Sly and the Family Stone

Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from

San Francisco. Active from 1967 to 1983, the band was
pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic
music. Headed by singer, songwriter, record producer,
and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and containing several of his family members and friends, the band was the
rst major American rock band to have an "integrated,
multi-gender" lineup.[5]

While attending high school, Sylvester and Freddie

joined student bands. One of Sylvesters high school musical groups was a doo-wop act called The Viscaynes, in
which he and a Filipino teenager were the only non-white
members. 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 Francisco 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.[12] Stewart
recorded unsuccessful solo singles while at Autumn.[13]

Brothers Sly Stone and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone

combined their bands (Sly & the Stoners and Freddie
& the Stone Souls) in 1967. Sly and Freddie Stone,
trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Gregg Errico,[6]
saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham
comprised the original lineup; Sly and Freddies sister, singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, joined within a year.
They recorded ve Billboard Hot 100 hits which reached
the top 10, and four ground-breaking albums, which
greatly inuenced the sound of American pop, soul,
R&B, funk, and hip hop music. In the preface of his 1998
book For the Record: Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral
History, Joel Selvin sums up the importance of Sly and
the Family Stones inuence on African American music
by stating there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone.[7]
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 1993.

1.1 Early years

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 Stones friend, saxophonist Jerry Martini, Sly and Freddie combined their bands, creating Sly
and the Family Stone in March 1967. Since both Sly and
Freddie were guitarists, Sly appointed Freddie the ocial guitarist for the Family Stone, and taught himself to
play the electronic organ. Meanwhile, Sly recruited Larry
Graham to play bass guitar.

During the early 1970s, Sly and the Family Stone transitioned into a darker and less commercial funk sound that
would prove as inuential as their early work[8] before
drug problems and interpersonal clashes led to the groups
dissolution in 1975.[9] Sly Stone continued to record albums and tour with a new rotating lineup under the Sly
and the Family Stone name from 1975 to 1983. In 1987,
Sly Stone was arrested and sentenced for cocaine use, af- Vaetta Stewart wanted to join the band as well. She and
ter which he went into eective retirement.[10]
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 Stones background vocalists.[14]
1 Career
After a gig at the Winchester Cathedral, a night club
in Redwood City, CA, CBS Records executive David
Kapralik signed the group to CBSs Epic Records label.
The Family Stones rst album, A Whole New Thing, was
released in 1967 to critical acclaim, particularly from
musicians such as Mose Allison and Tony Bennett.[15]
However, the albums low sales restricted their playing
venues to small clubs, and caused Clive Davis and the
record label to intervene.[15][16] Some musicologists believe the Abaco Dream single Life And Death In G &
A, recorded for A&M Records in 1967 and peaking at

Sly Stone was a member of a deeply religious middleclass household from Dallas, Texas. K.C. and Alpha
Stewart held the family together under the doctrines of
the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) and encouraged
musical expression in the household.[11] 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 Battleeld of the Lord b/w Walking in Jesus
Name, in 1952.
1

CAREER

#74 in September 1969,[17] was performed by Sly and the was said to be one of the best shows of the festival.[16]
Family Stone.[18]
A new non-album single, "Hot Fun in the Summertime",
Davis talked Sly into writing and recording a record, and was released the same month and went to #2 on the U.S.
October, after the summer of 1969
he and the band reluctantly provided the single "Dance to pop chart (peaking in
[20]
had
already
ended).
In 1970, following the release of
[19]
the Music".
Upon its February 1968 release, Dance
the
Woodstock
documentary,
the single of Stand!" and
to the Music became a widespread ground-breaking hit,
I
Want
to
Take
You
Higher
was
reissued with the latter
and was the bands rst charting single, reaching #8 on the
song
now
the
a-side;
it
reached
the
Top 40.[20]
[20]
Billboard Hot 100.
Just before the release of Dance
to the Music, Rose Stone joined the group as a vocalist
and a keyboardist. Roses brothers had invited her to join
the band from the beginning, but she initially had been 1.3
reluctant to leave her steady job at a local record store.[19]
The Dance to the Music album went on to decent sales, but
the follow-up, Life, was not as successful commercially
.[21] In September 1968, the band embarked on its rst
overseas tour, to England. It was cut short after Graham
was arrested for possession of marijuana and because of
disagreements with concert promoters.[22]

