Tuesday, June 17, 2025: TWOfer Tuesday - The "Sly Stone" Edition

It's "In Memoriam" week on CSOTD.   Today, it's all about Sly.

Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was a pioneering American musician, songwriter, and producer best known as the leader of the groundbreaking funk, soul, and psychedelic band Sly and the Family Stone. He helped invent and popularize funk music, while also reshaping the cultural and racial landscape of pop and rock in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Formed in San Francisco in 1966, Sly and the Family Stone was one of the first racially integrated, gender-integrated bands in popular music. The group combined elements of soul, rock, funk, and psychedelia—sometimes within the same song—and their sound was as socially conscious as it was danceable.

Sly and the Family Stone created some of the most iconic songs in music history, including "Everyday People" (1968), "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), a funk masterpiece with one of the most sampled basslines ever,  "I Want to Take You Higher" (1969) and "Family Affair" (1971) just to name a few. 

Sly Stone’s influence spans generations and genres: Funk and Soul Artists like George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic took Sly’s psychedelic funk even further.  Prince adopted his race-blind approach, genre fusion, and flamboyant persona.  Rock Musicians like Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles took note of Sly’s rhythmic innovation and studio experimentation. Sly's grooves have been heavily sampled in hip-hop and R&B, especially by Public Enemy, Tupac, De La Soul, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and the entire neo-soul movement drew from his fusion of funk and social commentary.

Sly Stone’s music was revolutionary. He created the blueprint for modern funk, laid the groundwork for hip-hop and neo-soul, and broke barriers as a producer, performer, and cultural icon. His fusion of joy and protest, rhythm and rebellion, remains essential listening. Though his career was tragically cut short by personal struggles, his legacy endures—raw, brilliant, and deeply influential.