 'Family Affair' was the lead single from the band's long-awaited There's a Riot Goin' On.

Instead of the optimistic, rock-laced soul that had characterized the Family Stone's 1960s output, There's a Riot Goin' On was urban blues, filled with dark instrumentation, filtered drum machine tracks, and plaintive vocals representing the hopelessness Sly and many other people were feeling in the early 1970s.^[39][40] The album is characterized by a significant amount of tape hiss – the result of Sly's extensive re-recording and overdubbing during production.^[41] Allegedly, most of the album's instrumentation is performed by Sly alone, who enlisted the Family Stone for some of the additional instrumental parts and friends such as Billy Preston, Ike Turner, and Bobby Womack for others.^[42] '(You Caught Me) Smilin' and 'Runnin' Away' were also released as singles, and performed well on the charts.

After the release of Riot, additional lineup changes took place. In early 1972, reacting to Jerry Martini's probing about his share of the band's earnings, Sly hired saxophonist Pat Rizzo as a potential replacement^[43] though both ended up remaining in the band.^[43] Later that year, the tension between Sly Stone and Larry Graham reached its peak. A post-concert brawl broke out between the Graham and Sly entourages; Bubba Banks and Eddie Chin, having heard that Larry had hired a hit man to kill Sly, assaulted Graham's associates.^[44] Graham and his wife climbed out of a hotel window to escape, and Pat Rizzo gave them a ride to safety.^[44] Unable to continue working with Sly, Graham immediately quit the Family Stone and went on to start Graham Central Station, a successful band in the same vein as Sly and the Family Stone.^[45] Graham was replaced in the interim by Bobby Womack, and then by nineteen-year-old Rusty Allen.^[44]

Fresh (1973) and Small Talk (1974)[edit]

Despite the loss of the original rhythm section and Sly's escalating cocaine use, the band's next album, Fresh, was released in 1973. By this time, Sly's sound had become more stripped down, yet more syncopated and rhythmically complex.^[46] Sly obsessively overdubbed the masters, as he had done with Riot.^[47] Although the record received mixed reviews at its release and did not attract the attention enjoyed by the band's earlier work, Fresh has become recognized as one of the most important funk albums ever made.^[46] Rose Stone sang lead on a gospel-styled cover of Doris Day's 'Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)', and the single 'If You Want Me to Stay' became a Top 20 hit in the U.S.^[19] Its follow-up, Small Talk, was released in 1974 to mixed reviews and low sales.^[48][49] The first Small Talk single, 'Time For Livin', became the band's final Top 40 hit single. 'Loose Booty', the second single, peaked at No. 84.

Dissolution[edit]

During the 1970s, Sly or another of the band members would often miss a gig, refuse to play, or pass out from drug use, impacting their live bookings.^[50] At many gigs, concert-goers rioted if the band failed to appear or if Sly walked out before finishing his set. Ken Roberts became the group's promoter, and later their general manager, when other representatives would not work with the band because of their erratic attendance.^[51] In January 1975, the band booked itself at Radio City Music Hall. The famed music hall was only one-eighth filled, and Sly and company had to scrape together money to return home.^[52] Following the Radio City engagement, the band was dissolved.^[52]

Rose Stone was pulled out of the band by Bubba Banks, who was then her husband. She began a solo career, recording a Motown-style album under the name Rose Banks in 1976. Freddie Stone joined Larry Graham's group, Graham Central Station, for a time; after collaborating with his brother one last time in 1979 for Back on the Right Track, he retired from the music industry and eventually became the pastor of the Evangelist Temple Fellowship Center in Vallejo. Little Sister was also dissolved; Mary McCreary married Leon Russell and worked with him on music projects.^[53] Andy Newmark became a successful session drummer, playing with Roxy Music, B. B. King, Steve Winwood and others.^[54]

Sly Stone's later career[edit]

Sly recorded two more albums for Epic: High on You (1975) and Heard You Missed Me, Well I'm Back (1976). High On You was billed as a Sly Stone solo album; Heard You Missed Me was a Sly and the Family Stone album in name only. Although Sly continued to collaborate with some of the original Family Stone members on occasion, the actual band no longer existed. Sly played most of the instruments on record himself; he maintained a band to support him for live shows. Among his main collaborators were Cynthia Robinson and Pat Rizzo from the Family Stone, and background vocalists Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva, who parted with Sly in 1977 and formed The Brides of Funkenstein in 1978. Epic released Stone from his contract in 1977, and in 1979 released 10 Years Too Soon, a remix album featuring disco versions of the 1960s Family Stone hits.

Sly signed with Warner Bros. and recorded Back on the Right Track (1979). Although the album featured contributions from Freddie and Rose Stone, Sly remained unable to return to the success of his late '60s and early '70s fame.^[7] He toured with George Clinton and Funkadelic during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and also appeared on the 1981 Funkadelic album The Electric Spanking of War Babies. That year, Clinton and Sly began work on a new Sly Stone album; however, recording halted when Clinton and Funkadelic disputed with and left Warner Bros. Records in late 1981.^[55] When Sly disappeared into seclusion, producer Stewart Levine completed the album, which was released as Ain't But the One Way in 1982. The album sold poorly and received mixed critical reception, but Sly made an appearance on Late Night With David Letterman that year.^[55] Overcome by drug addictions, Sly Stone toured the United States with various backup acts. In June 1983 in Ft. Meyers, Florida, he was arrested on drug possession and entered court-ordered drug rehabilitation in 1983. Once released Sly continued sporadically releasing new singles and collaborations until a 1987 arrest and conviction for cocaine possession and use. Afterwards, he stopped releasing music.

In 1992, Sly and the Family Stone appeared on the Red Hot Organization's dance compilation album, Red Hot + Dance, contributing an original track,'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Todds CD Mix).' The album attempted to raise awareness and money in support of the AIDS epidemic, and all proceeds were donated to AIDS charities.

On August 16, 2011, the album I'm Back! Family & Friends was released. The album features re-recorded versions of Sly and the Family Stone's greatest hits with guest appearances from Jeff Beck, Ray Manzarek, Bootsy Collins, Ann Wilson, Carmine Appice, and Johnny Winter, as well as three previously unreleased songs.

