Latest news with #SlyandtheFamilyStone
CBS News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Remembering Sly Stone and Brian Wilson
It happened this past week ... we learned of the passing of two giants of popular music: Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys; and Sly Stone, frontman of Sly and the Family Stone. Musician Sly Stone, of Sly and the Family Stone, performs at the Woodstock Festival on August 17, 1969 in Bethel, New York. MichaelSly Stone Born Sylvester Stewart in 1943, he became "Sly" when a classmate misspelled his first name on the chalkboard. A gifted musician, by four he was singing on stage. He made his first recording at 9, and was working as a DJ when he formed a band in 1966. Just a year later, "Dance to the Music" launched Sly and the Family Stone – the first major group to include Black and White men and women – into super-stardom. Sly and the Family Stone perform "Dance to the Music": A string of hits followed in quick succession, including "Everyday People," "Family Affair," and "Hot Fun in the Summertime." But by the end of the 1970s, drug addiction and mental health issues had taken their toll. The band broke up, and Stone faded from the spotlight. The band reunited in 2006 when they were honored at the Grammy Awards. It would be the last major performance by a man whose style, social conscience, and revolutionary sound forever changed the course of pop music. Sly Stone died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 82. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" by Sly and the Family Stone: The Beach Boys (from left, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, and David Marks) pose for a portrait with a surfboard in August 1962 in Los Angeles. MichaelBrian Wilson Then, on Wednesday, we learned of the passing of another musical genius, with an altogether different sound. Brian Wilson was born in California in 1942. In his teens, he (along with brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine) started a band. Around that time Dennis started surfing, and as Brian told "Sunday Morning's" Anthony Mason in 2015, the rest, is history. "Mike and I started writing surf songs," he said. "But I never surfed, and he never surfed, either." "Did you feel the need to surf for any reason?" Mason asked. "No. I never tried it." "Surfin' USA," by the Beach Boys: But the Beach Boys' sonic palette of surf, sun, cars, and endless summers made them an indelible part of America's pop culture. Widely considered one of rock's greatest songwriters, Brian Wilson was 82. Brian Wilson/Tony Asher's "God Only Knows," from the Beach Boys album "Pet Sounds": Story produced by Liza Monasebian. Editor: Chad Cardin.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Funk-rock music pioneer, frontman of revolutionary band dies at 82
Sly Stone, the frontman of the revolutionary band Sly and the Family Stone, has died following several health issues. He was 82. 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,' his family said in a statement, according to PEOPLE. 'After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family,' the statement continued. '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.' Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone helped pioneer the emerging psychedelic soul movement in the 1960s and '70s with his genre-blending group. Sly and the Family Stone is considered rock's first group to incorporate the sounds of funk, soul, R&B, rock and psychedelic music. 'James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it,' AllMusic wrote. 'His alchemical fusion of soul, rock, gospel, and psychedelia rejected stylistic boundaries as much as his explosive backing band the Family Stone ignored racial and gender restrictions, creating a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds.' Sly and the Family Stone is also considered the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup. Originally formed in 1966, the group's core lineup consisted of Stone alongside his brother, Freddie Stone, sister Rose Stone, Cynthia Robinson, Greg Errico, Jerry Martini and Larry Graham. Sly and the Family Stone racked up more than a dozen songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including five top 10 hits. The group's three No. 1 hits are 'Everyday People,' 'Family Affair' and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)'/'Everybody Is a Star.' The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and were ranked 43rd on Rolling Stone's list of the '100 Greatest Artists of All Time' in 2010. Three of the group's albums — 'Stand,' 'There's a Riot Goin' On' and 'Greatest Hits' — were also included on Rolling Stone's most recent list of the '500 Greatest Albums of All Time.' Despite Sly and the Family Stone fizzling out by 1975, Stone continued to record and tour with a new rotating lineup. He released his debut solo album 'High on You' that same year. Stone remained active in the industry until drug problems forced his effective retirement in 1987. His final solo album, 'I'm Back! Family & Friends,' was released in 2011. Founding member of chart-topping '80s R&B group dies at 68 Legendary hip-hop duo's first US tour in 15 years to start in Mass. Festival fans demand refunds after headliner's set slashed over weather delay Live Wire: Two Northampton music series return in time for summer 'Devastated' music legend cancels more shows due to health issues Read the original article on MassLive.
