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.
dpc050505 · 6h ago
Stevie Nicks wrote Dreams hiding in Sly Stone's basement den.
He led the first popular racially integrated rock band and is among the 3 biggest stars in funk.
harry8 · 4h ago
I'd call it James Brown, then Sly. I actually prefer Sly's stuff but you can't really deny the star power of James Brown.
thomassmith65 · 7h ago
Their performances were certainly lively. By the time this one ends, half the audience is dancing on stage with them: https://youtu.be/4URogrXiKsI
Stratoscope · 51m ago
And Sly gave several of them a hand to climb up on the stage!
brudgers · 5h ago
I was listening to an interview of Alan Parsons and when they were talking about 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon, he mentioned that it was not nominated for the album Grammy and that Stevie Wonder won.
So I listened to Wonder’s Inner Visions and it was clear why it won. It is a much better album. It is a pity Inner Visions is largely forgotten.
harry8 · 4h ago
Oh no. No way.
Will never, ever be forgotten due to neglect.
Came right in the middle of arguably the greatest song-writing streak ever heard.
I love Dark Side, it's great. Stevie on that form was something else and isn't going to be forgotten for a century or two at the minimum as long as civilisation survives to remember one of its high points. Maybe Sylvester Stewart had an influence in it too.
te_chris · 1h ago
Not forgotten at all!
plemer · 5h ago
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.
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.
> Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024.
Excellent
KlausWinter · 5h ago
Sly Stone’s story always felt larger than life. Even if you didn’t grow up with funk, chances are you’ve felt his influence in pop, hip-hop, and soul. I first heard “Everyday People” as a kid and didn’t realize how much it laid the groundwork for inclusive music that transcended genre and race.
What hits me the most in this article is how Sly’s genius was both creative and tragic. He broke down barriers by assembling a racially integrated band in the 60s a move that still feels radical even now and he wrote songs that had optimism and social commentary baked in. But he also struggled with addiction and the burdens of fame, which is sadly a story we hear over and over again.
It’s bittersweet to think he’s gone, but also powerful to see how many artists today cite him as a foundational influence. It’s like the roots of a tree that keep growing long after it’s gone. Rest in funk, Sly.
wk_end · 1h ago
Looking at this new user's short post history, it's pretty clear that it's AI slop :/
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.
He led the first popular racially integrated rock band and is among the 3 biggest stars in funk.
So I listened to Wonder’s Inner Visions and it was clear why it won. It is a much better album. It is a pity Inner Visions is largely forgotten.
Will never, ever be forgotten due to neglect.
Came right in the middle of arguably the greatest song-writing streak ever heard.
(random google hit about it, bound to be plenty of others others) https://firebirdmagazine.com/lists/steviewonder
I love Dark Side, it's great. Stevie on that form was something else and isn't going to be forgotten for a century or two at the minimum as long as civilisation survives to remember one of its high points. Maybe Sylvester Stewart had an influence in it too.
It's an interesting time capsule. Peter Marshall using a racial slur on live television, Sly being stoned out of his mind.
RIP.
Was sly involved in the song superstition?
https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/sylvester-...
https://parade.com/news/sylvester-stallone-trends-after-deat...
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/sylvester-...
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-1s2gqDs_U
Please listen to "There's a riot goin on"
Stand! For the things you know are right It's the truth that the truth makes them so uptight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q49vjFN6Fsw
Worth mentioning, I think, that the album title is a response to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On which came out earlier that year (1971).
https://youtu.be/QrgV35cBHVs?si=cPW106BBBUHYABk0?t=28m52s
It’s pretty fun. Late 60s San Francisco “hippie funk.”
Then it went Wonder Bread and focused on Elton John and David Bowie.
PBS gotta sell tote bags to dad rock fans.
That's a questionable take– "There's a Riot Goin On" (1971) and Fresh (1973) are both absolute classics and highly influential
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.-
Excellent
What hits me the most in this article is how Sly’s genius was both creative and tragic. He broke down barriers by assembling a racially integrated band in the 60s a move that still feels radical even now and he wrote songs that had optimism and social commentary baked in. But he also struggled with addiction and the burdens of fame, which is sadly a story we hear over and over again.
It’s bittersweet to think he’s gone, but also powerful to see how many artists today cite him as a foundational influence. It’s like the roots of a tree that keep growing long after it’s gone. Rest in funk, Sly.