One month later, on September 25, 2011, the New York Post reported that Sly Stone was now homeless and living out of a white camper-van in Los Angeles: 'The van is parked on a residential street in Crenshaw, the rough Los Angeles neighborhood where 'Boyz n the Hood' was set. A retired couple makes sure he eats once a day, and Stone showers at their house.'^[56]

Whatever Happened To Sly Stone

It's not the individual, it's the music (2019)[edit]

'There's no way anyone could ever fill Sylvester Stewart's spot, it's impossible, but what you want to do is get the picture that he was trying to paint and get that over to as many people as you can and keep it going,' Jerry 'Papa J' Martini^[57]

Early years[edit]

Sly Stone produced for and performed with black and white musicians during his early career, and he integrated music by white artists into black radio station KSOL's playlist as a DJ. Similarly, the Sly and the Family Stone sound was a melting pot of many influences and cultures, including James Brown funk, Motownpop, Stax soul, Broadway showtunes, and psychedelicrock music.^[7]Wah-wah guitars, distorted fuzzbasslines, church-styled organ lines, and horn riffs provided the musical backdrop for the vocals of the band's four lead singers.^[20][24] Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Larry Graham, and Rose Stone traded off on various bars of each verse, a style of vocal arrangement unusual and revolutionary at that time in popular music.^[58] Cynthia Robinson shouted ad-libbed vocal directions to the audience and the band; for example, urging everyone to 'get on up and 'Dance to the Music' and demanding that 'all the squares go home!'^[59]

The lyrics for the band's songs were often pleas for peace, love, and understanding among people. These calls against prejudice and self-hate were underscored by the band's on-stage appearance. Caucasians Gregg Errico and Jerry Martini were members of the band at a time when integrated performance bands were virtually unknown; integration had only recently become enforced by law. Females Cynthia Robinson and Rosie Stone played instruments onstage, rather than just providing vocals or serving as visual accompaniment for the male members.^[60] The band's gospel-styled singing endeared them to black audiences; their rock music elements and wild costuming—including Sly's large Afro and tight leather outfits, Rose's blond wig, and the other members' loud psychedelic clothing—caught the attention of mainstream audiences,^{[unreliable source?][61]} and helped the group enjoy success as a pop act.^[62]

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Although 'Dance to the Music' was the band's only hit single until late 1968, the impact of that single and the Dance to the Music and Life albums reverberated across the music industry.^[58] The smooth, piano-based 'Motown sound' was out; 'psychedelic soul' was in,^[58] and the band would become a leading exponent of the sound.^[2][3] Rock-styled guitar lines similar to the ones Freddie Stone played began appearing in the music of artists such as The Isley Brothers ('It's Your Thing') and Diana Ross & the Supremes ('Love Child'). Larry Graham invented the 'slapping technique' of bass guitar playing, which became synonymous with funk music.^[45] Some musicians changed their sound completely to co-opt that of Sly and the Family Stone, most notably Motown in-house producer Norman Whitfield, who took his main act The Temptations into 'psychedelic soul' territory starting with the Grammy-winning 'Cloud Nine' in 1968.^[63] The early work of Sly and the Family Stone was also a significant influence on the music of Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5 and soul/hip-hop groups such as George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Arrested Development, and The Black Eyed Peas.^[64]

Later work[edit]

The later work of Sly and the Family Stone was as influential as the band's early work. There's a Riot Goin' On, Fresh, and Small Talk are considered among the first and best examples of the matured version of funk music, after prototypical instances of the sound in the band's 1960s work.^[7][65] A 2003 article for Rolling Stone commented; 'Sly and the Family Stone created a musical utopia: an interracial group of men and women who blended funk, rock and positive vibes.. Sly Stone ultimately discovered that his utopia had a ghetto, and he brilliantly tore the whole thing down on There's a Riot Goin' On, which does not refute the joy of his earlier music.'^[66] In a retrospective review, Zeth Lundy of PopMatters called There's a Riot Goin' On 'a challenging listen, at times rambling, incoherent, dissonant, and just plain uncomfortable' with 'some episodic moments of pop greatness to be found' and viewed it as a radical departure from the band's previous work:

[It] sank their previously burgeoning idealism at a time when social disillusionment was all the rage. Sly had found something else to take him higher and, as a result, Riot is a record very much informed by drugs, paranoia, and a sort of halfhearted malcontent [..] listening to it isn't exactly a pleasurable experience. It's significant in the annals of pop and soul because it is blunt and unflinching, because it reflects personal and cultural crises in a manner unbecoming for pop records at the time. Riot can be classified as avant-soul only after being recognized as a soul nightmare—the 'nightmare', so to speak, being a reflection of an unfortunate and uncompromised reality, not a glossed-over pop-music approximation of reality.^[67]

Writer Colin Larkin described the album as 'unlike anything heard before in black music'.^[68]Herbie Hancock was inspired by Sly's new funk sound to move towards a more electric sound with his material,^[69] resulting in Head Hunters (1973). Miles Davis was similarly inspired by the band and worked with Sly Stone on his recordings, resulting in On the Corner; the sartorial and band lineup changes hallmarked jazz fusion.^[70] Davis was particularly impressed with material from Stone's 1973 album Fresh.^[71] British musician and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno cited Fresh as having heralded a shift in the history of recording, 'where the rhythm instruments, particularly the bass drum and bass, suddenly [became] the important instruments in the mix.'^[72] Artists such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Outkast, Chuck D, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and John Mayer have also shown significant inspiration from the post-1970 work of Sly and the Family Stone.^[73][74]

Awards and tributes[edit]

Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The original members of the Family Stone were in attendance, except Sly. Just as the band took the podium to receive their awards, Sly suddenly appeared. He accepted his award, made some very brief remarks ('See you soon'), and disappeared from public view.^[75] In December 2001, Sly and the Family Stone were awarded the R&B Foundation Pioneer Award. Two Family Stone songs, 'Dance to the Music' and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)', are among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked them 43rd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[76]

A Sly and the Family Stone tribute album, Different Strokes by Different Folks, was released on July 12, 2005 by Starbucks' Hear Music label. The project features cover versions of the band's songs, songs which sample the original recordings, and songs that do both. The artists included The Roots ('Star', which samples 'Everybody Is a Star'), Maroon 5 ('Everyday People'), John Legend, Joss Stone & Van Hunt ('Family Affair'); the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am ('Dance to the Music'), and Steven Tyler and Robert Randolph ('I Want to Take You Higher'). Epic Records' version of the tribute album (with two additional covers: 'Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey' and 'Thank You (Faletinme Be Mice Elf Again)') was released on February 7, 2006. The version of 'Family Affair' won the 2007 R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy.^[77]

The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007.^[78]

