Legendary San Francisco DJ turned pop and funk music inventor Sly Stone passed away at the age of 82. A statement sent to USA TODAY on June 9 said, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone.” After a long battle with COPD and other underlying medical issues, Sly passed calmly accompanied by his three children, closest friend, and extended family.
“While we grieve his absence, we find comfort in knowing that his remarkable musical legacy will inspire and resound for next generations”. This article will further your knowledge on Sly Stone’s career and how his passing will affect pop and funk culture.
The Birth of Sly Stone
March 14, 1943 saw Stone born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas. Growing up in Vallejo, a northern San Francisco suburb, he and his siblings picked up several kinds of instruments including keyboards and guitar with natural ease. In the mid 60’s, as the San Francisco music scene was getting worldwide recognition, Stone served both as a record producer and disc jockey at KSOL.
The listeners were enjoying his deep and resonant voice when he was sharing an incessant stream of hits being generated from area groups. In 1966, inspired by the local revolution that was giving birth to bands like Santana, Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane, he decided to incorporate his fledgling band with one led by his brother Freddie, forming Sly and the Family Stone.
There Were Hits after Hits
Soon after that, hits followed in short order. It began with 1968’s “Dance to the Music” and “Everyday People,” both of which celebrated the sheer and simple joy created when music brings the masses together. Besides that, Stone’s composition also frequently scaled deep depths, with lyrics that pierced as ably as they moved. In “Family Affair,” Stone’s delicate growl intones: “One child grows up to be/ Somebody that simply loves to learn/ And another child grows up to be/ Somebody you would just want to burn/ Mom loves the both of them/ You see, it’s in the blood/heart. Both children are nice to Mom/Blood’s thinner than the muck.”
By 1969, Stone and His Group Became Famous
By 1969, Stone and his group were arguably one of the most popular bands among the country.Their unforgettable performance at the Woodstock festival held in upstate New York that year was notable for their audience-lifting interpretation of “I Want to Take You Higher.” The band also gave a performance in Harlem’s Summer of Soul concert the same year.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary of the same name honed this incident for remembrance. Though Stone’s band was among the first of the ’60s ensembles to combine sexes and ethnicities (including founding member and trumpet player Cynthia Robinson and founder drummer Greg Errico), Stone remained the leader and visionary of his band.
With his huge, glowing Afro and fancy stage clothes, Stone’s looks and music were undeniable signs of the funk revolution that would take James Brown’s groundbreaking ideas and take them to an otherworldly level of showmanship, as best shown by the huge success of George Clinton and his Parliament-Funkadelic band in the 1970s.
The Decline in 1971
The ever-growing fame of the band would quickly come crashing down. Due to internal conflict and drug abuse, Sly and the Family Stone would lose more and more tour bookings by 1971 and be unable to create music that was on par with the hits of the previous few years.
Stone played many instruments and spent the 1970s creating new music, but he was never really successful. Officers arrested him on drug-related charges in Florida in 1983. Although Stone did appear in public during the band’s 1993 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, more problems and disaster eventually found their way to his doorstep in the following years.
A Decade Later in 2005
In 2005, people saw Stone, who is by now a legendary ghost, at a LA club driving his sister, Vet on his motorcycle. Stone stunned delighted spectators at the Grammy Awards by donning a brilliant blond mohawk on stage as his band blasted several classics during the show’s dedication to the venerable ensemble.
Documentarian Willem Alkema debuted “Coming Back for More,” a look into Stone’s life and work, in 2009. At that time, Stone did not have a home, the reporters got the information through the directors at the time, but the innovative musician nevertheless made several fleeting cameos at California events.
Stone Released his Autobiography in 2023
Stone published his autobiography in 2023, the first book published under Questlove’s brand, which fitly adopted its title from his song, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” Though the book had mixed reviews due to its inability to recall the epic golden period that provided a lot of memories, an excerpt notes the delightful lyricism that he brought to his hits, and serves as a reminder that genius never really fades.
Comparing the many who tried to write his story, Stone wrote, “They’re trying to set the record straight. But a record’s not straight, especially when you’re not. It’s a circle with a spiral inside it. Every time a story is told, it’s a test of memory and motive. … It isn’t evil but it isn’t good. It’s the name of the game but a shame just the same.”
Wrapping Up
The great funk pioneer and Sly and the Family Stone leader Sly Stone died at 82, leaving behind a transforming legacy that molded soul, funk, and rock music all around. From his ground-breaking 1960s singles to his legendary concerts at Woodstock and beyond, Stone’s creative approach transformed the music landscape. Though he struggled personally later on, his impact lives on and solidifies his status as a real musical genius. Inspired generations abound.
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