The Impact of Sly and the Family Stone

“This is like an audition, you know; just play some stuff and let me hear you. Just do what you want and we’ll join in and see how you sound. Know what I mean?”-Sly Stone, 1970

“Sheeeeit…Sly raps better than most cats write lyrics–all it needs is a backbeat.”-George Clinton, 1979.

From his first musical step to the last, Sly Stone assumed the role of the underdog while cultivating his own thing. Assessing life and all of its complexities. He had a deep sense, a deep feeling, that if you could ride the rhythm long enough, maybe we all could be free. He led a band that wanted to take you higher by singing simple songs to everyday people. All the while, they were songs that let everyone know that they were still in control of their own reality, regardless of how the system worked against them. That was the power of Sly and the Family Stone. 

 Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart on March 15th, 1943 in Denton, Texas) transitioned to the higher realm on June 9th, 2025. He fronted the multi-racial, multi-gender band known as Sly and the Family Stone. Originating out of San Francisco, California, they crafted a brilliant hybrid of Pop, Rock, Funk, and Gospel that crossed every line that could be crossed. Sly himself usurped an extremely unique position in American popular music. Unlike his Funk predecessor James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone had a huge white following, which, among other accomplishments, propelled 3 of their singles to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. But unlike his contemporary Jimi Hendrix, he constructed a solid bond with the Black community early on, to the degree that those same 3 singles (“Everyday People,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” and “Family Affair”) topped the Soul Singles charts. 

The mind-blowing moments created by the music of Sly and the Family Stone are plentiful. From the endless exuberance of their 1967 debut to the deep, dark, and brooding power of There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971), Sly seizes every aspect of your soul and transforms it from the inside out. In the process, they leave an amazing musical revelation in their wake. 

DANCE TO THE MUSIC (single) (Epic 1968)

There aren’t many hit songs where the musicians actually explain what they’re going to do to get you into the groove. The vibrancy and joyful energy of Sly and the Family Stone’s first national hit took the music world by storm, confirming that a new alternative R&B/Soul fusion was about to take shape. 

STAND (Epic 1969)

“Dance To The Music” would make a bold statement in the R&B/Soul arena. In fact, at the time of its release, Black popular music in the U.S. was a market primarily driven by singles, not albums. Stand would change that dynamic. It was observed as a complete artistic statement, much in the same way that The Beatles’ Revolver had been embraced three years earlier. High powered tracks such as the title cut, “Don’t Call Me N****r, Whitey”, “Sing A Simple Song” and the band’s first number one pop/R&B hit “Everyday People,” helped to make Stand one of the boldest statements by a Black musical artist. 

HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME (Epic 1969)

A swinging, righteous summer anthem, “Hot Fun In The Summertime,” was not featured on any Sly and the Family Stone album until the release of their greatest hits collection a year later. It is the first recording by the band to feature a violin-driven string section. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the R&B charts. 

THANK YOU (FALETTINME BE MICE ELF AGIN) (Epic 1969)

The second number one pop/R&B hit for the Family Stone would, in many ways, usher in the era of Funk that would dominate Black music for the entire decade of the 1970s. “Thank You” features bassist Larry Graham, solidifying what would be known as the Funk bass technique of thumbing and slapping the strings of the bass. It was a technique he would employ throughout the entire track. Like “Hot Fun In The Summertime,” “Thank You” would not be featured on an album until…

GREATEST HITS (Epic 1970)

After the release of Stand in 1969, Sly and the Family Stone would not emerge with another studio album until two years later. During this period, in an effort to fulfill their contractual obligations, Epic Records released a collection of hits, as well as singles that did not appear on previous Family Stone albums, including “Thank You”, “Hot Fun”, and “Everybody Is A Star”. Greatest Hits would go on to become the band’s biggest-selling album, selling to date over five million copies in the U.S. alone. 

THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON (Epic 1971)

At the beginning of the 1970s, the promise and optimism of the previous decade quickly disappeared, making way for disillusionment and the possibility of a darker future for a generation seeking love, power, and peace. Out of the ashes of this new reality, Sly and the Family Stone would release There’s A Riot Goin’ On in November of 1971. Riot would be defined by deeply raw, somber rhythms that would help to define the Funk genre for the rest of the decade. Riot would produce the band’s last number one hit, “Family Affair.” The process of the band’s disintegration would take shape during the recording of this album.

Sly and the Family Stone would lose many of its original members after the release of Riot. Larry Graham would depart the band in 1972 and would later form Graham Central Station in 1974. 

Sly Stone’s struggles with drugs are well-documented and don’t need any further examination from this article. But the reexamination of the incredible music and live performances by Sly and the Family Stone will continue well into future generations. The impact and influence of Sly Stone on Prince, Parliament-Funkadelic, and various R&B and Funk acts are immense. Sly and the Family Stone took all of us higher….one way or another.

STAND IN PEACE

SYLVESTER STEWART 

MARCH 15TH, 1943-JUNE 9TH, 2025

-Tim Kinley

Photo: Montage of Sly and the Family Stone (fair use)