1.2

Stand! (1969)

Internal problems and a change of direction

With the bands 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.[26] Epic requested
more marketable output.[27] The Black Panther Party demanded that Sly replace Gregg Errico and Jerry Martini with black instrumentalists and re manager David
Kapralik.[28][29]
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.[30] As the
members became increasingly focused on drug use and
partying (Sly Stone carried a violin case lled with illegal drugs wherever he went),[31] recording slowed signicantly. 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.[20]

The Woodstock Music and Art Festival, at which Sly and the
Family Stone performed on August 17, 1969.

In 1970, Sly Stone spent most of his waking hours on

drugs.[32] He became erratic and moody, and missed
nearly a third of the bands concerts that year.[33] 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.[34] 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 Maoso J.R. Valtrano to be Slys 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 sta.[35] A rift developed between Sly and the rest of
the band;[36] in early 1971, drummer Errico became the
rst 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.

In late 1968, Sly and the Family Stone released the single
"Everyday People", which became their rst #1 hit.[20]
Everyday People was a protest against prejudice of
all kinds[23] and popularized the catchphrase dierent
strokes for dierent folks.[24] With its b-side "Sing a
Simple Song", it served as the lead single for the bands
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 #22 in the U.S.
Stand! is considered one of the artistic high points of
the bands career;[25] 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.[25]
To appease fan demand for new songs, Epic began reThe success of Stand! secured Sly and the Family Stone a releasing material. A Whole New Thing was reissued with
performance slot at the landmark Woodstock Music and a new cover, and several of the Family Stones most popuArt Festival. They performed their set during the early- lar recordings were packaged into the bands rst Greatest
morning hours of August 17, 1969; their performance Hits album. Greatest Hits reached number two on the

1.5

Fresh (1973) and Small Talk (1974)

Billboard 200 in 1970.

1.5

Fresh (1973) and Small Talk (1974)

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 Somebodys 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 Sisters
Somebodys Watching You is the rst popular recording to feature the use of a drum machine for its rhythm
track.[37]

Despite the loss of the original rhythm section and Slys

escalating cocaine use, the bands next album, Fresh,
was released in 1973. By this time, Slys sound had
become more stripped down, yet more syncopated and
rhythmically complex.[45] Sly obsessively overdubbed the
masters, as he had done with Riot.[46] Although the record
received mixed reviews at its release and did not receive
the attention that the bands earlier work had, Fresh has
become recognized as one of the most important funk
albums ever made.[45] Rose Stone sang lead on a gospelstyled 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.[20] Its follow-up,
Small Talk, was released in 1974 to mixed reviews and
1.4 Theres a Riot Goin' On (1971)
low sales.[47][48] The rst Small Talk single, Time For
Livin'", became the bands nal Top 40 hit single. Loose
In 1971, Sly and the Family Stone returned with a new Booty, the second single, peaked at No. 84.
single, "Family Aair", which became a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Family Aair was the
lead single from the bands long-awaited Theres a Riot 1.6 Dissolution
Goin' On. The album debuted at number-one on the Billboard album charts upon its November 1971 release.
Instead of the optimistic, rock-laced soul that had characterized the Family Stones 1960s output, Theres a Riot
Goin' On was an urban blues, lled with dark instrumentation, ltered drum machine tracks, and plaintive vocals
representing the hopelessness Sly and many other people
were feeling in the early 1970s.[38][39] The album is characterized by a signicant amount of tape hiss the result
of Slys extensive re-recording and overdubbing during
production.[40] Allegedly, most of the albums 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.[41] "(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, Jerry Martini inquired to Sly and
his managers about monies due to him; saxophonist Pat
Rizzo was hired as a potential replacement for Martini if
he ever became suspicious of the bands business practices again.[42] Both Rizzo and Martini remained in the
band.[42] Later that year, the tension between Sly Stone
and Larry Graham reached its peak. A post-concert
brawl broke out between Grahams entourage and Slys
entourage; Bubba Banks and Eddie Chin, having heard
that Larry had hired a hit man to kill Sly, assaulted Grahams associates.[43] Graham and his wife climbed out of
a hotel window to escape, and Pat Rizzo gave them a ride
to safety.[43] 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 The bands 1975 performance at Radio City Music Hall (shown
same vein as Sly and the Family Stone.[44] Graham was 2003) was only one-eighth occupied.
replaced in the interim by Bobby Womack, and then by
During the 1970s, Sly or one of the band members would
nineteen-year-old Rusty Allen.[43]

