Sly and the Family Stone, with hits like “I Am Everyday People” and “Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf),” created a musical legacy that left an indelible mark on generations of artists. Their sound, known as “Funk,” encompassed classics such as “I Want to Take You Higher,” “Family Affair,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” and “Dance to the Music.”
The group was led by the visionary Sly Stone, whose dream of the first interracial band merging Rock N’ Roll, Soul, and Funk became a reality. In the tumultuous late ’60s era marked by rebellion and conflict, Sly and the Family Stone stood out with a message of unity, diversity, and acceptance.
Through his music, Sly Stone broke barriers and brought people together in a way that resonated beyond identity politics and social movements. He used his genius, talent, and captivating performances to uplift listeners and transcend societal divisions. Sly and the Family Stone’s impact was profound, offering a counter-narrative of unity and understanding in a time of turmoil.
“I don’t want to get in people’s way and I don’t want them to get in my way. I just want to play my songs,” he said. “I would do it for nothing.”
In 2024, Musician and Oscar-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson produced a documentary about Sly Stone entitled “SLY LIVES! The Burden of Black Genius,” detailing the rise and fall of the enigmatic, yet reclusive talent.
On Monday, Stone was the one who was lifted higher. His family announced his passing at 82 years old.
Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music. His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable. In a testament to his enduring creative spirt, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024.
We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time. We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly’s life and his iconic music. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unwavering support.
Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart on March 14, 1943, in Denton, TX. His family transplanted to Vallejo, a Bay Area suburb, where he and his five siblings learned to play instruments and make music in the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) denomination. Sly formed “The Family Stone” with his brother Freddie, and sisters Loretta and Rose. The band started out playing gospel music, but thanks to Stone’s prodigious talent, work as a San Francisco DJ, and singing and producing with local bands, he pulled together a blend of musical styles to produce the music we know today.
His appearances on a local “American Bandstand”-styled TV dance party with his group the Viscaynes led to a production job in 1965 at Autumn Records, an independent imprint founded in San Francisco by local underground radio DJs “Big Daddy” Tom Donahue and Bob Mitchell. For the company, he produced R&B singer Bobby Freeman’s No. 5 dance hit “C’mon and Swim.”
He also helmed Autumn sessions by local rock bands, producing the Beau Brummels’ national hits “Laugh, Laugh” and “Just a Little” and the Great Society’s “Somebody to Love,” later a smash in a new version by vocalist Grace Slick’s subsequent band Jefferson Airplane.
Now rechristened “Sly Stone,” he became a popular disc jockey at the Bay Area stations KSOL and KDIA. While both were putatively R&B outlets, Stone spun the soul hits of the day side-by-side with tracks by contemporary rock bands.
In August 1966, Sly and the Family Stone began its professional musical journey with family members Freddie on guitar and Rose on keyboards and vocals. Stone filled out the group with two Italian-Americans: Greg Errico and Jerry Martini on drums and saxophone, respectively, then added two other Blacks: Larry Graham on bass, and Cynthia Robinson on trumpet. Stone played keyboards and guitar, and shared vocals with the rest of the band. The alchemy of varied sound, unique instruments, and combined vocals produced the distinct blend that Stone was seeking. A forging of Soul and Funk, tinged with Rock N’ Roll.
The group’s 1967 debut LP, the aptly titled “A Whole New Thing,” failed to chart, and Kapralik urged Stone to craft a radio-friendly single. The resultant number, “Dance to the Music,” was launched into the top 10 of the pop and R&B charts, fired by the band’s call-and-response vocals, stabbing horn charts, and infectious, jubilant energy.
While neither the single’s eponymous follow-up album nor its successor “Life,” both released in 1968, made significant chart impressions, the group hit a peak with 1969’s “Stand!” The collection, which climbed to No. 13 nationally, sported the ebullient “Everyday People” and three other pop hits, “Sing a Simple Song,” the title cut, and the number that became the Family Stone’s storming concert signature, the eruptive “I Want to Take You Higher.”
It was that 1969 release that opened concert and touring doors for Sly and the Family Stone, appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival and other high-profile concerts. Their seminal performance was at Woodstock. The band played in the pouring rain at 3:30 in the morning. But as always, the Family Stone’s energy and performance awakened and energized the packed crowd.
Sadly, Stone was among that long list of trailblazing artists who fell victim to their skyrocketing success.
But the rocketship ride to fame would quickly come crashing back to earth. By 1971, with the band addled by drug use and internal strife, Sly and the Family Stone would increasingly lose tour bookings and fail to produce music that matched the songs of just a few years prior.
While Stone spent the ’70s working on new music, often on his own since he played numerous instruments, success proved elusive. In 1983, he was arrested in Florida on drug charges. More trouble and misfortune found its way to Stone’s doorstep in the coming years, although in 1993 he did make a public appearance during the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
A decade later, in 2005, Stone, by now almost a legendary ghost, was spotted at a Los Angeles club after driving his sister Vet, who was in a Family Stone tribute band, to her gig on his motorcycle. The next year, Stone shocked thrilled attendees at the Grammy Awards by taking the stage, resplendent in a huge blond mohawk hairdo, as his band roared through a number of hits during the show’s salute to the seminal group.
According to musician and film producer Questlove Thompson, Stone lived out the rest of his days as an everyday grandfather, having become clean and sober in 2019. Thompson’s documentary, “SLY LIVES! The Burden of Black Genius,” is currently streaming on Hulu.
Stone is survived by his sister Rose Stone, children Sylvester, Jr., Sylvyette Phunne, and Novena Carmel.
