Sly & the Family Stone harnessed all of the disparate musical and social trends of the late '60s, creating a wild, brilliant fusion of soul, rock, R&B, psychedelia and funk that broke boundaries down without a second thought. Led by Sly Stone, the Family Stone was comprised of men and women, and Blacks and Whites, making the band the first fully integrated group in rock's history. That integration shone through the music, as well as the group's message. Before Stone, very few soul and R&B groups delved into political and social commentary; after him, it became a tradition in soul, funk and hip-hop. And, along with James Brown, Stone brought hard funk into the mainstream. The Family Stone's arrangements were ingenious, filled with unexpected group vocals, syncopated rhythms, punchy horns, and pop melodies. Their music was joyous, but as the '60s ended, so did the good times. Stone became disillusioned with the ideals he had been preaching in his music, becoming addicted to a variety of drugs in the process. His music gradually grew slower and darker, culminating in 1971's There's a Riot Going On, which set the pace for '70s funk with its elastic bass, slurred vocals and militant Black power stance. Stone was able to turn out one more modern funk classic, 1973's Fresh, before slowly succumbing to his addictions, which gradually sapped him of his once prodigious talents. Nevertheless, his music continued to provide the basic template for urban soul, funk and even hip-hop well into the '90s.

Sly Stone (b. Sylvester Stewart, March 15, 1944) and his family moved from his home state of Texas to San Francisco in the '50s. He had already begun to express an interest in music, and when he was 16, he had a regional hit with "Long Time Away." Stone studied music composition, theory and trumpet at Vallejo Junior College in the early '60s; simultaneously, he began playing in several groups on the Bay Area scene, often with his brother Fred. Soon, he had become a disc jockey at the R&B station KSOL, later switching to KDIA. The radio appearences led to a job producing records for Autumn Records. While at Autumn, he worked with a number of San Franciscan garage and psychedelic bands, including the Beau Brummels, the Great Society, Bobby Freeman and the Mojo Men.

During 1966, Stone formed the Stoners, which featured trumpeter Cynthia Robinson. Though the Stoners didn't last long, he brought Robinson along as one of the core members of his next group, Sly & the Family Stone. Formed in early 1967, the Family Stone also featured Fred Stewart (guitar, vocals), Larry Graham Jr. (bass, vocals), Greg Errico (drums), Jerry Martini (saxophone), and Rosie Stone (piano), who all were of different racial backgrounds. The group's eclectic music and multiracial composition made them distinctive from the numerous flower-power bands in San Francisco, and their first single, "I Aint' Got Nobody," became a regional hit for the local label, Loadstone. The band signed with Epic Records shortly afterward, releasing their debut album, A Whole New Thing, by the end of the year. The record stiffed, but the follow-up, Dance to the Music, gerenated a Top Ten pop and R&B hit with its title track early in 1968. Life followed later in 1968, but the record failed to capitalize on its predecessor's success. "Everyday People," released late in 1968, turned their fortunes back around, rocketing to the top of the pop and R&B charts and setting the stage for the breakthrough success of 1969's Stand!.

Featuring "Everyday People," "Sing a Simple Song," "Stand," and "I Want to Take You Higher," Stand! became the Family Stone's first genuine hit album, climbing to number 13 and spending over 100 weeks on the charts. Stand! also makred the emergence of the political bent in Stone's songwriting ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey"), as well as the development of hard-edged, improvisational funk like "Sex Machine." The Family Stone quickly became known as one of the best live bands of the late '60s, and their performance at Woodstock was widely hailed as one of the festival's best. The non-LP singles "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" / "Everybody Is a Star" became hits, reaching number two and number one respectively in late 1969/early 1970. Both singles were included on Greatest Hits, which became a number two record upon its fall 1970 release. While the group was at the height of its popularity, Sly Stone was beginning to unravel behind the scenes. Developing a debilitating addiction to narcotics, Stone soon became notorious for arriving late for concerts, frequently missing the shows all together.

Stone's growing personal problems, as well as his dismay with the slow death of the civil rights movement and other political causes, surfaced on There's a Riot Goin' On. Though the album shot to number one upon its fall 1971 release, the record -- including "Family Affair," his last number one single -- was dark, hazy and paranoid, and his audience began to shrink slightly. During 1972, several key members of the Family Stone, including Graham and Errico, left the band; they were replaced by Rusty Allen and Andy Newmark, respectively. The relatively lighter Fresh appeared in the summer of 1973, and it went into the Top Ten on the strength of the Top Ten R&B hit "If You Want Me to Stay." Released the following year, Small Talk was a moderate hit, reaching number 15 on the charts and going gold, but it failed to generate a big hit single. High on You, released in late 1975 and credited only to Sly Stone, confirmed that his power and popularity had faded. "I Get High on You" reached the R&B Top Ten, but the album made no lasting impact.

