Sly Stone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sly Stone
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Stone in 1982
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sylvester Stewart |
| Born | March 15, 1943 Denton, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 2025 (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1956–2023 |
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Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), known as Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the leader of Sly and the Family Stone. He helped create psychedelic soul and funk music. He mixed soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel sounds in the 1960s and 1970s. Many people say he made funk music even better. He also created music that influenced many artists. Some even say he started the "progressive soul" style.
Sly Stone was born in Denton, Texas. He grew up in Vallejo, California. From a young age, he learned to play many instruments. He sang gospel music with his siblings, Freddie and Rose. In the mid-1960s, he worked as a record producer and a radio DJ. In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie formed Sly and the Family Stone. This group was special because it included both male and female members, and people of different races.
The band had many hit songs. These included "Dance to the Music" (1968) and "Everyday People" (1968). Other hits were "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969) and "I Want to Take You Higher" (1969). Later hits were "Family Affair" (1971) and "If You Want Me to Stay" (1973). They also released popular albums like Stand! (1969), There's a Riot Goin' On (1971), and Fresh (1973).
By the mid-1970s, the group faced challenges that led to its end. Sly Stone then released several solo albums, but they were not as successful. He also worked with other artists like Parliament-Funkadelic and Bobby Womack. In 1993, he was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone. He performed live for the first time since 1987 at the 2006 Grammy Awards. This was a special tribute to his band. Sly Stone released his autobiography, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), in 2023. He passed away on June 9, 2025.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Musical Start
Sylvester Stewart was born on March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas. His family later moved to Vallejo, California. He was the second of five children. His parents were K.C. and Alpha Stewart, who were very religious. They encouraged their children to play music. Sylvester, his brother Freddie, and his sisters Rose and Loretta formed "the Stewart Four." As children, they sang gospel music in church. In 1956, they released a record with two songs. Loretta was the only sibling who did not become a musician. The others, including their youngest sister Vaetta, later used the last name "Stone."
Sylvester was a very talented musician from a young age. By age seven, he was good at playing keyboards. By age eleven, he had learned guitar, bass, and drums. In high school, he focused on guitar and joined several bands. One band was the Viscaynes, a doo-wop group. Sylvester and his friend Frank Arellano were the only non-white members. During this time, Sylvester also recorded some solo songs as Danny Stewart. He and his brother Fred formed other short-lived bands. After high school, Sly studied music at Solano Community College. A classmate once misspelled his name as "Slyvester," and the nickname "Sly" stayed with him.
In the mid-1960s, Sly Stone worked as a DJ at a soul radio station in San Francisco. He played music by both Black and white artists, like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. He also produced records for bands like The Beau Brummels and The Great Society. Sly helped make the radio station KSOL popular for soul music. He also played keyboards for famous singers like Dionne Warwick and Marvin Gaye.
In 1966, Sly played with his band. His brother Freddie had a band called Freddie and the Stone Souls. They decided to combine their bands. They added Larry Graham as the bassist. This new group, Sly and the Family Stone, started performing in 1967. They were a multiracial band and quickly became very popular in the Bay Area.
Sly and the Family Stone's Rise to Fame
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Sly and the Family Stone released their first album, A Whole New Thing, in 1967. It was not a big hit. But their song "Dance to the Music" became their first hit single in 1968. This song was on their second album, also called Dance to the Music. Their third album, Life (1968), also did not sell well. However, their fourth album, Stand! (1969), was a huge success. It sold over three million copies. It also had a number one hit song, "Everyday People".
By the summer of 1969, Sly and the Family Stone were one of the biggest music groups. They released two more top five songs, "Hot Fun in the Summertime" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody Is a Star". They also performed at the famous Woodstock concert. In the summer of 1969, they also played at the Summer of Soul concerts in Harlem. The large crowd loved their performance.
When the band started touring, they were praised for their exciting live shows. Both Black and white fans loved their music. In 1973, when Bob Marley first toured the U.S., his band, The Wailers, opened for Sly and the Family Stone.
Sly Stone also started a company called Stone Flower Productions with David Kapralik. Kapralik helped Sly with his career as a producer and advisor. The records produced by Stone Flower Records were distributed by Atlantic Records.