STYLE, INFLUENCE, AND LEGACY

often miss the gig, refuse to play, or pass out from drug
use. This had an adverse eect on their ability to demand money for live bookings; live bookings also declined as a result.[49] At many gigs, concert-goers rioted if
the band failed to appear or if Sly walked out before nishing his set. Ken Roberts became the groups promoter,
and later their general manager, when other representatives wouldn't work with the band because of their erratic
attendance.[50] In January 1975, the band booked itself at
Radio City Music Hall. The famed music hall was only
one-eighth occupied, and Sly and company had to scrape
together money to return home.[51] Following the Radio
City engagement, the band was dissolved.[51]

Clinton and Funkadelic disputed with and left Warner

Bros. Records in late 1981.[54] When Sly disappeared
into self-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.[54] Overcome by drug
addictions, Sly Stone disappeared from the limelight and
entered drug rehabilitation in 1984, at the insistence of
his old friend Bobby Womack.[55] Sly continued sporadically releasing new singles and collaborations until a 1987
arrest and conviction for cocaine possession and use. Afterwards, he stopped releasing music.

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 Grahams
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.[52] Andy Newmark
became a successful session drummer, playing with Roxy
Music, B. B. King, Steve Winwood and others.[53]

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 Stones greatest hits with
guest appearances from Je 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
1.7 Sly Stones later career
out of a white camper-van in Los Angeles: The van is
parked on a residential street in Crenshaw, the rough Los
Main article: Sly Stone
Angeles neighborhood where 'Boyz n the Hood' was set.
A retired couple makes sure he eats once a day, and Stone
Sly recorded two more albums for Epic: High on You showers at their house.[56]
(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 2 Style, inuence, and legacy
some of the original Family Stone members on occasion,
the actual band no longer existed. Sly played most of Sly Stone had produced for and performed with black
the instruments on record himself; he maintained a band and white musicians during his early career, and he into support him for live shows. Among his main collab- tegrated music by white artists into black radio station
orators were Cynthia Robinson and Pat Rizzo from the KSOLs playlist as a D.J. Similarly, the Sly and the FamFamily Stone, and background vocalists Lynn Mabry and ily Stone sound was a melting pot of many inuences and
Dawn Silva, who parted with Sly in 1976 and formed The cultures, including James Brown proto-funk, Motown
Brides of Funkenstein in 1978. Epic released Stone from pop, Stax soul, Broadway showtunes, and psychedelic
his contract in 1977, and in 1979 released 10 Years Too rock music.[10] Wah-wah guitars, distorted fuzz basslines,
Soon, a remix album featuring disco versions of the 1960s church-styled organ lines, and horn ris provided the
Family Stone hits.
musical backdrop for the vocals of the bands four lead
[21][25]
Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Larry Graham,
Sly signed with Warner Bros. and recorded Back on the singers.
and
Rose
Stone
traded o on various bars of each verse,
Right Track (1979). Although the album featured contria
style
of
vocal
arrangement
unusual and revolutionary at
butions from Freddie and Rose Stone, Sly remained un[57]
Cynthia Robinson shouted
that
time
in
popular
music.
able to return to the success of his late '60s and early '70s
ad-libbed
vocal
directions
to
the
audience and the band;
[10]
fame. He toured with George Clinton and Funkadelic
for
example,
urging
everyone
to
get on up and 'Dance
during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and also appeared
to
the
Music'"
and
demanding
that
all the squares go
on the 1981 Funkadelic album The Electric Spanking of
[58]
home!"
War Babies. That year, Clinton and Sly began work on a
new Sly Stone album; however, recording halted when The lyrics for the bands songs were often pleas for

