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THE TRUTH ABOUT: The family stone | History Defined

Sly Stone turned isolation into inspiration, forging a path for a generation of music-makers

In the fall of 1971, Sly and the Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” landed like a quiet revolution. After two years of silence following the band’s mainstream success, fans expected more feel-good funk from the ensemble.

The Conversation

“There is really only one chord in the whole song. E… something”: A music professor breaks down the theory behind Sly & The Family Stone's Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Following Sly Stone's passing, we explore how one of the funk icon's most enduring grooves turns minimal harmony into maximum impact

MusicRadar

‘Send me some money!’ My unforgettable encounters with the legendary Sly Stone

He went from the towering highs of the 60s and 70s, where he changed the face of music, to the shambolic lows of a decades-long addiction. But interviewing the music genius over the years showed me a man who was awed, revered and strangely shy

The Guardian - UK

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American funk pioneer Sly Stone dies aged 82

American funk legend Sly Stone, founder of the trailblazing group Sly and the Family Stone, whose songs drove a civil rights-inflected soul explosion in the 1960s, has died at the age of 82.

Radio France Internationale

Sly Stone obituary

Funk and soul musician whose band, Sly and the Family Stone, had a profound effect on US music in the 1960s and 70s

The Guardian - UK

Legendary funk pioneer Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone dies aged 82

Revolutionary musician Sly Stone was the founding member of Sly and the Family Stone, the first major group to include Black and white men and women. Their hits "Family Affair" and "Everyday People" transformed popular music in the 1960s and '70s.

Euronews

Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watch

The Guardian - AU

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Sly Stone, revolutionary funk rock musician, dies at 82

Sly Stone, the electrifying musician, songwriter and showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s, has died

The Independent UK

“A groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music”: Sly Stone, leader of Sly and the Family Stone, has died aged 82

The soul legend had been suffering from ill health for some time

MusicRadar

Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82

Sly Stone, an electrifying musician, songwriter and showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s, has died

The Independent UK

Sly Stone death: Funk and soul legend of ‘Dance to the Music’ fame dies aged 82

Sly and the Family Stone rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s

The Independent UK

Sly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82

American songwriter lit up generations of dancefloors with his group Sly and the Family Stone

The Guardian - UK

“Sly turned his back on me in the control room, giving a shout whenever he heard something he liked”: How Larry Graham’s hand-picked replacement supercharged this 1973 hit for Sly & The Family Stone with an iconic bassline

On Graham’s recommendation, Rustee Allen arrived at the Record Plant in California to overdub his iconic If You Want Me to Stay bassline

Guitar World

Book Review: Sly Stone wants to take you higher in memoir with tales of funk, drugs and survival

While recalling his remarkable yet erratic life in music, Sly Stone admits he occasionally had to depend on the recollections of others because his own memory wasn’t always reliable

The Independent UK

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The Guardian - UK

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly Stone review – euphoric expression and drug-crazed chaos

A memoir by the groundbreaking funk-rock-soul survivor contains all the playfulness and charm of his music but little in the way of insight

The Guardian - UK

‘I never lived a life I didn’t want to live’: Sly Stone on addiction, ageing and changing music for ever

The immeasurably influential, infamously erratic soul star has written an unlikely autobiography. In a rare interview, Stone opens up on drugs, feuds and his treasure trove of unreleased tracks

Guitar World

When Bootsy Collins met Larry Graham: “He handed me his bass, and I said, ‘Don't even try it. You play the bass, and I'll just watch’”

Why did funk legend Bootsy Collins refuse to jam with the godfather of slap bass?

The Guardian - UK

‘It’s been a wild ride’: funk legend Sly Stone announces memoir

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) will ‘cover all aspects’ of the musician’s life, including his battles with drug use, and is set for release this September

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The Guardian - UK

Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!

As Stone turns 80 this week, we appraise the best of his songs, from wildly exuberant funk-pop hits to claustrophobic tracks made amid huge personal and social turmoil

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