Khaleej Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Sly Stone, leader of 1960s funk band, dies at age 82
Sly Stone, the driving force behind Sly and the Family Stone, a multiracial American band whose boiling mix of rock, soul and psychedelia embodied 1960s idealism and helped popularise funk music, has died at the age of 82, his family said on June 10. Stone died after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other health issues, a statement from his family said. "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," the statement said. Stone was perhaps best known for his performance in 1969 at the historic Woodstock music festival, the hippie culture's coming-out party. His group was a regular on the U.S. music charts in the late 1960s and 1970s, with hits such as Dance to the Music, I Want to Take You Higher, Family Affair, Everyday People, If You Want Me to Stay, and Hot Fun in the Summertime. But he later fell on hard times and became addicted to illegal substances, never staging a successful comeback. The confident and mercurial Stone played a leading role in introducing funk, an Afro-centric style of music driven by grooves and syncopated rhythms, to a broader audience. James Brown had forged the elements of funk before Stone founded his band in 1966, but Stone's brand of funk drew new listeners. It was celebratory, eclectic, psychedelic and rooted in the counterculture of the late 1960s. "They had the clarity of Motown but the volume of Jimi Hendrix or The Who," Parliament-Funkadelic frontman George Clinton, a contemporary of Stone and another pioneering figure in funk, once wrote. When Sly and the Family Stone performed, it felt like the band was "speaking to you personally," Clinton said. Stone made his California-based band, which included his brother Freddie and sister Rose, a symbol of integration. It included Black and white musicians, while women, including the late trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, had prominent roles. That was rare in a music industry often segregated along racial and gender lines. Stone, with his orb-like Afro hairstyle and wardrobe of vests, fringes and skin-tight leather, lived the life of a superstar. At the same time, he allowed bandmates to shine by fostering a collaborative, free-flowing approach that epitomised the 1960s hippie ethic. "I wanted to be able for everyone to get a chance to sweat," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1970. Disc jockey to singer Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, he moved as a child with his family to Northern California, where his father ran a janitorial business. He took the show business name Sly Stone and worked for a time as a radio disc jockey and a record producer for a small label before forming the band. The band's breakthrough came in 1968, when the title track to their second album, Dance to the Music, cracked the Top 10. A year later, Sly and the Family Stone performed at Woodstock before dawn. Stone woke up a crowd of 400,000 people at the music festival, leading them in call-and-response style singing. Stone's music became less joyous after the idealistic 1960s, reflecting the polarisation of the country after opposition to the Vietnam War and racial tensions triggered unrest on college campuses and in African American neighbourhoods in big US cities. In 1971, Sly and the Family Stone released There's a Riot Goin' On, which became the band's only No. 1 album. Critics said the album's bleak tone and slurred vocals denoted the increasing hold of illegal substances on Stone. But some called the record a masterpiece, a eulogy to the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Stone became erratic and missed shows. Some members left the band. But the singer was still a big enough star in 1974 to attract a crowd of 21,000 for his wedding to actress and model Kathy Silva at Madison Square Garden in New York. Silva filed for divorce less than a year later. Sly and the Family Stone's album releases in the late 1970s and early 1980s flopped, as Stone racked up drug possession arrests. But the music helped shape disco and, years later, hip-hop artists kept the band's legacy alive by frequently sampling its musical hooks. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and Stone was celebrated in an all-star tribute at the Grammy Awards in 2006. He sauntered on stage with a blond Mohawk but bewildered the audience by leaving mid-song. In 2011, after launching what would become a years-long legal battle to claim royalties he said were stolen, Stone was arrested for illegal substance possession. That year, media reported Stone was living in a recreational vehicle parked on a street in South Los Angeles. Stone had a son, Sylvester, with Silva. He had two daughters, Novena Carmel, and Sylvette "Phunne" Stone, whose mother was bandmate Cynthia Robinson.