3.1

2006 Grammy Awards tribute

peace, love, and understanding among people. These

calls against prejudice and self-hate were underscored
by the bands 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.[59] The bands gospel-styled singing endeared them to black audiences; their rock music elements and wild costumingincluding Slys large Afro
and tight leather outts, Roses blond wig, and the other
members loud psychedelic clothingcaught the attention of mainstream audiences.[60]

5
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.[67] 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 Fames 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.[68]
A Sly and the Family Stone tribute album, Dierent
Strokes by Dierent Folks, was released on July 12, 2005
by Starbucks' Hear Music label. The project features
cover versions of the bands 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 Aair"); 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 Aair won the 2007 R&B Performance by a
Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy.[69]

Although Dance to the Music was the bands 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.[57] The smooth, piano-based
"Motown sound" was out; "psychedelic soul" was in.[57]
Rock-styled guitar lines similar to the ones Freddie Stone
played began appearing in the music of artists such as
The Isley Brothers ("Its 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.[44] Some
musicians changed their sound completely to co-opt that
of Sly and the Family Stone, most notably Motown inhouse producer Norman Whiteld, who took his main act The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of
The Temptations into psychedelic soul territory startFame in 2007.[70]
ing with the Grammy-winning Cloud Nine in 1968.[61]
The early work of Sly and the Family Stone was also
a signicant inuence 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.[62]
The later work of Sly and the Family Stone was as inuential as the bands early work. Theres a Riot Goin' On,
Fresh, and Small Talk are considered among the rst and
best examples of the matured version of funk music, after
prototypical instances of the sound in the bands 1960s
work.[10][63] Herbie Hancock was inspired by Slys new
funk sound to move towards a more electric sound with
his material,[64] 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 Original Family Stone, live in concert at Red Rock Resort in
the sartorial and band lineup changes hallmarked jazz fu- Las Vegas, 2006. Jerry Martini, Rose Stone, and Cynthia Robinsion.[65] Artists such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, son.
Prince, Chuck D, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and John
Mayer have also shown signicant inspiration from the
post-1970 work of Sly and the Family Stone.[66]

3.1 2006 Grammy Awards tribute

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
Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock reunion performance by the original Sly and the Family
and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The original members Stone lineup as the highlight of the tribute. However, the

Awards and tributes

5 DISCOGRAPHY

Grammy Award shows producers were worried that Sly

Stone, who missed some of the rehearsals and belatedly
arrived for others, would miss the show.[71]

Larry Graham (19671972): vocals, bass guitar

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 Aair"; 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.[72]

Rose Stone (Rosemary Stewart) (19681975): vocals, piano, electric piano

After the rst half of I Want to Take You Higher, the

Family Stone took the stage alongside the other musicians, and Tyler called backstage Hey, Sly; lets do it the
way we used to do it!" Sporting a blonde mohawk hairdo,
sunglasses, and a silver lam 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.[71]
Slys 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.[71] MTV News was much
less complimentary: The Grammy performanceSlys
rst with the original Family Stone since 1971was a
halting, confused aair and a complete disservice to his
music.[33] Another AP report stated that nineteen years
after his last live performance, Sly Stone proved hes still
able to steal the show.[73]

Gregg Errico (19671971): drums

Gerry Gibson (19711972): drums; replaced Gregg

Errico
Pat Rizzo (19721975): saxophone
Max Kerr (1972): bass; gigging stand-in between
Larry Graham and Rusty Allen
Rustee Allen (19721975): bass; replaced Larry
Graham
Andy Newmark (19731974): drums; replaced
Gerry Gibson
Bill Lordan (1974): drums; replaced Andy Newmark
Sid Page (19731974): violin
Vicki Blackwell (19741975): violin
Jim Strassburg (1974): drums; replaced Bill Lordan
Adam Veaner (1975): drums; replaced Jim Strassburg
Dennis Marcellino (1975): saxophone; replaced Pat
Rizzo

5 Discography
4

Members

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.

