Sly Stone, Funk Pioneer and Music Icon, Dies at 82
Sly Stone, the well-loved frontman of the band Sly and the Family Stone and one of the most influential figures in the funk, soul, and psychedelic rock genres, has passed away at the age of 82. With his music, Sly has made a huge impact on the world and till now he has been the inspiration to many artists. The family confirmed that Stone had succumbed to the disease after a long and exhausting struggle with COPD and other health issues, and that he had breathed his last moments in the bosom of his children and those who love him most, according to the family statement.
His family said that Sly had completed a movie script just prior to his death. They guaranteed that the story of Sly’s incredible journey will soon be immortalized on screen.
The music of Sly Stone was really game-changing. His range of skills that include singing, writing, producing, playing multiple instruments, and performing was groundbreaking not only in music but in style as well. His band, Sly and the Family Stone was the first group to have a mixed line-up (both racially and gender-wise) and were at the height of their success at a point when there were so many social barriers and prejudices in between.
Starting in 1968 with the hopeful “Dance to the Music” and culminating with the warm and memorable “Everyday People,” Stone was able to produce music that was a party, political, experimental and at the same time accessible. His 1969 album Stand!, a mixture of genres with an energy that racial lines weren’t able to hinder and that had an appeal to fans of all kinds still ranks as one of the greatest.
The recent Sly Lives: aka the Burden of Black Genius by Questlove, a movie featuring Sly’s unparalleled rudiments from early home tapes to wah-wah pedals and drum machines, brought some of the threads of his legacy back to the center stage. Questlove reasoned that while usually, solo studio abilities such Stevie Wonder and Prince are lauded, “Sly was the prototype”.
Without a doubt, you can feel Sly Stone’s influence in the music of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince’s groundbreaking style, and in the hip-hop genes where Stone’s tracks are sampled. The list of people who have used his music for their songs is long and includes acts like De La Soul, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and the Beastie Boys, and many others.
According to Dave Marsh, famous music critic, Sly’s band was not what people expected: “Everyone did something unexpected, which was the only thing the listener could expect.”
Sly Stone was no ordinary musician. He was an extraordinary person. An innovator. A creative influencer. And even now, when we mourn the fact that he is gone, his style continues to live and to echo in every beat he created.
