43 Facts About Sly Stone

1.

Sly Stone took part in a Sly and the Family Stone tribute at the 2006 Grammy Awards, his first live performance since 1987.

2.

All of the other Stewart children, including youngest sister Vaetta, would later adopt the surname "Sly Stone" and pursue musical interests.

3.

The nickname Sly Stone was a common one for Sylvester throughout his years in grade school.

4.

Sly Stone was influential in guiding KSOL-AM into soul music and started calling the station K-SOUL.

5.

In 1966, Sly was performing with his band Sly and The Stoners which included Cynthia Robinson on trumpet.

6.

The Black Panther Party demanded that Sly Stone make his music more militant and more reflective of the black power movement, replace Greg Errico and Jerry Martini with black instrumentalists, and replace manager David Kapralik.

7.

Riot featured a much darker sound as most tracks were recorded with overdubbing as opposed to the Family Stone all playing at the same time as they had done previously.

8.

Sly Stone played most of the parts himself and performed more of the lead vocals than usual.

9.

Larry Graham and Sly Stone were no longer on friendly terms, and Graham was fired in early 1972 and replaced with Rustee Allen.

10.

At many of these gigs, concertgoers rioted if the band failed to show up, or if Sly Stone walked out before finishing his set.

11.

Sly Stone began a solo career, recording a Motown-style album under the name Rose Banks in 1976.

12.

Freddie Sly Stone joined Larry Graham's group, Graham Central Station, for a time; after collaborating with his brother one last time in 1979 for Back on the Right Track, he retired from the music industry and eventually became the pastor of the Evangelist Temple Fellowship Center in Vallejo, California.

13.

In 1976, Sly Stone assembled a new Family Sly Stone and released Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back.

14.

Sly Stone collaborated with Funkadelic on The Electric Spanking of War Babies, but was unable to reinvigorate his career.

15.

In June 1983, Sly Stone was arrested and charged with cocaine possession in Fort Myers, Florida.

16.

Sly Stone managed to do a short tour with Bobby Womack in the summer of 1984, and he continued to make sporadic appearances on compilations and other artists' records.

17.

In 1986, Sly Stone was featured on a track from Jesse Johnson's album Shockadelica called "Crazay".

18.

In 1986, Sly Stone released a single, "Eek-ah-Bo Static Automatic", from the Soul Man soundtrack, and the song "I'm the Burglar" from the Burglar soundtrack.

19.

Sly Stone co-wrote and co-produced "Just Like A Teeter-Totter," which appeared on a Bar-Kays album from 1989.

20.

From 1988 to 1989 Sly Stone wrote and produced a collection of unreleased recordings in his home studio in New Jersey, "Coming Back for More" and "Just Like A Teeter-Totter" are a part of that collection of about 20 songs.

21.

In 1995, ex-landlord Chase Mellon III accused Sly Stone of trashing the Beverly Hills mansion Mellon rented to him in 1993.

22.

In 2003, the other six members of the original Family Sly Stone entered the studio to record a new album.

23.

Sly Stone kept his helmet on during the entire performance, and was described by one concertgoer as looking a little like Bootsy Collins.

24.

Sly Stone, according to his web site, is producing and writing material for the group's new album.

25.

Sly and the original Family Stone lineup performed briefly during a tribute to the band, for which the headliners included Steven Tyler, John Legend, Van Hunt, Nile Rodgers and Robert Randolph.

26.

Sly Stone walked to the front of the stage toward the end of the performance, sang a verse, and then, with a wave to the audience, sauntered offstage before the song was over.

27.

Ehrlich said Sly Stone refused to leave his hotel room until he was given a police escort to the show and then waited in his car until the performance began.

28.

On Sunday, January 14,2007, Sly Stone made a short guest appearance at a show of The New Family Sly Stone band he supports at the House of Blues.

29.

On July 7,2007, Sly Stone made a short appearance with the Family Sly Stone at the San Jose Summerfest.

30.

Sly Stone cut the set short, in part, because the band began their set over 90 minutes late and had to finish before a certain time.

31.

Sly Stone did the same again one day later, performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

32.

On October 17,2008, Sly played with the Family Stone at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, CA.

33.

On Memorial Day, May 25,2009, Sly Stone re-emerged , granting an hour-long interview with KCRW-FM, a Los Angeles NPR affiliate, to discuss his life and career.

34.

On September 25,2011, Alkema wrote in the New York Post that Sly Stone was homeless and living in a van in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles.

35.

On Labor Day, September 7,2009, Sly Stone appeared at the 20th annual African Festival of the Arts in Chicago, Ill.

36.

Sly Stone performed a 15-minute set during George Clinton's performance.

37.

Sly Stone performed his popular hits along with George Clinton's band.

38.

Sly Stone has appeared in later years with George Clinton and performed with his daughter Novena's band, Baby Sly Stone.

39.

Sly Stone was in good spirits, answered questions from fans, and signed autographs.

40.

Sly Stone sued his former managers in 2010, accusing them of cheating him out of years' worth of royalty payments for the songs he had written.

41.

Sly Stone testified that he had not been paid any royalties between 1989 and 2009.

42.

Sly Stone met Melcher's mother, Doris Day, through Melcher when Sly Stone was interested in an old car that he thought one of them owned.

43.

Sly Stone married model-actress Kathy Silva on June 5,1974, during a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden.