Better Late Than Never: R.I.P. To Sly Stone (1943 – 2025)

I was hoping to come up with a unique post to honor Sly Stone, but so much has already been written about him that I'm now simply hoping that my words aren't going to be redundant. I'm late to the fair because I felt my two tributes to Brian Wilson needed to take precedent over this one. Even if uniqueness is no longer possible I want this post to be - at the very least - worthy of such a talented musician.

To this day, there has never been any greatest hits album that I've played more than the one Epic Records issued for Sly & The Family Stone in 1970, and I've been spinning records and CDs for a long, long, long time now. It's almost been a permanent fixture on my ipod.

We were all taught in English class that a superlative should never be used with the word "unique" because it means "one-of-a-kind" and something can't be more "one-of-a-kind" than anything else. However, if I ever wanted to add a modifier like "very" to that already descriptive word it could be used to discuss Sly & The Family Stone.

The group had so many attributes that made "unique" the perfect descriptor. They were a fully integrated band, featuring both men and women, Black and White musicians, and multiple lead singers. If they never contributed anything else to music, those accomplishments were something to be proud of.

But what good is being different if the music doesn't resonate with listeners, and fortunately The Family Stone's music had wide appeal. They became very popular playing their blend of R&B, psychedelic rock, and balladry spiced with a social consciousness and an ability to party while dancing to the music all night long. They weren't only unique back in the 60s and early 70s, there still isn't anyone who sounds like them today, and there probably never will be.

Much has been written about the life of the reclusive Stone, his drug problems, and his eccentricities. It's sad that he had some personal problems, but wherever he is now I hope he can take some satisfaction knowing he brought happiness to a lot of people.

Almost every other tribute has provided a video of Stone and his band doing their wonderful thing. Instead - still trying to be unique myself - I'm posting what to me is an obvious tribute to this great outfit. What better honor is there than one artist influencing another one.