Extra.ie
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Tributes pour in as music industry icon dead at 82
Sly Stone, the American funk and soul pioneer and leader of the group Sly and the Family Stone has died aged 82. After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family, his family announced in a statement. 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. With their blend of soul, psychedelic rock and gospel, Sly and The Family Stone are widely considered to be some of the key progenitors of the 1970s funk sound alongside James Brown and others. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, grew up singing gospel music in a quartet with his brothers and sisters, and started his career as a disc jockey for radio stations in California, as well as a multi-instrumentalist and producer. In 1966, he fused his band Sly and the Stoners with his brother Freddie's group Freddie and the Stone Souls, to form Sly and the Family Stone. Their breakthrough came through the 1967 single Dance to the Music, which reached No.8 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, before they released their fourth album, the 1969 Stand! , which went on to sell over three million copies. In 1969, Sly and the Family Stone played both of the defining music festivals of the year, Woodstock and the Harlem cultural festival. The 1971 album There's a Riot Goin On , a reflection on civil rights and the corrupted idealism of the postwar era, was recorded by Stone predominantly apart from the rest of his band, which was slowly fracturing in the early 70s. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 20th century, and featured one of the earliest uses of a drum machine. Although the band split entirely in 1975, Stone continued to use the band name for solo releases. He continued to perform with bands such as Funkadelic and Bobby Womack before releases slowly quieted down. He only performed in public again in 2006 in a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone at the Grammy awards. Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music, the family statement added. His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable. In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024.
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Sly Stone invented modern music, then disappeared in a cloud of crack smoke (here are his best five songs to listen to now)
Sly Stone has died, aged 82. You could say that the music world has lost a giant talent, were it not for the sad truth that Sly was lost to the world, and to his own talent, a long, long time ago. Certainly, he was a giant once, and the fabulous music he made in his pomp is still very much alive and percolating through pop culture. A prodigiously gifted multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter, producer and bandleader, Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone was an innovator who pushed modern music into new territory and shifted the dial of pop culture. The six albums he made with the original lineup of his inspirational, multiracial, mixed-gender ensemble Sly and the Family Stone – from their groundbreaking funk-pop debut A Whole New Thing, in 1967, to the stoned masterpiece There's A Riot Goin' On, in 1971 – remain one of the high watermarks of the rock and pop era. It was a scorching hot streak on which a precocious young genius established new blueprints for progressive dance music that have been imitated, exploited, reworked, adapted, played with and built upon ever since. Stone became arguably the most popular and critically acclaimed black American superstar of his moment. And then, at the height of his fame and influence, he crashed and burned in a paranoid, talent-sapping cloud of cocaine, angel dust and crack. If Stone has not been as universally celebrated as his talent warrants, it is because he became almost as well known for his rampant drug abuse as for his music, which declined precipitously in quality as his drug use increased. For a few fantastic years in the late 1960s and early 70s, Sly was a chart-topping wizard whose bold blends influenced Miles Davis's shift towards jazz funk, inspired the psychedelic experiments of Parliament and Funkadelic and pushed even such established Motown stars as The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder into new realms of socially conscious soul. But Stone fell from grace in public, becoming notorious for not turning up to concerts, giving TV interviews while intoxicated, his colourful fashion sense creeping towards self-parody as his records strained to keep up with pop trends he had once led from the front. By the 1980s, he was in and out of jail, with an extensive rap sheet for drug offences. For a period in the 2000s, things had become so bad that Stone was reported to be homeless, living out of a camper van in a rundown area of Los Angeles. It is not a pretty tale, no matter how he tried to gloss over it in his evasive 2023 memoir Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). But lest we are tempted to turn Stone's life into another sad parable about the price of fame and fortune, there is something we should remember: the music. Because Stone's hot streak is still glowing fiercely, decades after its damaged creator lit the fuse. Sylvester Stewart was raised singing and playing in church choirs and gospel groups, in a musical family (two of whom joined him in the Family Stone) where his status as a prodigy had been recognised by the time he was four. In his early 20s. he became an influential San Francisco radio DJ, session musician, songwriter and record producer, working with black and white artists in genres spanning soul, pop and rock (including a young Grace Slick, for whom he produced the first version of her signature song Somebody To Love with her original band, The Great Society). By the time he formed The Family Stone in 1966, he already had a vision of a multiracial group whose sound could span all the genres he loved. 