Biography
While James Brown is often credited with originating funk, Sly Stone elevated the style to unmatched heights. Through an innovative blend of soul, rock, gospel, and psychedelia that defied conventional genre limits, and with his explosive ensemble the Family Stone dismantling racial and gender barriers, he delivered a run of euphoric yet politically charged albums whose reach extended to musicians from every background and tradition. Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart entered the world on March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, and grew up chiefly in Vallejo, California, performing with his family's gospel ensemble. Following a stint as lead vocalist for the doo wop outfit the Viscaynes, he cut the local hit "Long Time Gone" at age 16 while simultaneously serving as a disc jockey at Bay Area station KSOL. After coursework in trumpet, composition, and theory at Vallejo Junior College, Stewart joined the local Autumn Records roster in 1964, issuing solo singles and acting as house producer on Bobby Freeman's national chart smash "C'mon and Swim" plus sessions for the Beau Brummels, the Mojo Men, and the Great Society.
Stewart assembled Sly & the Stoners in 1966, around the same time his younger brother Freddie fronted Freddie & the Stone Souls; the siblings soon combined the two units. Adding bassist Larry Graham, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and drummer Greg Errico produced Sly & the Family Stone. Their first single, "I Ain't Got Nobody," appeared on the independent Loadstone label before the group moved to Epic for the 1967 debut LP A Whole New Thing. Dance to the Music arrived the following year and spawned a Top Ten title-track hit. Later in 1968 Sly & the Family Stone reached the summit of both the pop and R&B charts with the double-sided single "Everyday People" b/w "Sing a Simple Song." Stand!, released the next year, carried a sharper political edge on tracks such as the hit title song and "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey." As principal singer, songwriter, and producer, Stone continually expanded the group's sound; the 1970 chart-topper "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin" established the percussive template for the funk and disco that would dominate the decade, anchored by Graham's popping-and-slapping bass line. Stone also founded Stone Flower Records, writing and producing material for other artists while developing textures that later surfaced in his own work; the label's releases were later gathered on the 2014 anthology I'm Just Like You: Sly's Stone Flower 1969-1970.
As the optimistic spirit of the 1960s yielded to the cynicism and graft of the 1970s, the buoyant tone once synonymous with Sly & the Family Stone darkened into the stark and unsettling There's a Riot Goin' On, a militant classic that included the hits "Family Affair" and "Running Away." Stone's increasingly bleak outlook stemmed in large measure from his growing dependence on narcotics, which earned him a reputation for tardiness or outright absences at concerts. Fresh, issued in 1973, marked the band's final undisputed masterpiece; after Small Talk the ensemble dissolved, leaving 1975's High on You credited solely to Stone. With his drug issues and legal difficulties now widely reported, later efforts such as 1976's Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back and 1979's Back on the Right Track drew scant attention, as did a tour alongside George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars and the 1983 return attempt Ain't But the One Way. The 1987 single "Eek-a-Bo-Static" failed to register on the charts, after which Stone appeared in the news primarily for a cocaine arrest that resulted in imprisonment. Although Sly & the Family Stone entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, Stone mounted no significant return during the 1990s or the ensuing decade.
Stewart assembled Sly & the Stoners in 1966, around the same time his younger brother Freddie fronted Freddie & the Stone Souls; the siblings soon combined the two units. Adding bassist Larry Graham, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and drummer Greg Errico produced Sly & the Family Stone. Their first single, "I Ain't Got Nobody," appeared on the independent Loadstone label before the group moved to Epic for the 1967 debut LP A Whole New Thing. Dance to the Music arrived the following year and spawned a Top Ten title-track hit. Later in 1968 Sly & the Family Stone reached the summit of both the pop and R&B charts with the double-sided single "Everyday People" b/w "Sing a Simple Song." Stand!, released the next year, carried a sharper political edge on tracks such as the hit title song and "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey." As principal singer, songwriter, and producer, Stone continually expanded the group's sound; the 1970 chart-topper "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin" established the percussive template for the funk and disco that would dominate the decade, anchored by Graham's popping-and-slapping bass line. Stone also founded Stone Flower Records, writing and producing material for other artists while developing textures that later surfaced in his own work; the label's releases were later gathered on the 2014 anthology I'm Just Like You: Sly's Stone Flower 1969-1970.
As the optimistic spirit of the 1960s yielded to the cynicism and graft of the 1970s, the buoyant tone once synonymous with Sly & the Family Stone darkened into the stark and unsettling There's a Riot Goin' On, a militant classic that included the hits "Family Affair" and "Running Away." Stone's increasingly bleak outlook stemmed in large measure from his growing dependence on narcotics, which earned him a reputation for tardiness or outright absences at concerts. Fresh, issued in 1973, marked the band's final undisputed masterpiece; after Small Talk the ensemble dissolved, leaving 1975's High on You credited solely to Stone. With his drug issues and legal difficulties now widely reported, later efforts such as 1976's Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back and 1979's Back on the Right Track drew scant attention, as did a tour alongside George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars and the 1983 return attempt Ain't But the One Way. The 1987 single "Eek-a-Bo-Static" failed to register on the charts, after which Stone appeared in the news primarily for a cocaine arrest that resulted in imprisonment. Although Sly & the Family Stone entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, Stone mounted no significant return during the 1990s or the ensuing decade.