Sly And The Family Stone - Songs

ABOUT

Sly & The Family Stone were a highly acclaimed and influential R&B/funk band from San Francisco that became famous during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in 1966, the core lineup consisted of frontman Sly Stone (b. Sylvester Stewart, March 15, 1943) and three actual family members - brother Freddie Stone (vocals, guitar), sister Rose Stone (vocals, keyboards), and cousin Larry Graham (bass guitar) - plus trumpeter/singer Cynthia Robinson (January 12, 1944 - November 23, 2015), Jerry Martini (saxophone), and Gregg Errico (drums). Sly & The Family Stone were the first major rock band to have a racially diverse lineup, and one that included both genders. The band's unique sound came from a fusion of funk with psychedelic pop and rock, and Sly & The Family Stone became among the early pioneers of the then-new "psychedelic soul" genre. The lyrics for many of the band's hits, all written and produced by Stone, covered such topics as peace, love, equality, tolerance, self-empowerment, and social justice.

Sly & The Family Stone made their debut in 1968 with the exuberant "Dance To The Music," which became a Top 10 hit on both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts. This smash was followed by a long string of hits that included "Everyday People" (1968), "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin" (1970), and "Family Affair" (1971), all of which shot to the top of both charts and became among the band's best known songs. The latter song was the lead single for the band's 5th album, "There's A Riot Goin' On," which topped both the Billboard 200 and R&B albums charts upon its release in late 1971. Other top hits included "Stand!" (1969), the title song from the band's critically acclaimed 4th album, plus "Sing A Simple Song" (1969), "Hot Fun In The Summertime" (1969), "Everybody Is A Star" (1970), "I Want To Take You Higher" (1969), "Runnin' Away" (1972), "Smilin'" (1972), "If You Want Me To Stay" (1973), and "Time For Livin'" (1974). Sly & The Family Stone had their final chart entry in 1979 with "Remember Who You Are."

Sly & The Family Stone toured actively and were among the featured performers at the historic 1969 Woodstock festival. By 1975, all the original band members had departed, and Sly Stone continued to record and tour with a new rotating lineup through the early 1980s, as well as record solo. Sly & The Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007. The band's many other honors and accolades also include the R&B Foundation Pioneer Award (2001). Sly & The Family Stone are listed in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and three of the band's albums are included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: "Stand!" (1969), "There's A Riot Goin' On" (1971), and "Fresh" (1973). "Dance To The Music" and "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin" are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

LINKS

MERCHANDISE

Disclosure: The following links will take you to various online merchants outside of allbutforgottenoldies.net that sell recordings and other merchandise for the performing artist featured on this page. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which allbutforgottenoldies.net may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them.

SONGS

To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples.

Sly And The Family Stone

Jump to:
Previous Artist | Next Artist