One story I heard of his influence was that Stevie Wonder did a guest spot in a Sly & the Family Stone gig and could feel the energy of the whole place, heaving.
Took that feeling and with a new record deal giving him creative control did Superstition, Higher Ground and all those classics.
It's hard to be cynical enough about rock history you see on tv, but it's at least plausible that one genius can inspire another, thinking of a Haydn & Mozart kind of thing.
"If You Want Me to Stay" probably my favourite Sly Stone track.
I never got around to listening to his stuff with Funkadelic, maybe today is that day.
Can’t even explain what Sly means to me. Grew up on him, singing with my brother and sister in the back seat. He was summer, he was courage, he was jubilation. And his music still is. RIP.
I would encourage anyone reading who is less familiar to put on "everyday people", which you may have heard in a car commercial, but this time pay close attention to the lyrics.
One of my favorite Sly moments was when he appeared on the Mike Douglas Show with Muhammad Ali. Sly is the perfect foil playing the jester and peacemaker to Ali's activism and seriousness.
There's a wonderfully made two-part podcast documentary about Sly Stone and the Family; the documentary focuses on one song but is really a well-told story about the world around Sly Stone: https://500songs.com/podcast/song-175-everyday-people-by-sly...
Sly wasn't just a brilliant performer, singer, and accomplished multi-instrumentalist but a fantastic songwriter and hugely influential producer. He knew his way around music and lost sight of all ways.
Huge fan of Sly and the Family Stone, sorry to hear about this loss. "A Family Affair" is one of my all time favorite songs (and one of my go-to karaoke songs :)
What an incredible legacy. May we all move through life with more rhythm and less regret. Let's honor his spirit by making our work as electrifying as his music. Rest in peace, Sly.
Sly Stone has died
(abcnews.go.com)377 points by brudgers 9 June 2025 | 66 comments
Comments
Took that feeling and with a new record deal giving him creative control did Superstition, Higher Ground and all those classics.
It's hard to be cynical enough about rock history you see on tv, but it's at least plausible that one genius can inspire another, thinking of a Haydn & Mozart kind of thing.
"If You Want Me to Stay" probably my favourite Sly Stone track.
I never got around to listening to his stuff with Funkadelic, maybe today is that day.
RIP.
Was sly involved in the song superstition?
https://youtu.be/YUUhDoCx8zc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBFAHd189V8
That's a questionable take– "There's a Riot Goin On" (1971) and Fresh (1973) are both absolute classics and highly influential
Sly wasn't just a brilliant performer, singer, and accomplished multi-instrumentalist but a fantastic songwriter and hugely influential producer. He knew his way around music and lost sight of all ways.
It's an interesting time capsule. Peter Marshall using a racial slur on live television, Sly being stoned out of his mind.
Please listen to "There's a riot goin on"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-1s2gqDs_U
https://youtu.be/QrgV35cBHVs?si=cPW106BBBUHYABk0?t=28m52s
It’s pretty fun. Late 60s San Francisco “hippie funk.”
He had to systematically learn to "dumb down" his genius, in order to reach an audience, and systematically, methodically, did so ...
... and, in so doing, defined an era.-
That song helped me survive an awful childhood.