Challenges and Changes
As the band became more famous, they faced many problems. Relationships within the band became difficult. There were disagreements between the Stone brothers and Larry Graham. The record company wanted them to make more popular music.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1969, the band members faced personal struggles. This caused their recording process to slow down a lot. Between 1969 and 1971, they released only one single. This was "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"/"Everybody Is a Star" in December 1969. This song was important because it used strong, funky beats. These beats became common in funk music later on. The song also showed off bass player Larry Graham's new playing style called "slapping." Graham said he developed this style to make up for not having a drummer in an earlier band.
"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1970. It stayed there for two weeks. The song also sold over a million copies.
Sly Stone's behavior became more unpredictable. After Stand! was released, the Greatest Hits album came out in November. A year later, the band's fifth album, There's a Riot Goin' On, was released. This album had a much darker sound. Most of the songs were recorded by adding layers of sound, instead of the whole band playing at once. Sly Stone played most of the instruments himself and sang more lead vocals. This was one of the first major albums to use a drum machine.
The band slowly started to fall apart. Their sales and popularity also began to drop. Greg Errico left the group in 1971 and was replaced by Andy Newmark. Larry Graham and Sly Stone were no longer friends, and Graham left in 1972. He was replaced by Rustee Allen. The band released two more albums, Fresh (1973) and Small Talk (1974).
Live performances for Sly and the Family Stone became less frequent after 1970. Promoters worried that the band members might not show up or finish their shows. These problems happened often in the 1970s. This made it hard for them to get paid well for concerts. In 1970, 26 out of 80 concerts were canceled. Many others started late. At some shows, fans would get upset if the band didn't appear or if Sly left early. In January 1975, the band played at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The hall was almost empty. After this, the band broke up.
Rose Stone left the band and started a solo career. Freddie Stone joined Larry Graham's group, Graham Central Station, for a while. After working with his brother one last time in 1979, he left the music business. He later became a pastor. The background singers, Little Sister, also broke up. Andy Newmark became a successful drummer for other artists.
Later Years
Sly Stone recorded four more albums as a solo artist. Only High on You (1975) was released under just his name. The other three were released as "Sly & The Family Stone." In 1976, he formed a new Family Stone and released Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back. This was followed by Back on the Right Track in 1979. In 1982, Ain't But the One Way was released. None of these later albums were very successful.
Stone also worked with Funkadelic on their album The Electric ... of War Babies (1981). In the early 1980s, he was part of a project called "The Soda ..." with George Clinton.
In 1984, Stone went on a short tour with Bobby Womack. In 1986, he was featured on a song and music video called "Crazay" from Jesse Johnson's album Shockadelica.
In 1985, Stone released a song from the Soul Man movie soundtrack. He also released a song from the Burglar soundtrack. He helped write and produce a song for a Bar-Kays album in 1989.
In 1990, he sang on the Earth, Wind & Fire song "Good Time." He also sang with Bobby Womack on a song from Womack's 1993 album. In 1992, Sly and the Family Stone contributed a song to a dance album called Red Hot + Dance. This album raised money for charities.
In 1993, Sly Stone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Family Stone. His son, Sylvester Stewart Jr., said in 1996 that his father had written enough songs for a new album.
On August 15, 2005, Stone rode his motorcycle to a performance by his younger sister Vet Stone's tribute band. He wore his helmet during the whole show. A film crew making a documentary about Sly and the Family Stone filmed this rare appearance.
In 2009, a documentary film called Coming Back for More talked about his financial situation. Reports said he was living in cheap hotels and a camper van. In January 2010, Stone sued his former manager for $50 million. He claimed he had not been paid royalties for his songs for many years. In January 2015, a jury decided in favor of Stone, awarding him $5 million. However, this decision was later overturned.
Tributes and Return to Music
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A special tribute to Sly and the Family Stone happened at the 2006 Grammy Awards on February 8, 2006. Sly Stone performed live for the first time since 1987. He joined the original Family Stone members (except Larry Graham) and other famous artists. He sang a verse of "I Want To Take You Higher." He then waved to the audience and left the stage before the song ended.
A tribute album called Different Strokes by Different Folks was released in 2005 and 2006. It featured cover versions of the band's songs and songs that used parts of their original recordings. Artists like The Roots, Maroon 5, and John Legend were on the album.
