Sly Stone Biography
Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer famously known for his role as frontman for “Sly and The Family.” a band that played a critical role in the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s.
Stone was born in Texas but grew up in California. The Stewart family was a deeply religious middle-class household from Denton, Texas. Born March 15, 1943, before the family had moved from Denton, Texas to Vallejo, California, in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sylvester was the second of the family’s five children.
As part of the doctrines of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), to which the Stewart family belonged, the parents K.C and Alpha Stewart – encouraged musical expression in the household. Sylvester and his brother Freddie along with their sisters Rose and Vaetta formed “The Stewart Four” as children, performing gospel music in the Church of God in Christ and even recording a single local release 78 rpm single, “On the Battlefield” b/w “Walking in Jesus’ Name”, in 1952.
Sly was identified as a musical prodigy. By the time he was seven, Sylvester had already become proficient on the keyboards, and by the age of eleven, he had mastered the guitar, bass, and drums as well. While still in high school, Sylvester had settled primarily on the guitar and joined a number of high school bands. 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.
Sly Stone Age
Sly was born on March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, U.S. He is currently 76 years old as of 2019.
Sly Stone Height
Sly stands at an average height of 5 feet and 9 inches.
Sly Stone and Michale Jackson
The Estate of Michael Jackson/MIJAC Music has acquired the majority ownership of the U.S. rights to Sly and the Family Stone’s catalog. The Estate also owns the entirety of the band’s catalog outside the United States, according to a press release. The announcement arrives nearly one year after Primary Wave Music Publishing claimed to have “acquired an interest in the Sly and the Family Stone music catalog.” The Jackson Estate had disputed Primary Wave’s claims.
In a press release on the acquisition agreement, Sly Stone said, “Thank You Mijac (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, added:
“Sly and the Family Stone were a force for enlightenment and positive change, a message that Michael believed in. He recognized [Sly Stone]’s genius and the power of his words and music which is why he first acquired the catalog and why we at MIJAC follow in Michael’s footsteps today.”
Back in 2010, after falling on hard times financially, Sly Stone sued his longtime manager Jerry Goldstein, claiming that he had not been paid royalties from 1989 to 2009, defrauding him of “tens of millions of dollars.” In January 2015, a Los Angeles jury awarded Sly Stone $5 million in damages. In December 2015, however, a judge ruled that Stone could not collect his payment because he had sold his royalties to a production company in the ’80s.
Sly Stone Sly and The Family Stone
Formed in 1966, the group’s music synthesized a variety of disparate musical genres to help pioneer the emerging “psychedelic soul” sound. They released a series of Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Dance to the Music” “Everyday People”, and “Thank You ” as well as critically acclaimed albums such as Stand!, which combined pop sensibility with social commentary.
In the 1970s, it transitioned into a darker and less commercial funk sound on releases such as There’s a Riot Goin’ On and Fresh proving as influential as their early work. By 1975, drug problems and interpersonal clashes led to dissolution, though Sly 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
The work of Sly and the Family Stone greatly influenced the sound of subsequent American funk, pop, soul, R&B, and hip hop music. Music critic Joel Selvin wrote, “there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone”. In 2010, they were ranked 43rd in Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and three of their albums are included on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Sly Stone Wife
Stone married model-actress Kathy Silva on June 5, 1974, during a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden. Their outfits were designed by Halston. They made elaborate plans for a laser-light show, a real-life “angel” flying on wires dropping gold glitter all over the crowd, and for thousands of doves to be released.
The ASPCA threatened a lawsuit kept the doves from flying, and the Garden wouldn’t let the human “angel” fly unless Stone and the company posted a $125,000 security bond. They declined to pay the fee, and also opted not to pay for the 200 extra security guards the venue demanded in order to allow the wedding party to stage a processional right through the audience.
They separated in 1976 after their son was mauled by Stone’s dog. Silva also accused Stone of abuse. “He beat me, held me captive and wanted me to be in ménages à trois,” Silva told People magazine. “I didn’t want that world of drugs and weirdness.” Still, she remembers, “He’d write me a song or promise to change, and I’d try again. We were always fighting, then getting back together.”
Sly Stone Children
Sylvester Jr., born late 1973. His mother is Kathy Silva. Sylvyette, born c. 1976. Her mother was Cynthia Robinson (1944–2015). Novena Carmel, born c. 1982. She is a singer and performer and also a booking agent at the Little Temple club in Los Angeles, now known as The Virgil. She is also a member of the pop/hip hop group Wallpaper.
Sly Stone Net Worth
Sly has a surprising net worth of 150 thousand dollars.
Sly Stone Albums
- 1967: A Whole New Thing
- 1968: Dance to the Music
- 1968: Life
- 1969: Stand!
- 1970: Greatest Hits
- 1971: There’s a Riot Goin’ On
- 1973: Fresh
- 1974: Small Talk
- 1975: High on You (credited only to “Sly Stone”)
- 1976: Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back
- 1979: Back on the Right Track
- 1982: Ain’t but the One Way
- 2009: The Woodstock Experience
- 2011: I’m Back! Family & Friends
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