On June 9th, we lost the great Sylvester Stewart AKA Sly Stone. He was one of our most influential musicians of the post-Rock & Roll era. That would include artists who came after that first wave of Rock & Rollers in the 1950s.
At his peak in the 1970s, Stone married model/actress Kathy Silva at Madison Square Garden (yes, where the New York Knicks play!). The wedding was held during a sold-out concert and officiated by the legendary Don Cornelius, host of Soul Train.
This took place June 5, 1974, so no, it wasn’t televised, but Ebony/Jet, Right On!, Rock & Soul, Rolling Stone, and Billboard surely covered it. This was reality TV before Reality TV! They were divorced less than two years later, and a year after that, Sly divorced from his band, Sly & The Family Stone. But what happened before that was probably the greatest 7-year run in music history.
In 1941, Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas; however, he was raised in the Bay Area of Northern California. Sly and his family were raised in the church. They even released music at a young age as the Stewart Four, getting their first taste of the music business. In high school, he joined a racially mixed doo-wop group called the Viscaynes. This was just a sign of things to come.
After high school, Stone studied music at Vallejo Junior College. He also began writing and producing for a local record label, Autumn Records. He experienced success before he was 20 years old by writing and producing multiple Top 40 Pop hits for R&B singer Bobby Freeman, and several white bands, including the Beau Brummels, the Mojo Men, and The Great Society.
Radio became another calling for young Sly. After attending Chris Borden’s School of Radio, he was featured on two Bay Area radio stations: San Francisco’s KSOL-FM and later KDIA-AM in Oakland. He played rock, pop, and of course, soul.
Sly now had all the tools for what was about to go down. When it was time to create a band, he went to his family (who else!). Brother Freddie had a band, Freddie & The Stone Souls, as did Sly with Sly & The Stoners. The two joined forces to create Sly & The Family Stone. Drummer Greg Errico came along with
Freddie, and trumpeter Cynthia Robinson from Sly’s band. Bassist Larry Graham was Cynthia’s cousin; keyboardist Rose Stone was Freddie and Sly’s sister. Saxophonist Jerry Martini suggested the two bands consolidate. They all made up Sly & The Family Stone.
Sly & The Family Stone was one of the first nationally known interracial bands and the first interracial/intersexual band. Their lyrics were not as colorful as Motown’s, but more like Curtis Mayfield’s. They were gritty like the Southern STAX sound with some James Brown and Bay Area rock and pop elements.
Sly & The Family Stone’s first album, A Whole New Thing, released in 1967, made little noise. Their second album, Dance to the Music, featured their first Top 10 song, which shared the same title as the album. Their third album, Life, was released in 1968 and followed the same theme as their previous records. Sly & The Family Stone finally made their breakthrough with 1969’s “Stand!,” featuring multiple signature songs and setting them up for the landmark Woodstock festival. Sly & The Family Stone, and definitely Sly, were now on top of the world.
The band was hot, and their record label (Epic Records) quickly released a Greatest Hits album full of past hits and new songs. One of the songs featured is the spaced-out titled “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” Innovation not only came in the quirky title, but in the playing style of bassist Larry Graham. Larry was the first to use the slap bass technique that other bassists began to imitate.
During this time, Sly struggled with his newfound fame. “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” the follow-up to Stand!, was the complete opposite. Stand! was an upbeat, joyful album. There’s a Riot Goin’ On featured was dark and murky.
Sly recorded most of the album alone. He’d been recording by himself for a few years now with the introduction of his short-lived record label, Stone Flower. Stone Flower employed only a handful of artists (Sly’s sister Vet being one of them in the female group Little Sister). Another entity made its debut at this time as well. Due to rifts with drummer Greg Errico, Sly turned to Maestro Rhythm King II, and the rest is history. It took a few years for the drum machine to catch on, and now it’s a fixture in the studio.
Sly possibly became the first home music producer recording tracks at his new Beverly Hills location. When available, he used the Family Stone and guest musicians Ike Turner, guitarist Bobby Womack, and organist Billy Preston. The latter two played on the classic “Family Affair.”
Their (or his) sixth album was another highly praised project, 1973’s Fresh. Jazz musicians like pianist Herbie Hancock and trumpeter Miles Davis took note. Miles was so impressed with the track, “In Time,” he had his band listen to it for 30 minutes straight. If you know Miles Davis, you know he was not easily impressed.
The band broke up in 1975. Sly continued to record solo material, though nowhere near the magic he had once created. He did occasionally work with George Clinton as the decade came to a close.
The 1980s saw one last hurrah—a release with Jesse Johnson. Jesse came from the Prince camp, one of Sly’s followers in every way. The duet “Crazay” peaked at number 2 on the R&B charts in 1986—his highest charting since 1974. He’d continue to record for movie soundtracks and even write and produce for artists here and there.
We didn’t see much of Sly in the 1990s besides his short speech at his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 1993 with The Family Stone. The same can be said about his 2006 Grammy Awards appearance.
Just earlier this year, Roots drummer Questlove released the Hulu documentary Sly Lives!
Sly & The Family Stone amassed ten Top 40 records on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Four of those reached the top slot at number 1:
- 1968’s “Everyday People”
- The double-sided hit “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”
- “Everybody Is a Star” from 1969’s Greatest Hits compilation
- “Family Affair”
“Hot Fun in the Summertime” just missed the top slot, peaking at number 2 in— what else—the summer of 1969. “Dance to the Music” was their first record to enter the Top 10 at number 8. Other Top 40 hits include: “Stand!,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” “Runnin’ Away,” “If You Want Me to Stay,” and their last Top 40 record, “Time for Livin’,” from their Top 20 pop album, Small Talk.
Sly Stone passed away on June 9, 2025, at the age of 82. He was surrounded by family.
