Sly Stone (1943-2025): the pioneering pioneer of euphoric funk

MUSICIAN, effortlessly eccentric and once uncontrollable, Sly Stone, also known as Sylvester Stewart, electrified Woodstock with his euphoric energy. Alongside his multiracial musical family, he revolutionized the progressive sound of soul and funk rock, influencing everyone from Parliament/Funkadelic, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Prince, to Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West.

While James Brown may have invented funk, it was Sylvester Stewart who blended it with rock and added political undertones beneath its lush instrumentation, perfecting its transformation into the genre we recognize today. Positioned somewhere between the godfather of soul and the misunderstood blues/funk singer and guitar virtuoso, Johnny Guitar Watson, this diminutive giant absorbed all the musical influences he encountered during his childhood and evolved them without constraint, in a more ecstatic and free manner.

Stone’s funk remained potent and fierce, a polyphonic deluge featuring intriguing lyrics, glowing instrumentation, and his famous cry serving as the crowning glory of his songs.

He was truly driven to elevate us.

Born in Texas in 1943, he spent his formative years in California. Excelling in music lessons, singing gospel in churches, and somewhere in his teens, he adopted the nickname Sly as his real name, and started taking the prospect of a career in the music industry more seriously.

He began his career in radio as a versatile DJ, spinning both black music and tracks from the Beatles and Stones on the Bay Area’s most popular station. He then transitioned into producing other artists and formed a diverse group, consisting of family members and talented musicians, without regard to skin color. This was quite unconventional for the late ’60s, as was their disregard for sonic standardization.

Sly and the Family Stone’s first album didn’t make much of a splash, but their next one, “Stand”, pierced through the segregation of white and black music like an arrow. It enjoyed a successful crossover to radio stations everywhere, and the band’s live performances quickly reached legendary status.

Sly & The Family Stone – Dance To The Music (Audio)

They skyrocketed to global fame with their electrifying performance at Woodstock, and their hits like “Stand” (with its non-stop dance finale), “Everyday People,” “I Wanna Take You Higher,” and “Sing a Simple Song” topped the charts in R&B and pop. They showcased a remarkable variety of influences and styles, ranging from doo wop to the dense, multi-layered sound of brass and electric instruments that became their signature.

Perhaps most notable was the intentionally incoherent “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin,” released as a standalone single in February 1970. This staccato, rhythmic masterpiece encapsulated the essence of hard funk and cutting-edge “groove,” with Larry Graham’s thumping bass dominating from start to finish. He pioneered the slap technique after learning to play chords on the bass in the absence of a drummer in his previous band!

After taking breaks from his obligations to Epic Records, the label he had been with from the beginning, Sly came back the following year with the best album of his career, There’s a Riot Going On. Clearly influenced by the socio-political climate, it was released even before Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. The album’s number one hit was “Family Affair,” one of the first mainstream songs to extensively utilize drum machines.

Recording predominantly solo in the studio, using overdubs instead of live performances, Sly Stone’s rapport with his band began to crumble, inevitably leading to their breakup. However, the golden three-year stretch from 1969 to 1972 was sufficient to create a lifetime legacy. This period was marked by an array of unexpected and unforgettable songs, a concentrated burst of sound and color during a transformative and exhilarating phase in music and society.

ROCK GROUP SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE. FILED 1969.

However, the cost of his frenetic lifestyle was steep. His credibility in the music industry had been irreparably damaged as early as the 1970s, when he fell into heavy drug use and began cancelling performances. He was often seen carrying a violin case, which he used to store the substances he was recklessly consuming. His last significant hit was “If You Want Me to Stay”, but his career was on a steady decline, his discography was inconsistent, and his collaborations with fellow musicians were unstable and unfruitful.

By the early ’80s, Stone had landed in jail due to repeated violations of his original probation for drug use. His powerful vocals on Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Good Time” offered a brief glimpse of his unique talent before his short-lived resurgence in popularity with a tribute at the Grammys that acknowledged his status among music legends, always accompanied by his Family Stone.

Earth, Wind & Fire – Good Time (Audio)

Despite his struggles, Stone never stopped loving music, discussing the creative process, and seizing small opportunities for cameo appearances with his friends. Despite his biggest fan, George Clinton, making attempts to revive his professional career, Stone had long missed the opportunity for a steady career path, and had given up trying to restore order to his artistic and personal life. Once a vibrant personality, even at the height of his fame when he openly discussed his drug use on Dick Cavett’s TV shows, he became a shadow of his former self. In recent years, he has been the subject of documentaries that have sought him out, often finding him living as a vagabond, only offering a few incomprehensible lines.

Stone went on to publish his autobiography, which, in addition to recounting his early, joyous years of creativity, detailed the tragic mental struggles that led to his poverty and eventual death, primarily from chronic respiratory failure, at the age of 82.

His image during his extended period of poverty, as a man with little significant interaction with his surroundings, did not enhance his reputation. However, his artistic legacy remained unscathed: his funk was potent and unrestrained, a polyphonic torrent with consistently intriguing lyrics, vibrant instrumentation, and the signature Sly scream as the crowning glory of his songs. He truly aspired to lift us higher.