'I was searching for a different type of music,' he once explained. 'I dug (Bob) Dylan, (Ray) Charles, Aretha Franklin, The Staples Singers and the Beatles. It was all music, and it should all be together.' Sometimes playing keyboards, sometimes guitar, always directing and encouraging his supremely gifted six-piece band, Stone made records that crossed over from segregated black stations to mainstream pop radio, with sounds that established thrillingly limber and funky rhythms (Larry Graham's pioneering slap bass was a feature), melodies that shifted from unison chants to blissful harmonies, and lyrics that expressed socially progressive ideas responding to the imperatives of a hippy generation concerned about war, peace and civil rights. If you have been listening to pop in our times, you surely know some of Sly Stones' songs: the incredible 1967 banger Dance to the Music; the glorious 1968 anthem of racial unity Everyday People; and the bruised soul stew of 1971's Family Affair, made when paranoia, disillusion and darkening political times were casting a shadow over Stone's innate optimism. The drugs that he had begun consuming in vast quantities certainly didn't help. 1969's Stand! album might by Sly and the Family Stone's most inspirational explosion of progressive psychedelic funk but its rawer, dirtier, darker follow up is the one that has remained in the ether. Constantly high (it has been claimed he was on drugs for the entire two and a half years it took to make), Stone retreated to a studio in his mansion in the plush LA suburb of Bel Air and recorded There's a Riot Goin' On mostly by himself, only bringing in band members as he saw fit. When, in 1971, drummer Greg Errico became the first of the once tight-knit Family to quit (beginning a gradual exodus), Stone started using a primitive machine called a Rhythm Box instead, finding ways to trick its simplistic presets into producing odd, offbeat patterns. A raw, strange work of bleak but soulful disillusionment with the American dream, it caught the mood of the times and went to number one on the US Billboard charts. In his book 1971, British music journalist David Hepworth has argued that it has become the most influential record of that seminal year, noting 'there's a whole world of moody, hypnotic, rhythm-box based music which would be inconceivable without its example. In fact, the whole category known by the contemporary shorthand 'urban' can be traced back to what Sly did in the decidedly suburban surroundings of Bel Air.' Like much of Sly's distinctive work it has been heavily sampled by hip-hop artists. You can hear his music in hits by such major rap stars as Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, The Jungle Brothers, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Cypress Hill, The Roots and Missy Elliot, alongside such unlikely bedfellows as Lenny Kravitz, Primal Scream, Madonna and Janet Jackson (whose signature 1989 hit rhythm nation is built from a Sly Stone guitar riff). Of all the artists to carry his legacy, Prince was the most obviously indebted to him, another gifted multi-instrumentalist wizard, leading multiracial, mixed-genre bands. An excellent recent documentary, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson offers sympathetic insights into the turbulence that marked Stone's creative life. Available on Disney+, it concludes with footage showing an old, smiling Stone with his adult children and grandchildren. It seems he finally got clean in his late seventies, after multiple serious health scares, and it is touching to hear his children take such obvious pride in finally getting to spend quality time with a father who had been barely present in their lives. The truth is, whatever his flaws and his demons, Sly Stone had a huge impact on countless lives. In one moment that leaps out from the film, a 1970's TV interviewer dares to suggest that Stone had fulfilled a particular American musical cliché, 'you get to the top and then you blow it.' Stone beams the biggest, warmest smile you could ever hope to see and tells her 'I didn't blow nothing.' In the great scheme of things, when Stone has gone but his music lingers on, who's to say he's wrong? Sly Stone: Five essential songs 1. I Wanna Take You Higher (1969) I'm not sure there have been many songs funkier than this punchy, horn driven chant, with Sly on harmonica, Freddie Stone on bluesy guitar, and the band sharing vocal duties as they insist on taking us ever higher and higher. 'Boom shacka lacka lacka!' 2. It's a Family Affair (1971) The first drum machine driven hit, low slung and bubbling, with a slack voiced Sly growling his way through a lyric suggesting disillusion with the complexities of family relations, whilst his sister Rose's counterpoint vocals reaches out like a salve. 3. Everyday People (1968) A pulsing rhythm underpins pianist Rose Stone and trumpeter Cynthia Robertson's almost nursery rhyme chant about diversity and equality ('different strokes for different folks'), whilst Sly tops it off with his soulful cries of 'I-I-I am everyday people.' Soulful pop with an uplifting message. 4. Dance to the Music (1968) His first hit, and still one of the great dancefloor fillers, an insistent chant over a modified Motown beat, with the whole band taking solos at Sly's urging, whilst he pushes them on with his splashy Hammond organ and wailing vocal instructions. 5. Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (1969) Larry Graham's slap bass and Sly's slick guitar riff drive a song that's almost a megamix, quoting other Family Stone hits as it pushes relentlessly onwards. As on many of their most uplifting tracks, the whole band share lead vocals.