Disco had overtaken funk in terms of popularity, and even if Sly Stone wanted to compete with disco, he wasn't in shape to make music. He had become addicted to cocaine, his health was frequently poor, and he was often in trouble with the law. His recordings had slowed to a trickle, and Epic decided to close out his contract in 1979 with Ten Years Too Soon, a compilation of previously released material that had the original funky rhythm tracks replaced with disco beats. Stone signed with Warner Brothers that same year, crafting the comeback effort Back on the Right Track with several original members of the Family Stone, but the record was critically panned and a commercial failure. In light of the album's lack of success, Stone retreated even further, eventually joining forces with George Clinton on Funkadelic's 1981 album The Electric Spanking of War Babies. Following the album's release, Stone toured with Clinton's P-Funk All-Stars, which led him to embark on his own tour, as well as a stint with Bobby Womack. The culmination of this burst of activity was 1983's Ain't But the One Way, an album that was ignored. Later that year, Stone was arrested for cocaine posession; the following year, he entered rehab.

Stone appeared on Jesse Johnson's 1986 R&B hit "Crazay." The following year, he dueted with Martha Davis on "Love & Affection" for the Soul Man soundtrack; he also he recorded "Eek-a-Bo-Static," a single that didn't chart. Stone was arrested and imprisoned for cocaine posession by the end of 1987, and he was never able to recover from the final arrest. Stone continued to battle his addiction, with varying degrees of success. By his 1993 induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he had disappeared from public view. Following his appearence at the induction ceremony, he was found living in a sheltered-housing complex. Avenue Records gave Stone a recording contract in 1995, but as of 1997, his comeback album had not been recorded. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine--All Music Guide

	Different Strokes for Different Folks
	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:Sly and the Family Stone

LOOK	YEAR	ALBUM
	1995	Slyest Freshest Funkiest Rarest
	1995	In the Still of the Night
	1994	Remember Who You Are
	1991	Family Affair
	1983	Ain't But the One Way
	1979	Back on the Right Track
	1976	Heard You Missed Me
	1975	High Energy
	1975	High on You
	1974	Small Talk
	1973	Fresh
	1971	There's a Riot Goin' On
	1970	Greatest Hits
	1969	Stand!
	1968	M'Lady
	1968	Dance to the Music
	1968	Life
	1967	Whole New Thing

1995 Slyest Freshest Funkiest Rarest

01. Can't Turn You Loose 02. I Ain't Got Nobody 03. Take My Advice 04. Life of Fortune and Fame 05. Outtakes 1 06. Outtakes 2 07. Outtakes 3 08. Outtakes 4 09. Outtakes 5 10. Outtakes 6 11. Outtakes 7 12. Outtakes 8

13. Outtakes 9 14. Outtakes 10 15. Outtakes 11 16. Outtakes 12 17. Outtakes 13 18. Outtakes 14 19. Outtakes 15 20. Outtakes 16 21. Outtakes 17 22. Outtakes 18 23. Outtakes 19 24. Outtakes 20

1995 In the Still of the Night

01. In the Still of the Night 02. Searchin' 03. Don't Say I Didn't Warn You 04. Ain't that Lovin' You Babe 05. Swim 06. Every Dog Has His Day 07. Suki Suki pt. 1 08. Suki Suki pt. 2 09. Seventh Son

10. I Can't Turn You Loose 11. Take my Advice 12. Watermelon Man 13. I Ain't Got Nobody 14. If You Were Blue 15. Rock Dirge 16. Hi Love 17. Life of Fortune and Fame

1994 Remember Who You Are

O1. Remember Who You Are 02. Back on the Right Track 03. If It's Not Adding Up 04. The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry) 05. Shine It On

06. It Takes All Kinds 07. Who's to Say? 08. Sheer Energy 09. Somebody to You 10. Lady Is a Champ

1991 Family Affair

01. Swim 02. Scat Swim 03. I Taught Him 04. Don't Say I Didn't Warn You 05. Help Me with My Broken Heart 06. Out of Sight 07. The Nerve of You 08. Every Dog Has His Day 09. On Broadway 10. Searchin' 11. Lord, Lord 12. Seventh Son 13. The Jerk 14. That Little Old Heartbreaker Me

15. I'll Never Fall In Love Again 16. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby 17. Buttermilk 18. Fake It 19. Laugh 20. Little Latin Lupe Lu 21. Dance All Night 22. Temptation Walk 23. Underdog 24. Can't You Tell I Love Her 25. Life of Fortune and Fame 26. Take My Advice 27. As I Get Older 28. Radio Spot