Main article: Sly and the Family Stone discography

1967: A Whole New Thing

1968: Dance to the Music
1968: Life

Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) (19671975): vocals,

organ, guitar, bass guitar, piano, harmonica, and
more

1969: Stand!

Freddie Stone (Frederick Stewart) (19671975):

vocals, guitar

1973: Fresh

Cynthia Robinson (19671975): trumpet, vocal ad

libs

1971: Theres a Riot Goin' On

1974: Small Talk

1975: High on You

Jerry Martini (19671975): saxophone

1976: Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back

Little Sister; Vet Stone (Vaetta Stewart), Mary

McCreary, and Elva Mouton (19661975): background vocals

1979: Back on the Right Track

1983: Ain't But the One Way

References

[1] AllMusic - Psychedelic Soul

[2] Rolling Stone - Sly & the Family Stone
[3] Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee, eds. (2013). Rock Music.
Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century. Routledge.
ISBN 1-5795-8079-3.
[4] Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee, eds. (2013). Rock Music.
Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century. Routledge.
ISBN 1-5795-8079-3.
[5] Sly and the Family Stone. The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum, Inc. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
[6] Erricos rst name is Greg, but it was spelled Gregg on all
Sly and the Family Stone releases.
[7] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. xi.
[8] AllMusic - Sly & the Family Stone
[9] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. xixix.
[10] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas . Sly and the Family Stone.
All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.

[26] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 107, 146152.

[27] Lewis, Miles (2006), pp. 2425.
[28] Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 85.
[29] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 89; interview with David Kapralik.
[30] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 9498.
[31] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 122.
[32] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 113115.
[33] Aswad, Jem (February 10, 2006). Who, Exactly, Is Sly
Stone? (That Weird Guy with the Mohawk at the Grammys)". MTV. Retrieved 2006-02-11.
[34] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 120122.
[35] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 99100, 150152.
[36] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 146147.
[37] Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 74.
[38] Lewis, Miles (2006), pp. 7475.

[11] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 14.

[39] Marcus, Greil (1997) [1975]. Mystery Train: Images of

America in Rock'n'Roll Music (4 ed.). New York: Plume.
p. 72. ISBN 0-452-27836-8.

[12] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 12.

[40] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 115117.

[13] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 89.

[41] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 115; interview with Stephen Paley.

[14] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 88; interview with Elva Tiny

Moulton.

[42] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 134.

[15] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 5960; interviews with David

Kapralik and Jerry Martini.
[16] Fotenot, Robert. Prole: Sly and the Family Stone.
About.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
[17] Top Pop Singles 19551999. Joel Whitburn. 2000.
Record Research Inc. p. 3. ISBN 0-89820-139-X
[18] Santiago, Eddie. (2008) Sly: The Lives of Sylvester Stewart
and Sly Stone. ISBN 1-4357-0987-X, 9781435709874.
page 70.

[43] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 150154.

[44] Ankeny, Jason. Larry Graham. Allmusic. Retrieved
2007-02-01.
[45] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review for Fresh by Sly and
the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 200701-18.
[46] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 164167.
[47] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 174.

[19] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 60; interview with Jerry Martini.

[48] Sly and the Family Stone: Billboard Singles. All Media
Guide, LLC. (2006). Retrieved on 2007-02-04.

[20] Sly and the Family Stone: Billboard Singles. All Media
Guide, LLC. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-26.

[49] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 141145.

[50] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 186189.

