Sly Stone gone bye bye.

When diving in the funk the Doughboy often wonders what happened to Sylvester Stewert AKA Sly Stone. Sly was ( as anyone that has ears and aural sensation should know) a pioneer in the musical arena of funk on par with likes of James Brown. That only begins to touch the musical legacy this guy left. The Family Stone exploded in 1968 with Dance to the Music ( their second album) and never looked back. Hits and more hits followed album after album. The biggest ,1969's STAND!, included four hit singles ( including Everyday People, Stand, I want to take you higher, and Sing a Simple song)! This guy was Prince before Prince realized he was Prince! He was that good.


And then came drugs.


If you doubt the esteem this guy was held in heres a few qoutes from his peers.

• "He's my idol; forget all that peer stuff.I heard 'Stand!,' and it was like: Man , forget it! That band was perfect. And Sly was like all the Beatles and all of Motown in one. He was the baddest thing around"

George Clinton

• "he took music in a new direction, another step forward. He definitely had some potent stuff, and some new stuff, in a new voice. It was this funky, street-y, but pop R&B music. I was very much a fan."

Lamont Dozier

• "He was so creative, one of the most talented guys I've ever met. It was inspirational being around him. He made some great music. He just wasn't happy in his personal life. He got to the point he wouldn't even listen to his own stuff. That's paranoia. As the drugs set in, the warm, creative side went away. And then it got worse and worse. He was a person out of control."

Bobby Womack

Hundreds of books and articles ( like this Vanity Fair story) tell the story better than I can. Basically disillusionment with the 60's and heavy drug use lead to Sly becoming a recluse on level that even Howard Hughes would have said "damn brother, you need to get out more".

As fan of the guy it does warm my heart to think at least he did not pull a Hendrix or Joplin. He's not with us but at least he's still WITH US!

Sly go bye bye.