1983 Ain't But the One Way

01. L.O.V.I.N.G. 02. One Way 03. Ha Ha, Hee Hee 04. Hobo Ken 05. Who in the Funk Do You Think You Are

06. You Really Got Me 07. Sylvester 08. We Can Do It 09. High, Y'all

1979 Back on the Right Track

01. Ain't That Lovin' You Babe 02. Same Thing 03. In The Still Of The Night 04. Remember Who You Are 05. Searchin' 06. Seventh Son 07. Shine It On

08. Who's To Say 09. Back On The Right Track 10. Buttermilk 11. Buttermilk 12. If It's Not Adding Up 13. Sheer Energy 14. Swim

1976 Heard You Missed Me

01. Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back 02. What Was I Thinkin' in My Head 03. Nothing Less Than Happiness 04. Sexy Situation 05. Blessing in Disguise

06. Everything in You 07. Mother Is a Hippie 08. Let's Be Together 09. Thing 10. Family Again

1975 High Energy

01. Underdog (Stewart) 02. If This Room Could Talk 03. Run Run Run 04. Turn Me Loose 05. Let Me Hear It From You 06. Advice 07. I Cannot Make It 08. Trip to Your Heart 09. I Hate to Love Her 10. Bad Risk 11. That Kind of Person 12. Dog

13. Dynamite 14. Chicken 15. Plastic Jim 16. Fun 17. Into My Own Thing 18. Harmony 19. Life 20. Love City 21. I'm An Animal 22. M'Lady 23. Jane Is a Groupee

1975 High on You

01. I Get High on You 02. Crossword Puzzle 03. That's Lovin' You 04. Who Do You Love? 05. Green Eyed Monster Girl

06. Organize 07. Le Lo Li 08. My World 09. So Good to Me 10. Greed

1974 Small Talk

01. Small Talk 02. Say You Will 03. Mother Beautiful 04. Time for Livin' 05. Can't Strain My Brain 06. Loose Booty

07. Holdin' On 08. Wishful Thinking 09. Better Thee Than Me 10. Livin' While I'm Livin' 11. This Is Love

1973 Fresh

01. In Time 02. If You Want Me to Stay 03. Let Me Have It All 04. Frisky 05. Thankful & Thoughtful 06. Skin I'm In

07. I Don't Know(satisfaction) 08. Keep on Dancin' 09. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) 10. If It Were Left up to Me 11. Babies Makin' Babies

1971 There's a Riot Goin' On

01. Luv N' Haight 02. Just Like a Baby 03. Poet 04. Family Affair 05. Africa Talks to You "The Aspalt..." 06. Brave & Strong

07. You Caught Me Smilin' 08. Time 09. Spaced Cowboy 10. Runnin' Away 11. Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa

1970 Greatest Hits

01. I Want to Take You Higher 02. Dance to the Music 03. Everybody Is a Star 04. Everyday People 05. Stand! 06. Hot Fun in the Summertime

07. Life 08. M'Lady 09. Fun 10. Sing a Simple Song 11. You Can Make It if You Try 12. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

1969 Stand!

01. Stand! 02. Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey 03. I Want to Take You Higher 04. Somebody's Watching You

05. Sing a Simple Song 06. Everyday People 07. Sex Machine 08. You Can Make It If You Try

1968 M'Lady

01. Dynamite 02. Chicken 03. Plastic Jim 04. Fu 05. Into My Own Thing 06. Harmony

07. Life 08. Love City 09. I'm an Animal 10. M'Lady 11. Jane Is a Groopie

1968 Dance to the Music

01. Dance to the Music 02. Higher 03. I Ain't Got Nobody (For Real) 04. Dance to the Medley: Music Is... 05. Ride the Rhythm

06. Color Me True 07. Are You Ready 08. Don't Burn Baby 09. I'll Never Fall in Love Again 10. Soul Clappin'

1968 Life

01. Dynamite 02. Chicken 03. Plastic Jim 04. Fun 05. Into My Own Thing 06. Harmony

07. Life 08. Love City 09. I'm an Animal 10. M'Lady 11. Jane Is a Groupee 12. Only One Way out of This Mess

1967 Whole New Thing

01. Underdog 02. If This Room Could Talk 03. Run, Run, Run 04. Turn Me Loose 05. Let Me Hear It from You 06. Advice

07. I Cannot Make It 08. Trip to Your Heart 09. I Hate to Love Her 10. Bad Risk 11. That Kind of Person 12. Dog