2006 Grammy Awards tribute[edit]

A Sly and the Family Stone tribute took place at the 2006 Grammy Awards on February 8, 2006. The original plan, to have been a surprise for audiences, was to feature a reunion performance by the original Sly and the Family Stone lineup as the highlight of the tribute. However, the Grammy Award show's producers were worried that Sly Stone, who missed some of the rehearsals and belatedly arrived for others, would miss the show.^[79]

The tribute began halfway through the Grammy Awards ceremony, and was introduced by comedian Dave Chappelle. It featured Nile Rodgers, Joss Stone, Van Hunt, and John Legend performing 'Family Affair'; Fantasia and Devin Lima performing 'If You Want Me to Stay'; Adam Levine and Ciara performing 'Everyday People'; will.i.am performing 'Dance to the Music'; and Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith with Robert Randolph performing 'I Want to Take You Higher'.^[80]

After the first half of 'I Want to Take You Higher', the Family Stone took the stage alongside the other musicians, and Tyler called backstage 'Hey, Sly; let's do it the way we used to do it!' Sporting a blonde mohawk hairdo, sunglasses, and a silver lamé suit, Sly Stone emerged and contributed vocals and keyboards to a continuation of 'I Want To Take You Higher.' Three minutes into the performance, Sly tossed a wave to the audience and exited the stage, leaving the Family Stone and the guest performers to complete the number alone.^[79]

Sly's unusual appearance and brief performance garnered highly mixed reviews and was covered throughout the press. An Associated Press report referred to Sly as the 'J. D. Salinger of funk' and simply referred to the performance as being 'bizarre'.^[79]MTV News was much less complimentary: 'The Grammy performance—Sly's first with the original Family Stone since 1971—was a halting, confused affair and a complete disservice to his music.'^[34] Another AP report stated that 'nineteen years after his last live performance, Sly Stone proved he's still able to steal the show.'^[81]

Members[edit]

This listing features the lineup from 1967 to 1975. After 1975, the lineup changed with each of the last four Sly and the Family Stone LPs. Personnel appearing on these recordings are credited in the individual album articles for High on You, Heard You Missed Me, Well I'm Back, Back on the Right Track, and Ain't But the One Way.

• Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) (1966–1975): vocals, organ, guitar, bass guitar, piano, harmonica, and more
• Freddie Stone (Frederick Stewart) (1966–1975): vocals, guitar
• Cynthia Robinson (1966–1975): trumpet, vocal ad libs
• Jerry Martini (1966–1975): saxophone
• Little Sister: Vet Stone (Vaetta Stewart), Mary McCreary, and Elva Mouton (1966–1975): background vocals
• Larry Graham (1966–1972): vocals, bass guitar
• Gregg Errico (1966–1971): drums
• Rose Stone (Rose Marie Stewart) (1968–1975): vocals, piano, electric piano
• Gerry Gibson (1971–1972): drums; replaced Gregg Errico
• Pat Rizzo (1972–1975): saxophone
• Rustee Allen (1972–1975): bass; replaced Larry Graham
• Andy Newmark (1973–1974): drums; replaced Gerry Gibson
• Bill Lordan (1974): drums; replaced Andy Newmark
• Sid Page (1973–1974): violin
• Vicki Blackwell (1974–1975): violin
• Jim Strassburg (1974): drums; replaced Bill Lordan
• Adam Veaner (1975): drums; replaced Jim Strassburg
• Dennis Marcellino (1975): saxophone; replaced Pat Rizzo

Discography[edit]

• 1967: A Whole New Thing
• 1968: Dance to the Music
• 1968: Life
• 1969: Stand!
• 1971: There's a Riot Goin' On
• 1973: Fresh
• 1974: Small Talk
• 1975: High on You
• 1976: Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back
• 1979: Back on the Right Track
• 1982: Ain't but the One Way
• 1995: Slyest Freshest Funkiest Rarist Cuts

References[edit]

