Sly & The Family Stone
This US group was formed in San Francisco, California in 1967. Sly Stone (b. Sylvester Stewart, 15 March 1944, Dallas, Texas, USA), Freddie Stone (b. 5 June 1946, Dallas, Texas, USA; guitar), Rosie Stone (b. 21 March 1945, Vallejo, California, USA; piano), Cynthia Robinson (b. 12 January 1946, Sacramento, California, USA; trumpet), Jerry Martini (b. 1 October 1943, Colorado, USA; saxophone), Larry Graham (b. 14 August 1946, Beaumont, Texas, USA; bass), Greg Errico (b. 1 September 1946, San Francisco, California, USA; drums). Sly Stone's recording career began in 1948. A child prodigy, he drummed and added guitar to On The Battlefield For My Lord, a single released by his family's group, the Stewart Four. At high school he sang harmony with the Vicanes, but by the early '60s he was working the bars and clubs on San Francisco's North Beach enclave. Sly learned his trade with several bands, including Joe Piazza And The Continentals, but he occasionally fronted his own. Long Time Away, a single credited to Sylvester Stewart, dates from this period. He also worked as a disc jockey at stations KSOL and KDIA. Sly joined Autumn Records as a songwriter/house-producer, and secured a 1964 success with Bobby Freeman's C'mon And Swim. His own opportunistic single, I Just Learned How To Swim, was less fortunate, a fate which also befell Buttermilk Pts 1 & 2. Stone's production work, however, was exemplary; the Beau Brummels, the Tikis and the Mojo Men enjoyed a polished, individual sound. In 1966 Sly formed the Stoners, a short-lived group which included Cynthia Robinson. The following year Sly And The Family Stone made its debut on the local Loadstone label with I Ain't Got Nobody. The group was then signed to Epic, where their first album proclaimed itself A WHOLE NEW THING. However, it was 1968 before Dance To The Music became a Top 10 single in the US and UK. Everyday People topped the US chart early the following year, but Sly's talent was not fully established until a fourth album, STAND!, was released. Two million copies were sold, while tracks including the title song, I Want To Take You Higher and Sex Machine, transformed black music forever. Rhythmically inventive, the whole band pulsated with a crazed enthusiasm which pitted doo-wop, soul, the San Francisco sound, and more, one upon the other. Contemporaries, from Miles Davis to George Clinton and the Temptations, showed traces of Sly's remarkable vision. 
A sensational appearance at the Woodstock Festival reinforced his popularity. The new decade began with a double-sided hit, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody Is A Star, an R&B and pop number 1, but the optimism suddenly clouded. Sly began missing concerts, those he did perform were often disappointing and when THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON did appear in 1971, it was dark, mysterious and brooding. This introverted set nonetheless reached number 1 in the US chart, and provided three successful singles, Family Affair (another US R&B and pop number 1), Running Away and Smilin', but the joyful noise of the '60s was now over. FRESH (1973) lacked Sly's erstwhile focus while successive releases, SMALL TALK and HIGH ON YOU, reflected a waning power. The Family Stone was also crumbling, Larry Graham left to form Graham Central Station, while Andy Newmark replaced Greg Errico. Yet the real undermining factor was the leader's drug dependency, a constant stumbling block to Sly's recurrent 'comebacks'. A 1979 release, BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK, featured several original members, but later tours were dogged by Stone's addiction problem. Jailed for possession of cocaine in 1987, this innovative artist closed the decade fighting further extradition charges.