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Sly Stone, Family Stone Architect Who Fused Funk, Rock, and Soul, Dead at 82 (Rolling Stone)
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sly-and-the-family-stone-dead-obituary-1234810064/Sly Stone, one of the most influential and groundbreaking musicians of the late-Sixties and early-Seventies who smashed the boundaries of rock, pop funk and soul, died on Monday. He was 82. The cause of death was a “prolonged battled with COPD and other underlying health issues,” according to a statement by his family.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” Stone’s family said. “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.”
-snip-
Born Sylvester Stewart in Texas in 1943, Stone started making music with his siblings as a child: the Stewart Four (Sylvester, his sisters Rose and Vaetta, and his brother Freddie) made their first single, “On the Battlefield for My Lord,” in 1952. He moved to California for college, and became a familiar voice in the Bay Area’s music scene. As a staff producer at Autumn Records, he put together hits like Bobby Freeman’s “C’mon and Swim”; he also produced “Somebody to Love” by Grace Slick’s pre-Jefferson Airplane band, the Great Society. He was also a DJ on KSOL and KDIA, and later noted that “in radio, I found out about a lot of things I don’t like. Like, I think there shoudn’t be ‘black radio.’ Just radio. Everybody be a part of everything.”
Stone’s own band, Sly & the Family Stone, came together over the course of 1966 and 1967. It really was a family of sorts: Sly and his siblings Rose and Freddie were joined by cousins Greg Errico and Jerry Martini, as well as bassist Larry Graham and trumpeter Cynthia Robinson. The Family Stone’s breakthrough hit was 1968’s “Dance to the Music,” in which their voices and instruments, high and low, each took a turn in the spotlight. A racially mixed band with male and female members, playing soul-infused rock together, was a rare sight at the time — a utopian vision of what pop music could be.
-snip-
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” Stone’s family said. “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.”
-snip-
Born Sylvester Stewart in Texas in 1943, Stone started making music with his siblings as a child: the Stewart Four (Sylvester, his sisters Rose and Vaetta, and his brother Freddie) made their first single, “On the Battlefield for My Lord,” in 1952. He moved to California for college, and became a familiar voice in the Bay Area’s music scene. As a staff producer at Autumn Records, he put together hits like Bobby Freeman’s “C’mon and Swim”; he also produced “Somebody to Love” by Grace Slick’s pre-Jefferson Airplane band, the Great Society. He was also a DJ on KSOL and KDIA, and later noted that “in radio, I found out about a lot of things I don’t like. Like, I think there shoudn’t be ‘black radio.’ Just radio. Everybody be a part of everything.”
Stone’s own band, Sly & the Family Stone, came together over the course of 1966 and 1967. It really was a family of sorts: Sly and his siblings Rose and Freddie were joined by cousins Greg Errico and Jerry Martini, as well as bassist Larry Graham and trumpeter Cynthia Robinson. The Family Stone’s breakthrough hit was 1968’s “Dance to the Music,” in which their voices and instruments, high and low, each took a turn in the spotlight. A racially mixed band with male and female members, playing soul-infused rock together, was a rare sight at the time — a utopian vision of what pop music could be.
-snip-
Rest in power, Sly...and thank you for all the power and joy in your music.
7 replies
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I saw Sly and the Family Stone a couple of times at outdoor concerts in California. What a great band. .
this one... RIP.
I feel privileged to have seen them live in concert 1974 Chicago Aragon Ballroom. 
