Wednesday, April 16, 2008

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE




Sly and the Family Stone took the Sixties ideal of a generation coming together and turned it into deeply groove-driven music. Rock’s first integrated; multi-gender band became the innovators of the Woodstock Generation, blending soul, R&B, funk and psychedelia into danceable, message-laden, high-energy music. In promoting their gospel of tolerance and celebration of differences, Sly and the Family Stone brought disparate audiences together during the latter half of the Sixties. The group’s greatest triumph came at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. During their unforgettable nighttime set, leader Sly Stone initiated a fevered call-and-response with the audience of 400,000+ during an electrifying version of “I Want to Take You Higher.”


Sly Stone was born Sylvester Steward on March 15, 1941 in Denton, Texas, but grew up in Vallejo, California. Early in his life he showed great interest in music - first singing with his family in the Steward Four in 1952. While studying music at Vallejo Junior College Sly began playing in several groups on the Bay Area scene - recording several singles. . This enabled Sly to move his family to San Francisco. Sly also worked as a disc jockey for the local R&B radio stations KSOL and later KDIA.


Eagar to explore the opportunities to create and construct his own sound he would put together Sly and the Family Stone in 1967. The group connected with the rising counterculture through songs that spoke to a generation and dealt with issues of diversity and freedom, music that combined rock and soul, and would later transform into Seventies funk. At the end of 1967 Sly and the Family Stone released their first album "A Whole New Thing". The record was not a commercial success but the next album "Dance to the Music" gave them a Top Ten hit with its title track early in 1968. This enabled the band to not only to play the colleges but also turn to the bigger venues. Soon they would be sharing the bill with well known acts such as the Jimmy Hendrix Experience.
The bands greatest live performance was at the legendry Woodstock festival in 1969. Although their appearance was in the middle of the night they could make the people wake up, get up and start dancing. Something the other bands that night hardly achieved.


A brilliant artist even under duress, Stone was largely responsible for the dark, reflective but no less funky There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971), which captured the souring mood of the time but, manages to remain timeless. Sly captured the turmoil gripping America in 1971, but also the chaos in his increasingly drug fuelled personal life. During this period, Sly Stone’s drug addiction became much worse and the Family Stone became notorious for missing concert dates, though they still enjoyed commercial success with singles such as “Family Affair.”
From now on every album would see several line-up changes and diminishing success. The Family Stone lost its magic and Sly, who was into heavy drugs. Once being able to change and dictate musical trends, his drug dependency had numbed his creative edge. All motivation was lost as Sly continued in a downward spiral through the late 70s and 80s.

He appeared on the "Soul Man" soundtrack singing a duet with Martha Davis. In 1987 he was once again imprisoned for drug possession. His last public appearance was in 1993 for his induction to the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. In February 2006 the 61 year old performed "I Want to Take You Higher" with his old band at the Grammies.


A true creative genius, Sly and the Family Stone preformed the soundtrack to the 60s and influenced a generation. Sly Stone’s life would mirror a decade that began with hope and liberation, eventually succumbing to excess and ending in dissolution. The spirit of revolution and change may be long gone but a legacy of fine music remains for all to rediscover.



SLY'S TOP TRACKS:

1. EVERYDAY PEOPLE
2. FAMILY AFFAIR
3. STAND
4. I WANT TO TAKE YOU HIGHER
5. SING A SIMPLE SONG


RECOMMENDED ALBUMS (click to preview)

THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON

STAND!

GREATEST HITS!

No comments:

Post a Comment