Re-emergence
On January 14, 2007, Stone made a short guest appearance with The New Family Stone band. On April 1, 2007, Stone appeared with the Family Stone in Las Vegas.
On July 7, 2007, Stone made a brief appearance with the Family Stone at the San Jose Summerfest. He sang two songs and then left the stage early. A similar event happened at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 13, 2007. He played for only 20 minutes before leaving. This was part of a European tour that year.
On October 17, 2008, Sly played with the Family Stone in Santa Rosa, California. He played for 22 minutes and then left the stage, saying he would be right back. He did not return. On May 25, 2009, Stone gave an hour-long interview about his life and career.
On September 7, 2009, Stone appeared at a festival in Chicago with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.
On December 6, 2009, Stone signed a new recording contract. On August 16, 2011, I'm Back! Family & Friends was released. This was his first album since 1982. The album had new versions of Sly and the Family Stone hits. It featured guest artists like Jeff Beck and Bootsy Collins.
In later years, Stone performed with George Clinton and with his daughter Novena's band, Baby Stone. In January 2015, Sly Stone and some bandmates appeared at a convention honoring the band. In October 2023, Stone's autobiography, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), was published. In December 2023, a single called "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (2023 Mix)" was released.
Film and Television
Greg Zola made a documentary about Sly Stone called Small Talk About Sly. It includes interviews about Sly Stone's music.
Michael Rubenstone's film On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone was released in 2017. In the movie, Rubenstone travels to find people who worked with Sly Stone. The film was shown at the Slamdance Film Festival.
The documentary Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson was released in 2025. It explores the challenges faced by Black performers. It also celebrates how Stone found a healthy life after the pressures of fame. Some interviews from other documentaries were used in this film.
Before he passed away, Stone was working on a movie script based on his 2024 memoir. His family said they are excited to share this project with the world.
Legacy
Sly and the Family Stone, along with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, were pioneers of funk music in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They combined R&B rhythms, catchy tunes, and psychedelia. This created a new mix of pop, soul, and rock that had a lasting impact. For example, Motown producer Norman Whitfield used their sound for songs by The Temptations. The band's mix of different races, genders, and music styles influenced artists like Prince and Rick James in the 1980s. Many artists from the 1990s onward, including Public Enemy and Beastie Boys, used parts of Sly Stone's songs in their own music.
In an episode of the TV show “Law & Order”, a character named Lt. Anita Van Buren mentions that she likes Sly Stone’s music.
Personal Life
In the late 1960s, Sly Stone spent time with producer Terry Melcher. Stone saw Charles Manson at Melcher's home more than once. Stone said in a 2009 interview that he had a small disagreement with Manson at Melcher's home. Stone also met Melcher's mother, Doris Day. He told her he loved her song "Whatever Will Be, Will Be." They sat at the piano and sang it together. After this, a rumor spread that Stone and Day were romantically involved.
Stone married model-actress Kathy Silva on June 5, 1974. Their wedding happened during a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden. Their outfits were designed by Halston. They had big plans for the wedding, including a laser-light show.
They separated in 1976. Silva later said, "I didn't want that world of ... and weirdness." She remembered, "He'd write me a song or promise to change, and I'd try again. We were always fighting, then getting back together."
Children
Stone's son, Sylvester Jr., was born in late 1973. His mother is Kathy Silva. His first daughter, Sylvyette, who now goes by her middle name Phunne, was born around 1976. Her mother was Cynthia Robinson, a band member. Stone's second daughter, Novena Carmel, was born in 1982. She is a singer and performer. She is also a co-host for the public radio station KCRW.
Family
Stone's cousin, Moses Tyson, Jr., is a gospel musician and organist.
Death
On June 9, 2025, Sly Stone passed away at his home in Granada Hills, Los Angeles. He was 82 years old. His family stated that he died from lung issues and other health problems. He was cremated.
Discography
- High on You (1975)
- I'm Back! Family & Friends (2011)
Book
- Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (2023)
Images for kids
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Stone in 1982
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Sly and the Family Stone in 1968. Sly Stone is pictured second from left.
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Stone in 2007
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Stone in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Sly & the Family Stone para niños
