Sly Stone needs no introduction: It was said of the funk legend (by the music database AllMusic): “James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it.”
Sly Stone created “a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds.”
AllMusic
A larger than life character who pretty much defined the funk sound through the late 60s and 70s, Sly Stone with his band The Family mixed RnB, soul and psychedelic rock to produce a sound like no other. The band also stood out because of its multiracial line-up – very rare at the time – and the fact that it drew in white and black audiences alike.
Also worth noting is that The Family Stone’s bass player Larry Graham is widely credited as having invented the bass slapping technique that became such an integral part of pop music (responsible for the entire career of Level 42, for example :)).
Hits that have become classics from that time include Family Affair, Dance to the Music and I Want to Take You Higher.
With their success however came personal problems, with massive drug use within the band causing growing problems. After their run of euphoric and genre-bending hits, the 70s saw them lose ground and focus – by the middle of the 70s the band had split up.
Sly Stone, despite releasing a slew of solo tracks and albums, as well as guest appearances here and there, including on a Bobby Womack project in the 80s, never managed to regain the magic he’d found with The Family Stone again. Drug use and personal problems led to an erratic lifestyle, and by 2010 he was reported to be homeless and living in a camper in a rough Los Angeles neighbourhood.
Even though his glory years lay back in the 1970s, nearly 50 years ago, still he was a seminal musician who did much to establish the funk style and vibe that we know today, and that has been copied, sampled and parodied throughout the last decades.
He was a huge influence, for example, on later stars like Rick James and of course Prince; and his music has been heavily sampled – among others – by Public Enemy, Fatboy Slim, Beck, Beastie Boys and LL Cool J.
Another funk legend, Bootsy Collins in an interview with Mojo said of Sly Stone: “The most talented musician I know is Sly Stone. He’s more talented than anybody I ever have seen – he’s amazing.”
Even though this legend fell a long way from his glory years in the late 60s, he remains one of the most influential musicians of pop and rock history.
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