Sly & The Family Stone

When Sylvester Stewart formed Sly And The Family Stone and released their first album—A Whole New Thing—in 1967, the title of that debut was right on a the money. A multi-racial band that also featured female musicians, The Family Stone were groundbreakers, even in that storied year. Right on, they surely were, yet for the money part, less so. Sly was deeply disappointed at the modest success of the debut and decided to get more commercial…and more funky. A string of hits followed, including “Everyday people”, “I want to take you higher” and “Family Affair”.

There were successful albums too, with Stand! reaching #3 on the US R&B chart and their early Greatest Hits compilation (1970) notching up five-times Platinum status. Although funk is the core style that brought Sly fame and fortune (and a storming appearance at Woodstock), the music also incorporates elements of jazz, soul and R&B. You can, most assuredly, “Dance to the music”.