Remembering Sly Stone
• Sly Stone, the multitalented-yet troubled musician whose groundbreaking psychedelia-laced funk included four No. 1 hits in the late ’60s and early ’70s before his gradual descent into excessive drug use and homelessness, has died at the age of 82.
A statement from Stone’s family reads, “After a prolonged battle with COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.”
Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, TX and raised in Vallejo, CA, just outside of San Francisco, Stewart acquired the nickname “Sly” in high school — a play on his abbreviated given name Syl. A multitalented instrumentalist, the young Stone could play keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums, and played in several semi-pro groups before studying music theory at Vallejo Junior College.
His appearances on a local TV dance party with his group The Viscaynes led to a production job in 1965 at Autumn Records, an independent San Francisco imprint founded by influential free form radio DJs “Big Daddy” Tom Donahue and Bob Mitchell. While at Autum, he produced Bobby Freeman‘s No. 5 dance hit, “C’mon and Swim,” as well as The Beau Brummels‘ national hits “Laugh, Laugh” and “Just a Little” and “Somebody To Love” by The Great Society, fronted by Grace Slick, which later became a smash hit in a newer version with her subsequent band, Jefferson Airplane. Later rechristened as “Sly Stone,” he also became a popular disc jockey at Bay Area radio stations KSOL and KDIA.
Sly & The Family Stone’s relatively short-yet-prolific window of success began with their breakout 1968 Epic Records single,” Dance to the Music,” and was later highlighted by four No. 1 singles: “Everyday People,” “Everybody Is A Star,” “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again)” and “Family Affair,” as well as other timeless classics as “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (No. 2, 1969), “I Want To Take You Higher,” “Sing A Simple Song,” and “Stand!”
As chronicled in Variety‘s lengthy coverage, Stone’s electrifying performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969 marked what was probably the triumphant pinnacle of the group’s career. Appearing amid a 3:30am downpour before a sleepy, mud-caked crowd of 500,000, the Family Stone galvanized its audience. The performance became a highlight of Michael Wadleigh‘s Oscar-winning 1970 documentary about the festival.
Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and Stone’s tumultuous life and career were documented earlier this year by Grammy and Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul” director Questlove in Sly Lives: aka the Burden of Black Genius, available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