[21] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas . Review for Life by Sly and

the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 200701-17.
[22] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 68; interview with Jerry Martini.
[23] Greenwald, Matthew. Review of Everyday People by
Sly and the Family Stone. Allmusic.com. Retrieved on
2007-02-03.
[24] Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 57.
[25] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas . Review for Stand! by Sly and
the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 200702-05.

[51] Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 188191.

[52] Ankeny, Jason. Leon Russell. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
[53] Credits for Andy Newmark. All Music Guide. Retrieved
on 2007-02-05.
[54] Birchmeier, Jason. Review of Ain't But the One Way by
Sly and the Family Stone. All Music Guide. Retrieved on
2007-02-04.
[55] Wilkinson, Peter (February 24, 2006). Slys Strange
Comeback. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-01-23.

[56] Alkema, Willem. Funk legend Sly Stone homeless and

living in a van in LA. New York Post. Retrieved July 23,
2012.
[57] Williams and Romanowski (1988), pp.
138139.
Williams discusses Sly and the Family Stones impact on
the R&B industry, and how the groups multiple lead vocals and psychedelic sound inspired Cloud Nine and
other such Temptations recordings.

EXTERNAL LINKS

[69] 49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners

Grammy.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-17.

List.

[70] Sly and the Family Stone in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
[71] Coyle, Jake (February 8, 2006). Reclusive Sly Stone
Steps Out at Grammys. MSN.com. Retrieved 2007-0201.

[58] Sly and the Family Stone (performers), Sylvester Stewart

(author). (1968). Dance to the Music (Vinyl recording).
New York: Epic/CBS Records.

[72] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2006). Review of the Sly

and the Family Stone compilation tribute album Dierent Strokes by Dierent Folks. Allmusic.com. Retrieved
on 2007-02-01.

[59] Vincent, Rickey (1996). Funk: The Music, the People, and
the Rhythm of the One. New York: St. Martins Press. pp.
9192. ISBN 0-312-13499-1.

[73] Associated Press (February 9, 2006). Sly Stone Steals

Show At Grammys. CBS5.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-12.

[60] Kaliss, Je. Sly and the Family Stone: 'Dierent strokes
for dierent folks.' There1.com. Retrieved on 2007-0118

7 Bibliography

[61] 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 200701-23.

Aronowitz, Al (November 1, 2002).

The
Preacher. The Blacklisted Journal. Retrieved
2009-11-12.

[62] 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 Motowns boldest acts.
They were the brainchild of legendary producer Norman
Whiteld, 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.

Ankeny, Jason (2005). Sylvester 'Sly Stone' Stewart Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2005-03-29.

[63] Rosen, Dave. Review for Theres a Riot Goin' On. Ink Blot
Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-18
[64] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review for Head Hunters by
Herbie Hancock. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 200701-18.
[65] Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 163.
[66] Kaliss, Je. Sly and the Family Stone: 'Dierent strokes
for dierent folks.' There1.com. Retrieved on 2007-0118 Dierent Strokes by Dierent Folks [audio podcast2
episodes]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved on 2007-01-18. Michael Jackson, Prince, and Stevie Wonders 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 Dierent Strokes by Dierent
Strokes, and discuss their participation in the podcast.
[67] Bradbury, Andrew Paine (August 18, 2005). Sly Stone
Joins Family. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
[68] The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946.
Retrieved 2007-02-16.

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2005). Sly and the

Family Stone. Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2005-0329.
Lewis, Miles Marshall (2006). Theres a Riot Goin'
On. 33-1/3. New York: Continuum. ISBN 0-82641744-2.
Selvin, Joel (1998). For the Record: Sly and the
Family Stone: An Oral History. New York: Quill
Publishing. ISBN 0-380-79377-6.
Williams, Otis and Romanowski, Patricia (1988,
updated 2002). Temptations. Lanham, MD: Cooper
Square. ISBN 0-8154-1218-5

8 Further reading
Kaliss, Je (2008). I Want to Take You Higher: The
Life and Times of Sly and the Family Stone. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-934-2.

9 External links
Ocial Website
Sly and the Family Stone at AllMusic

10
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