1. ^'Sly and the Family Stone'. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
2. ^ ^ab'Psychedelic Soul Music Genre Overview'. AllMusic.
3. ^ ^ab'Fresh'. Rolling Stone. November 25, 1999.
4. ^Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Sly and the Family Stone at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 Jan 2005.
5. ^'Sly & the Family Stone Biography & History'. AllMusic.
6. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. xi–xix.
7. ^ ^abcdErlewine, Stephen Thomas . Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
8. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. xi.
9. ^'100 Greatest Artists'. Rolling Stone. December 3, 2010.
10. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 1–4.
11. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 12.
12. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 8–9.
13. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 88; interview with Elva 'Tiny' Moulton.
14. ^ ^abSelvin, Joel (1998), pp. 59–60; interviews with David Kapralik and Jerry Martini.
15. ^ ^abFotenot, Robert. Profile: Sly and the Family StoneArchived January 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
16. ^Top Pop Singles 1955–1999. Joel Whitburn. 2000. Record Research Inc. p. 3. ISBN0-89820-139-X
17. ^Santiago, Eddie. (2008) Sly: The Lives of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone.ISBN1-4357-0987-X, 9781435709874. page 70.
18. ^ ^abSelvin, Joel (1998), p. 60; interview with Jerry Martini.
19. ^ ^abcdef'Sly and the Family Stone: Billboard Singles'. All Media Guide, LLC. 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
20. ^ ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas . Review for Life by Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
21. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 68; interview with Jerry Martini.
22. ^Greenwald, Matthew. Review of 'Everyday People' by Sly and the Family Stone. Allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-03.
23. ^Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 57.
24. ^ ^abcErlewine, Stephen Thomas . Review for Stand! by Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
25. ^'Parks and Recreation: Harlem at a crossroads in the summer of '69'(PDF). Poverty & Race. Poverty and Race Research Action Council. June 2017.
26. ^'Hal Tulchin, Who Documented a 'Black Woodstock,' Dies at 90'. The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
27. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 107, 146–152.
28. ^Lewis, Miles (2006), pp. 24–25.
29. ^Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 85.
30. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 89; interview with David Kapralik.
31. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 94–98.
32. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 122.
33. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 113–115.
34. ^ ^abAswad, Jem (February 10, 2006). 'Who, Exactly, Is Sly Stone? (That Weird Guy with the Mohawk at the Grammys)'. Mtv.com. Retrieved February 11, 2006.
35. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 120–122.
36. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 99–100, 150–152.
37. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 146–147.
38. ^Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 74.
39. ^Lewis, Miles (2006), pp. 74–75.
40. ^Marcus, Greil (1997) [1975]. Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock'n'Roll Music (4 ed.). New York: Plume. p. 72. ISBN0-452-27836-8.
41. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 115–117.
42. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 115; interview with Stephen Paley.
43. ^ ^abSelvin, Joel (1998), p. 134.
44. ^ ^abcSelvin, Joel (1998), pp. 150–154.
45. ^ ^abAnkeny, Jason. 'Larry Graham'. Allmusic. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
46. ^ ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review for Fresh by Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
47. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 164–167.
48. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 174.
49. ^Sly and the Family Stone: Billboard Singles. All Media Guide, LLC. (2006). Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
50. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 141–145.
51. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 186–189.
52. ^ ^abSelvin, Joel (1998), pp. 188–191.
53. ^Ankeny, Jason. Leon Russell. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
54. ^Credits for Andy Newmark. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
55. ^ ^abBirchmeier, Jason. Review of Ain't But the One Way by Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
56. ^Alkema, Willem. 'Funk legend Sly Stone homeless and living in a van in LA'. New York Post. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
57. ^[1]^{[dead link]}
58. ^ ^abcWilliams and Romanowski (1988), pp. 138–139. Williams discusses Sly and the Family Stone's impact on the R&B industry, and how the group's multiple lead vocals and psychedelic sound inspired 'Cloud Nine' and other such Temptations recordings.
59. ^Sly and the Family Stone (performers), Sylvester Stewart (author). (1968). Dance to the Music (Vinyl recording). New York: Epic/CBS Records.
60. ^Vincent, Rickey (1996). Funk: The Music, the People, and the Rhythm of the One. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN0-312-13499-1.
61. ^^{[unreliable source?]} Kaliss, Jeff. Sly and the Family Stone: 'Different strokes for different folks.'Archived February 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine There1.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-18
62. ^Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee, eds. (2013). 'Rock Music'. Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century. Routledge. ISBN1-5795-8079-3.
63. ^'The Temptations'. 1989 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1989. Archived from the original on November 23, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
64. ^Planer, Lindsay. Review for Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 by The Jackson 5. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
    * Liner notes from Smiling Faces: The Best of Undisputed Truth. New York: Universal/Motown Records. Excerpt: 'Undisputed Truth was one of Motown's boldest acts. They were the brainchild of legendary producer Norman Whitfield, who described them as 'a perfect cross between Sly and the Family Stone and the 5th Dimension.'
    * Erlewine, Stephen Thomas . Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18. Sly Stone later toured and recorded with Funkadelic in the late 1970s/early 1980s
    * Huey, Steve. Arrested Development. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
65. ^Rosen, Dave. Review for There's a Riot Goin' On.Archived September 21, 2008, at the Wayback MachineInk Blot Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-18
66. ^'Music News'. Rolling Stone.
67. ^Lundy, Zeth (April 2, 2007). Review: There's a Riot Goin' On. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-10-16.
68. ^Larkin, Colin (1994). Guinness Book of Top 1000 Albums (1 ed.). Gullane Children's Books. p. 292. ISBN978-0-85112-786-6.
69. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review for Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
70. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 163.
71. ^'Drummerworld: Andy Newmark'. Drummerworld.
72. ^'Brian Eno: 'The Studio as Compositional Tool''. Downbeat.
73. ^Kaliss, Jeff. Sly and the Family Stone: 'Different strokes for different folks.'Archived February 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine There1.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-18 Different Strokes by Different Folks [audio podcast—2 episodes]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-01-18. Michael Jackson, Prince, and Stevie Wonder's inspirations from Sly and the Family Stone are mentioned in this article. The other artists listed are among those who participated in the 2006 Sly and the Family Stone tribute album Different Strokes by Different Strokes, and discuss their participation in the podcast.
74. ^'Outkast'. Rolling Stone.
75. ^Bradbury, Andrew Paine (August 18, 2005). 'Sly Stone Joins Family'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
76. ^'The Immortals: The First Fifty'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
77. ^49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List.Archived July 10, 2009, at the Portuguese Web Archive Grammy.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.
78. ^'Sly & The Family Stone - Inductees - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation'. Web.archive.org. April 2, 2009.
79. ^ ^abcCoyle, Jake (February 8, 2006). 'Reclusive Sly Stone Steps Out at Grammys'. MSN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
80. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2006). Review of the Sly and the Family Stone compilation tribute album Different Strokes by Different Folks. Allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
81. ^Associated Press (February 9, 2006). 'Sly Stone Steals Show At Grammys'. CBS5.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2009.

Bibliography[edit]

• Aronowitz, Al (November 1, 2002). 'The Preacher'. The Blacklisted Journal. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
• Ankeny, Jason (2005). 'Sylvester 'Sly Stone' Stewart Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2005-03-29.
• Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2005). Sly and the Family Stone. Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2005-03-29.
• Lewis, Miles Marshall (2006). There's a Riot Goin' On. 33-1/3. New York: Continuum. ISBN0-8264-1744-2.
• Selvin, Joel (1998). For the Record: Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History. New York: Quill Publishing. ISBN0-380-79377-6.
• Williams, Otis and Romanowski, Patricia (1988, updated 2002). Temptations. Lanham, MD: Cooper Square. ISBN0-8154-1218-5

Further reading[edit]

• Kaliss, Jeff (2008). I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly and the Family Stone. Backbeat Books. ISBN0-87930-934-2.

External links[edit]

• Sly and the Family Stone at AllMusic

>>

Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart, March 15, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, a band that played a critical role in the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s.^[1]

Raised in California, Stone mastered several instruments at an early age and performed gospel music as a child with siblings (and future bandmates) Freddie and Rose. In the mid-1960s, he worked as both a record producer for Autumn Records and a disc jockey for San Francisco radio station KSOL, In 1966, Stone formed Sly & the Family Stone, among the first racially integrated, male and female acts in popular music. The group would score hits such as 'Dance to the Music' (1968), 'Everyday People' (1968), and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' (1969), and acclaimed albums such as Stand! (1969) and There's a Riot Goin' On (1971).

By the mid-1970s, Stone's drug problems and erratic behavior effectively ended the group, leaving him to record several unsuccessful solo albums. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group.^[2]

• 1Biography
• 2Personal life

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

The Stewart family was a deeply religious middle-class household from Denton, Texas. Born March 15, 1943,^[3] before the family had moved from Denton, Texas to Vallejo, California, in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sylvester was the second of the family's five children.

As part of the doctrines of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), to which the Stewart family belonged, the parents – K.C and Alpha Stewart – encouraged musical expression in the household.^[4] Sylvester and his brother Freddie along with their sisters Rose and Vaetta formed 'The Stewart Four' as children, performing gospel music in the Church of God in Christ and even recording a single local release 78 rpm single, 'On the Battlefield' b/w 'Walking in Jesus' Name', in 1952. The eldest sister, Loretta, was the only Stewart child not to pursue a musical career. All of the other Stewart children would later adopt the surname 'Stone' and become members of Sly & the Family Stone.

