Sly and the Family Stone Revolutionized Music with Diverse Band and Fresh Sound
In the wild 1960s, a San Francisco band shook up music by blending soul, pop, and funk. Their secret? A mix of men and women, black and white players, all…
1968: Psychedelic soul group “Sly & The Family Stone” pose for a portrait in 1968. (L-R) Freddie Stone, Sly Stone, Rosie Stone, Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Gregg Errico. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
In the wild 1960s, a San Francisco band shook up music by blending soul, pop, and funk. Their secret? A mix of men and women, black and white players, all making music together.
The group shot to fame with Dance to the Music, breaking the rules of what songs could be. "It wasn't slick; it was gritty. It wasn't a cure; it was physical. It was also a complete departure from the glitz-heavy arrangements of the time. This turned out to be the hallmark of Sly and The Family Stone," a music critic expressed in Digital Journal.
Their star blazed brightest with their 1969 album, Stand!. After rocking Woodstock that summer, the album took off. They blended sweet pop hooks with raw soul power, incorporating mind-bending sounds that no one had attempted before.
By 1971, they'd changed the game again. Their album There's a Riot Goin' On hit number one on the Billboard 200 and brought the first drum machine beats to pop music. No one had heard anything like it.
The band's wild ideas changed how music worked. Hip-hop, rap, and black music still carry their DNA today. They turned simple riffs into deep grooves, as different instruments traded the spotlight in their tracks. Catchy parts jumped out when you least expected them.
As cities burned and rights marches filled the streets, the band faced the heat head-on. The Watts Riots pushed black artists to speak up. Their song "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" captured that raw energy and felt like a definitive statement.
The first lineup of Sly and the Family Stone produced seven full-length studio albums before drugs and fights tore them apart. Sly Stone made one more solo hit, "I Get High on You," which reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Years later, he pulled together new members for a final album titled Ain't but the One Way in the early 80s. After that last record, Stone vanished from sight. He's stayed hidden for three decades now. But the sounds he started still echo through music today.
