Sylvester Stewart born March 15, , better known by his stage name Sly Stone , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone , playing a critical role in the development of funk with his pioneering fusion of soul , rock , psychedelia and gospel in the s and s.
AllMusic stated that " James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it," and credited him with "creating a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds. Born in Texas and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California, Stone mastered several instruments at an early age and performed gospel music as a child with his siblings and future bandmates Freddie and Rose.
In , Stone and his brother Freddie joined their bands together to form Sly and the Family Stone, a racially integrated, mixed-gender act. By the mids, Stone's drug use and erratic behavior effectively ended the group, leaving him to record several unsuccessful solo albums. In , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group. He took part in a Sly and the Family Stone tribute at the Grammy Awards , his first live performance since He was the second of five children born to K.
As part of the doctrines of the Church of God in Christ COGIC , to which the Stewart family belonged, the parents encouraged musical expression in their middle-class household.
Only their eldest sister Loretta did not pursue a musical career; the others, including youngest sister Vaetta "Vet" , would later adopt the surname "Stone" and pursue musical interests. Sylvester was identified as a musical prodigy. By the time he was seven, he had already become proficient on the keyboards, and by the age of eleven, he had mastered the guitar, bass, and drums as well. One of these was the Viscaynes , a doo-wop group in which Sylvester and his friend Frank Arellano —who was Filipino —were the only non-white members.