Sylvester was identified as a musical prodigy. By the time he was seven, Sylvester had already become proficient on the keyboards, and by the age of eleven, he had mastered the guitar, bass, and drums as well.^[3] While still in high school, Sylvester had settled primarily on the guitar and joined a number of high school bands. One of these was the Viscaynes, a doo-wop group in which Sylvester and his friend Frank Arellano—who was Filipino—were the only non-white members. The fact that the group was integrated made the Viscaynes 'hip' in the eyes of their audiences, and would later inspire Sylvester's idea of the multicultural Family Stone. The Viscaynes released a few local singles, including 'Yellow Moon' and 'Stop What You Are'; during the same period, Sylvester also recorded a few solo singles under the name Danny Stewart. With his brother, Fred, he formed several short-lived groups, like the Stewart Bros.^[5]

The nickname Sly was a common one for Sylvester throughout his years in grade school. Early on, a classmate misspelled his name 'Slyvester,' and ever since, the nickname followed him.^[3]

In the mid-1960s, Stone worked as a disc jockey for San Francisco, California, soul radio station KSOL, where he included white performers such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in his playlists. During the same period, he worked as a staff record producer for Autumn Records, producing for San Francisco-area bands such as The Beau Brummels, The Mojo Men, Bobby Freeman, and Grace Slick's first band, The Great Society.

Stone was influential in guiding KSOL-AM into soul music and started calling the station K-SOUL. The second was a popular soul music station (sans the K-SOUL moniker), at 107.7 FM (now known as KSAN). The current KSOL has a different format and is unrelated to the previous two stations. While still providing 'music for your mind, body, and your soul' on KSOL, Sly Stone played keyboard for dozens of major performers including Dionne Warwick, Righteous Brothers, Ronettes, Bobby Freeman, George & Teddy, Freddy Cannon, Marvin Gaye, Dick & Dee Dee, Jan & Dean, Gene Chandler, MANY more, and at least one of the three Twist Party concerts by then chart topper Chubby Checker held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1962 and 1963. The concerts were put together by 'Big Daddy' Tom Donohue and Bobby Mitchell from the then infamous KYA 1260 AM radio station and largely choreographed by Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson who went on to produce many Motown artists including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and some of the top artists of the day.^{[citation needed]}

Adopting the stage name 'Sly Stone,' he then formed 'The Stoners' in 1966 which included Cynthia Robinson on trumpet. With her he started his next band, Sly and the Family Stone. Stone, Robinson, and Fred Stewart were joined by Larry Graham, Greg Errico, and Jerry Martini, all of whom had studied music and worked in numerous amateur groups. Working around the Bay Area in 1967, this multiracial band made a strong impression. On the first recordings Little Sister's Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, and Elva Mouton did backup vocals.^[5] In 1968 sister Rosie Stone (piano and vocals) joined the band.

Sly and the Family Stone's success[edit]

Along with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone were pioneers of late 1960s and early '70s funk. Their fusion of R&B rhythms, infectious melodies, and psychedelia created a new pop/soul/rock hybrid the impact of which has proven lasting and widespread. Motown producer Norman Whitfield, for example, patterned the label's forays into harder-driving, socially relevant material (such as The Temptations' 'Runaway Child' and 'Ball of Confusion') based on their sound. The pioneering precedent of Stone's racial, sexual, and stylistic mix, had a major influence in the 1980s on artists such as Prince and Rick James. Legions of artists from the 1990s forward – including Public Enemy, Fatboy Slim, Beck, Beastie Boys and LL Cool J's popular 'Mama Said Knock You Out' along with many others – mined Stone's seminal back catalog for hook-laden samples.^[5]

'The most talented musician I know is Sly Stone,' Bootsy Collins said in an interview with Mojo. 'He's more talented than anybody I ever have seen – he's amazing. I worked with him in Detroit from 1981 to '83, and to see him just fooling around, playing, jamming, is a whole other trip. He's the most amazing musician.'

After a mildly received debut album, A Whole New Thing (1967), Sly & The Family Stone had their first hit single with 'Dance to the Music', which was later included on an album of the same name (1968). Although their third album, Life (also 1968), also suffered from low sales, their fourth album, Stand! (1969), became a runaway success, selling over three million copies and spawning a number one hit single, 'Everyday People'. By the summer of 1969, Sly & The Family Stone were one of the biggest names in music, releasing two more top five singles, 'Hot Fun in the Summertime' and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' / 'Everybody Is a Star', before the end of the year, and appearing at Woodstock.

After the group began touring following the success of Dance to the Music, The Family Stone drew praise for their explosive live show, which attracted black and white fans in equal measure. When Bob Marley first played in the U.S. in 1973 with his band The Wailers, he opened on tour for Sly and The Family Stone.

Personal problems and decline[edit]

With the band's newfound fame and success came numerous problems. Relationships within the band were deteriorating; there was friction in particular between the Stone brothers and Larry Graham.^[6]Epic requested more marketable output.^[7] The Black Panther Party demanded that Stone make his music more militant and more reflective of the black power movement,^[7] replace Greg Errico and Jerry Martini with black instrumentalists, and replace manager David Kapralik.^[8]

After moving to the Los Angeles area in fall 1969, Stone and his bandmates became heavy users of illegal drugs, primarily cocaine and PCP.^[9] As the members became increasingly focused on drug use and partying (Stone carried a violin case filled with illegal drugs wherever he went),^[10] recording slowed significantly. Between summer 1969 and fall 1971, the band released only one single, 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)'/'Everybody Is a Star', released in December 1969. The former song was one of the first recordings to employ the heavy, funky beats that would be featured in the funk music of the following decade. It showcased bass player Larry Graham's innovative percussive playing technique of bass 'slapping'. Graham later said that he developed this technique in an earlier band in order to compensate for that band's lack of a drummer.^[11]

'Thank You' reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970. The single also peaked at No. 5 on the R&B chart and remained there for five weeks, while also remaining at No. 1 on the Pop chart for two weeks in the spring of 1970, before selling over a million copies.^[12]

Having relocated to Los Angeles with his then girlfriend Deborah King, later Deborah Santana (wife of Carlos Santana from 1973 until filing for divorce in 2007), Stone's behavior became increasingly erratic. Epic was anticipating new material in 1970, but with none forthcoming, finally released Greatest Hits that November. One year later, the band's fifth album, There's a Riot Goin' On, was released. Riot featured a much darker sound as most tracks were recorded with overdubbing as opposed to the Family Stone all playing at the same time as they had done previously. Stone played most of the parts himself and performed more of the lead vocals than usual. This was the first major label album to feature a drum machine.

