Sly & the Family Stone

Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone in 1969. Clockwise from top: Larry Graham, Freddie Stone, Greg Errico, Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Cynthia Robinson, and Jerry Martini.
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Funk psychedelic soul rock
Years active	1966–1983
Labels	Epic, Stone Flower
Associated acts	The Original Family Stone, Little Sister
Past members	Sly Stone Freddie Stone Cynthia Robinson Jerry Martini Vet Stewart Mary McCreary Elva Mouton Larry Graham Greg Errico Rose Stone Gerry Gibson Pat Rizzo Rustee Allen Andy Newmark Bill Lordan Sid Page Vicki Blackwell Jim Strassburg Dennis Marcellino

Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. The group's core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's brother and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, sister and singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Gregg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham. The band was the first major American rock group to have an "integrated, multi-gender" lineup.

Formed in 1966, the group's music synthesized a variety of disparate musical genres to help pioneer the emerging "psychedelic soul" sound. They soon found commercial success, recording a series of Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits such as "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Everyday People" (1968), and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), as well critically acclaimed albums such as Stand! (1969), which combined pop sensibility with social commentary. In the 1970s, the band transitioned into a darker and less commercial funk sound on releases such as There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and Fresh (1973), proving as influential as their early work. By 1975, drug problems and interpersonal clashes led to the group's dissolution, though Sly Stone continued to record and tour with a new rotating lineup under the name "Sly and the Family Stone" until drug problems forced his effective retirement in 1987.