The band's cohesion slowly began to erode, and its sales and popularity began to decline as well. Errico withdrew from the group in 1971 and was eventually replaced with Andy Newmark. Larry Graham and Stone were no longer on friendly terms, and Graham was fired in early 1972 and replaced with Rustee Allen. The band's later releases, Fresh (1973) and Small Talk (1974), featured even less of the band and more of Stone.

Live bookings for Sly & the Family Stone had steadily dropped since 1970, because promoters were afraid that Stone or one of the band members might miss the gig, refuse to play, or pass out from drug use.^[13] These issues were regular occurrences for the band during the 1970s, and had an adverse effect on their ability to demand money for live bookings.^[13] In 1970, 26 of 80 concerts were cancelled, and numerous others started late. At many of these gigs, concertgoers rioted if the band failed to show up, or if Stone walked out before finishing his set. Ken Roberts became the group's promoter, and later their general manager, when no other representatives would work with the band because of their erratic gig attendance record.^[14] In January 1975, the band booked itself at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The famed music hall was only one-eighth occupied, and Stone and company had to scrape together money to return home.^[15] Following the Radio City engagement, the band was dissolved.^[15]

Rose Stone was pulled out of the band by Bubba Banks, who was by then her husband. She began a solo career, recording a Motown-style album under the name Rose Banks in 1976. Freddie Stone joined Larry Graham's group, Graham Central Station, for a time; after collaborating with his brother one last time in 1979 for Back on the Right Track, he retired from the music industry and eventually became the pastor of the Evangelist Temple Fellowship Center in Vallejo, California. Little Sister was also dissolved; Mary McCreary married Leon Russell and released recordings on Russell's Shelter Records label.^[16] Andy Newmark became a successful session drummer, playing with John Lennon, Roxy Music, B. B. King, Steve Winwood and others.^[17]

Later years[edit]

Stone went on to record four more albums as a solo artist (only High on You (1975) was released under just his name; the other three were released under the 'Sly & The Family Stone' name). In 1976, Stone assembled a new Family Stone and released Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back. 1979's Back on the Right Track followed, and in 1982 Ain't But the One Way was released, which began as a collaborative album with George Clinton, but was scrapped and later completed by producer Stewart Levine for release. None of these later albums achieved much success.

Stone also collaborated with Funkadelic on The Electric Spanking of War Babies (1981), but was unable to reinvigorate his career. In the early 1980s Sly Stone was also part of a George Clinton/Funkadelic family project with Muruga Booker called 'The Soda Jerks,' who recorded an album worth of material, of which only one song has been released. However, Muruga still has plans to release the material from the project.

In June 1983, Stone was arrested and charged with cocaine possession in Fort Myers, Florida.^[18]

Stone managed to do a short tour with Bobby Womack in the summer of 1984, and he continued to make sporadic appearances on compilations and other artists' records. In 1986, Stone was featured on a track from Jesse Johnson's album Shockadelica called 'Crazay'. The music video featured Stone on keyboards and vocals, and received some airplay on the BET music network.

In 1987, Stone released a single, 'Eek-a-Boo Static Automatic', from the Soul Man soundtrack, and the song 'I'm the Burglar' from the Burglar soundtrack. He also co-wrote and co-produced 'Just Like A Teeter-Totter,' which appeared on a Bar-Kays album from 1989.From 1988 to 1989 Sly Stone wrote and produced a collection of unreleased recordings in his home studio in New Jersey, 'Coming Back for More' and 'Just Like A Teeter-Totter' are a part of that collection of about 20 songs.

In 1990, he gave an energetic vocal performance on the Earth, Wind and Fire song, 'Good Time.' In 1991, he appeared on a cover of 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' performed by the Japanese band 13CATS, and shared lead vocals with Bobby Womack on 'When the Weekend Comes' from Womack's 1993 album I Still Love You.

In 1995, ex-landlord Chase Mellon III accused Stone of trashing the Beverly Hills mansion Mellon rented to him in 1993. Mellon says that he found bathrooms smeared with gold paint, marble floors blackened, windows broken and a gaunt Stone emerging from a guest house to say, 'You’re spying on me.' Sly Jr., then studying to be a recording engineer, told People, 'Nobody purposely destroyed the house. I’d thrown parties. My dad had a few get-togethers. We weren't aware of the damage.' The damage, however, was not just superficial. 'Sly never grew out of drugs,' says ex-wife Silva. 'He lost his backbone and destroyed his future.'^[18]

His last major public appearance until 2006 was during the 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony where Stone showed up onstage to be entered into the Hall of Fame along with the Family Stone. In 2003, the other six members of the original Family Stone entered the studio to record a new album. Stone was invited to participate, but declined.

'I feel like Sly just doesn't wanna deal with it no more,' Bootsy Collins told Mojo. 'It's like he's had it – it ain't no fun no more. It's a curse and a blessing. The curse part of it is the business you have to deal with, and then the blessing part is you get to be a musician and have fun…'

A few home-studio recordings (most likely from the late 1980s) with Stone's voice and keyboards over a drum machine have made their way onto a bootleg. One Stone-penned demo called 'Coming Back for More' appears to be autobiographical and includes the verse: 'Been so high, I touched the sky and the sky says 'Sly, why you tryin' to get by?' Comin' back for more.' His son, Sylvester Stewart Jr., told People Magazine in 1997 that his father had composed an album's worth of material, including a tribute to Miles Davis called 'Miles and Miles.'

On August 15, 2005, Stone drove his younger sister Vet Stone on his motorcycle to Los Angeles' Knitting Factory, where Vet was performing with her Sly & the Family Stone tribute band, the Phunk Phamily Affair. Stone kept his helmet on during the entire performance, and was described by one concertgoer as looking a little like Bootsy Collins. A film crew doing a documentary on Sly & the Family Stone, later released as On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone, was at the show and captured this rare sighting on film. Stone, according to his web site, is producing and writing material for the group's new album. In addition, Stone renamed the group 'Family Stone.'

In 2009, the documentary film Coming Back for More detailed his dire financial situation.^[19]

Stone filed suit against Jerry Goldstein, the former manager of Sly and the Family Stone for $50 million in January 2010. The litigation claimed that Goldstein had used fraudulent practices to convince him to deliver the rights to his songs to Goldstein. In the suit, he made the same claim about the Sly and the Family Stone trademark.^[20] Goldstein filed a countersuit for slander following a rant by Stone at the Coachella Festival.^[21] In January 2015, a Los Angeles jury ruled in favor of Stone, awarding him $5 million.^[22] However, in December 2015, a superior court judge ruled that Stone would not be able to collect the royalties because he had previously assigned them to a production company.^[23]

Mid 2000s tributes[edit]

A Sly and the Family Stone tribute took place at the 2006 Grammy Awards on February 8, 2006, at which Stone gave his first live musical performance since 1987. Sly and the original Family Stone lineup (minus Larry Graham) performed briefly during a tribute to the band, for which the headliners included Steven Tyler, John Legend, Van Hunt, Nile Rodgers and Robert Randolph. Sporting an enormous blonde mohawk, thick sunglasses, a 'Sly' beltbuckle and a silver lamé suit, he joined in on 'I Want To Take You Higher.' Hunched over the keyboards, he wore a cast on his right hand (the result of a recent motorcycle mishap), and a hunched back caused him to look down through most of the performance. His voice, though strong, was barely audible over the production. Stone walked to the front of the stage toward the end of the performance, sang a verse and then with a wave to the audience, sauntered offstage before the song was over.^[24] 'He went up the ramp [outside the theater], got on a motorcycle and took off,' Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the Grammy Awards show told the Chicago Sun-Times. Ehrlich said Stone refused to leave his hotel room until he was given a police escort to the show and then waited in his car until the performance began.

A Sly and the Family Stone tribute album, Different Strokes by Different Folks, was released on July 12, 2005 by Starbucks' Hear Music label, and on February 7, 2006 by Epic Records. The project features both cover versions of the band's songs and songs which sample the original recordings. Among the artists for the set are The Roots ('Star', which samples 'Everybody is a Star'), Maroon 5 and Ciara ('Everyday People'), John Legend, Joss Stone and Van Hunt ('Family Affair'), The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am ('Dance to the Music'), and Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Robert Randolph ('I Want to Take You Higher'). Epic Records' version of the tribute album, which included two additional covers ('Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey' and 'Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)') was released in January 2006.^[25]

Re-emergence[edit]

On Sunday, January 14, 2007 Stone made a short guest appearance at a show of The New Family Stone band he supports at the House of Blues.

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On April 1, 2007, Stone appeared with the Family Stone at the Flamingo Las Vegas Showroom, after George Wallace's standup act.^[26]

What Happened To Sly Stone Neck

On July 7, 2007 Stone made a short appearance with the Family Stone at the San Jose Summerfest. He sang 'Sing a Simple Song' and 'If You Want Me to Stay,' and walked off stage before the end of 'Higher'. Stone cut the set short, in part, because the band began their set over 90 minutes late and had to finish before a certain time. While many blamed Stone for this incident, others believed that the promoter was at fault.

The same scenes were repeated at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 13, 2007 with over half the sold-out venue walking out in disgust even earlier than his stage exit. The same happened again one day later at the Blue Note Records Festival in Ghent, Belgium. There he left the stage after saying to the audience that 'when waking up this morning he realized he was old, and so he needed to take a break now'. He did the same again one day later, performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

As the tour progressed, however, Stone seemed to be more confident and animated, often dancing and engaging the audience. He performed 'Stand', 'I Want To Take You Higher', 'Sing A Simple Song', 'If You Want Me To Stay', and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)', which at one point morphed into 'Thank you For Talkin' To Me Africa', a track rarely performed in public. But the show was marred by sound problems and the vocals were barely audible through much of the show.

On October 17, 2008, Sly played with the Family Stone at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, CA. He played a 22-minute set and ventured offstage, telling the crowd 'I gotta go take a piss. I'll be right back.' He never returned.^[27]On Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, Stone re-emerged once again, granting an hour-long interview with KCRW-FM, a Los Angeles NPR affiliate, to discuss his life and career.

On August 18, 2009, The Guardian reported that a forthcoming documentary, Coming Back for More by Dutch director Willem Alkema, claims Stone is homeless and living off welfare while staying in cheap hotels and a camper van. The film alleges that Stone's former manager, Jerry Goldstein, cut off his access to royalty payments following a dispute over a 'debt agreement', forcing Stone to depend on welfare payments.^[28] On September 25, 2011, Alkema wrote in the New York Post that Stone was homeless and living in a van in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles,^[29] although a subsequent report by Roger Friedman of Showbiz411 stated that Stone is not homeless, and lives in the van by choice.^[30]

On Labor Day, September 7, 2009, Stone appeared at the 20th annual African Festival of the Arts in Chicago, Ill. He performed a 15-minute set during George Clinton's performance. He performed his popular hits along with George Clinton's band. He left immediately after his short performance.

On December 6, 2009, Stone signed a new recording contract with the LA-based Cleopatra Records and on August 16, 2011, I'm Back! Family & Friends was released, his first album since 1982's Ain't But the One Way. The album features re-recorded versions of Sly & the Family Stone hits with guest appearances from Jeff Beck, Ray Manzarek, Bootsy Collins, Ann Wilson, Carmine Appice and Johnny Winter, as well as three previously unreleased songs.

Stone has appeared in recent years with George Clinton and performed with his daughter Novena's band, Baby Stone.

In Jan 2015, Sly Stone along with four of his bandmates appeared at a convention dedicated to honoring the band and its legacy. Called LOVE CITY CONVENTION it occurred in Oakland at the Den Lounge inside the Fox Oakland Theater. Sly was in good spirits, answered questions from fans and signed autographs.

Stone sued his former managers in 2010, accusing them of cheating him out of years' worth of royalty payments for the songs he had written. He testified that he had not been paid any royalties between 1989 and 2009. A jury in Los Angeles awarded him $5 million in damages in January 2015, but in December the award was overturned because, the appellate court ruled, the trial judge had not told the jury to take into account the fact Stone had assigned his royalties to a production company in exchange for a 50% ownership stake. In May 2016, Stone's attorneys appealed that decision.^{[31][32][33][34]}

Personal life[edit]

Whatever Happened To Sly Stone

Stone married model-actress Kathy Silva on June 5, 1974 during a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden.^[35] Their outfits were designed by Halston. They made elaborate plans for a laser-light show, a real-life 'angel' flying on wires dropping gold glitter all over the crowd, and for thousands of doves to be released. The ASPCA threatened a lawsuit kept the doves from flying, and the Garden wouldn't let the human 'angel' fly unless Stone and company posted a $125,000 security bond. They declined to pay the fee, and also opted not to pay for the 200 extra security guards the venue demanded in order to allow the wedding party to stage a processional right through the audience.^[36]

They separated in 1976 after their son was mauled by Stone's dog.^[37] Silva also accused Stone of abuse. 'He beat me, held me captive and wanted me to be in ménages à trois,' Silva told People magazine. 'I didn't want that world of drugs and weirdness.' Still, she remembers, 'He'd write me a song or promise to change, and I'd try again. We were always fighting, then getting back together.'^[18]

Children[edit]

Sylvester Jr., born late 1973. His mother is Kathy Silva.^[38]

Sylvyette, born c. 1976. Her mother was Cynthia Robinson (1944–2015).^[39]

What Happened To Sly Stone

Novena Carmel, born c. 1982. She is a singer and performer and also a booking agent at the Little Temple club in Los Angeles, now known as The Virgil. She is also a member of pop/hip hop group Wallpaper.

Family[edit]

Stone's cousin is Moses Tyson, Jr., who is a gospel musician and organist.

Discography[edit]

• 1967: A Whole New Thing
• 1968: Dance to the Music
• 1968: Life
• 1969: Stand!
• 1970: Greatest Hits [It includes hit singles unreleased on any album: Everybody Is A Star, Hot Fun In The Summertime, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)]
• 1971: There's a Riot Goin' On
• 1973: Fresh
• 1974: Small Talk
• 1975: High on You (credited only to 'Sly Stone')
• 1976: Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back
• 1979: Back on the Right Track
• 1982: Ain't but the One Way
• 2009: The Woodstock Experience (Live compilation)
• 2011: I'm Back! Family & Friends (credited only to 'Sly Stone')

References[edit]

1. ^AllMusic – Sylvester 'Sly Stone' Stewart
2. ^'Sly and the Family Stone The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum'. Rockhall.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
3. ^ ^abcSantiago, Eddie. Sly: The Lives of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone. Eddie Santiago, 2008. Print.
4. ^Selvin, Joel (1998). For the Record: Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History. New York: Quill Publishing. ISBN0-380-79377-6.
5. ^ ^abc'Sly & The Family Stone.'Rolling Stone. Web.
6. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 107, 146–152
7. ^ ^ab* Kaliss, Jeff (2008). I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone. New York: Hal Leonard/Backbeat Books. ISBN0-87930-934-2.
8. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 89; interview with David Kapralik.
9. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 94–98
10. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 122
11. ^Bass Legend Graham Lays Down the Millennial Funk: Larry Graham. Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
12. ^allmusic: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
13. ^ ^abSelvin, Joel (1998), pp. 141–145
14. ^Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 186–189.
15. ^ ^abSelvin, Joel (1998), pp. 188–191.
16. ^Ankeny, Jason. 'Leon Russell'. Allmusic. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
17. ^Credits for Andy Newmark. Allmusic. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
18. ^ ^abc'The Decline and Fall of Sly Stone – Vol. 45 No. 24'. PEOPLE.com. June 17, 1996. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
19. ^Michaels, Sean (August 18, 2009). 'Sly Stone living on welfare, claims documentary'. The Guardian. London.
20. ^The Detroit Free Press, January 30, 2010, page 11A
21. ^'Ministry of Gossip'. Los Angeles Times. September 27, 2011.
22. ^Kreps, Daniel (January 28, 2015). 'Sly Stone Awarded $5 Million in Royalty Lawsuit'. Rolling Stone.
23. ^Roberts, Randall (December 12, 2015). 'Why Sly Stone still can't collect royalties from his classic songs'. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles.
24. ^Wilkinson, Peter (February 24, 2006). 'Sly's Strange Comeback'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
25. ^Bradbury, Andrew Paine (August 18, 2005). 'Sly Stone Joins Family'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
26. ^'Archive for April 2, 2007Las Vegas Sun'. Lasvegassun.com. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on January 2, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
27. ^'Music & Nightlife Sly Stone'. Bohemian.com. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
28. ^Michaels, Sean (August 18, 2009). 'Sly Stone living on welfare, claims documentary'. The Guardian. London.
29. ^Alkema, Willem; Tucker, Reed (September 25, 2011). 'Funk legend Sly Stone now homeless and living out of a van in LA'. New York Post. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
30. ^Friedman, Roger (September 27, 2011). 'Exclusive: Sly Stone is NOT Homeless, Article Was Paid For'. Showbiz411. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
31. ^McDonagh, Ross (February 3, 2015). 'Rags to riches: Seventies funk legend Sly Stone is awarded $5m in back royalties while still living out of his van'. Daily Mail. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
32. ^Roberts, Randall (December 12, 2015). 'Why Sly Stone still can't collect royalties from his classic songs'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
33. ^Eustice, Kyle (July 23, 2016). 'Sly Stone of the Legendary Sly and the Family Stone Awarded $5 Million in Unpaid Royalties'. The Source. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
34. ^Sieniuc, Kat (July 27, 2016). 'Sly Stone Royalties Suit Gets New Trial After Appeal'. Law360.com. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
35. ^'Sly Stone with Wife Kathy Silva'. Corbis Images. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
36. ^'40 Years Ago: Sly Stone Gets Married in Front of 21,000 Fans at Madison Square Garden'. The Boombox. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
37. ^Ralph, Novak (June 17, 1996). 'The Decline and Fall of Sly Stone'. People. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
38. ^Sheff, David (January 14, 1980). 'After Three Years of Taking Himself Higher, but Nobody Else, Sly Stone (of the Family) Tries a Comeback'. People. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
39. ^Leovy, Jill (December 3, 2015). 'Cynthia Robinson, trumpeter and founding member of Sly and the Family Stone'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2018.

Notes[edit]

• Lewis, Miles Marshall (2006). There's a Riot Goin' On. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN0-8264-1744-2.
• Kamp, David. 'Sly Stone's Higher Power.' Vanity Fair. Conde Nast, Aug. 2007.
• Kiersh, Edward (December 1985), Sly Stone's Heart of Darkness, Spin MagazineItalic or bold markup not allowed in: publisher= (help)
• Selvin, Joel (1998). For the Record: Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History. New York: Quill Publishing. ISBN0-380-79377-6.
• Kaliss, Jeff (2008). I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone. New York: Hal Leonard/Backbeat Books. ISBN0-87930-934-2.

External links[edit]

Where Is Sly Stone Today

How Old Is Sly Stone