That Eric Alper

Today, the world lost one of its brightest, boldest, and most unpredictable musical visionaries. Sylvester Stewart — Sly Stone to the rest of us — died on June 9, 2025, at the age of 82. A funk pioneer, a soul preacher, a psychedelic superhero, and a genre-fusing genius, Sly was the mastermind behind some of the most joyful, radical, and influential music ever made.

He made us dance. He made us think. He made us get higher.

Here are 82 funky, fabulous, sometimes freaky facts about Sly Stone — the man who Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin.

1. Sly Stone was born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas.
2. He got the nickname “Sly” in grade school after a classmate misspelled his name as Slyvester.
3. He grew up in Vallejo, California, in a deeply religious household.
4. His family was part of the Church of God in Christ and encouraged musical expression.
5. The Stewart kids formed a gospel group called The Stewart Four.
6. Their first record came out in 1956 — Sly was just 13.
7. Sly played multiple instruments by age 11: guitar, bass, keys, and drums.
8. As a teen, he joined a doo-wop group called The Viscaynes — an integrated group that stood out.
9. He briefly recorded solo under the name Danny Stewart.
10. He studied music at Solano Community College in Vallejo.
11. Sly worked as a DJ at San Francisco soul station KSOL in the ’60s.
12. He famously played The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on air — unheard of at the time.
13. He also worked as a producer for Autumn Records, helping shape the San Francisco sound.
14. He produced early tracks for The Beau Brummels, The Great Society, and Bobby Freeman.
15. Before the Family Stone, Sly played in a band called Sly and the Stoners.
16. His brother Freddie played in Freddie and the Stone Souls.
17. The two brothers merged their groups in 1966 to form Sly and the Family Stone.
18. Their debut album A Whole New Thing dropped in 1967 and didn’t chart — but critics loved it.
19. “Dance to the Music” in 1968 changed everything — it was their first major hit.
20. “Everyday People” hit #1 and became an anthem for unity in 1969.
21. The Family Stone was racially integrated and co-ed — a revolution in its own right.
22. They were one of the few bands that could headline Woodstock and play Harlem’s Summer of Soul.
23. Sly coined the phrase “Different strokes for different folks.”
24. Larry Graham invented slap bass — partly because they didn’t have a drummer at one point.
25. “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” was one of the first songs to feature slap bass.
26. The song hit #1 in early 1970 and sold over a million copies.
27. Sly carried a violin case full of drugs on tour.
28. He often used PCP, which contributed to his increasingly erratic behavior.
29. His band’s late arrivals and no-shows became infamous by the early ’70s.
30. In 1971, There’s a Riot Goin’ On marked a darker, more introspective turn.
31. That album used drum machines and overdubs — groundbreaking for the time.
32. Sly often played most of the instruments himself.
33. The Family Stone started falling apart in the early ’70s.
34. Larry Graham was fired after a fistfight and replaced by Rustee Allen.
35. Despite inner turmoil, Fresh (1973) was another critically acclaimed gem.
36. “If You Want Me to Stay” remains one of Sly’s most beloved tracks.
37. Small Talk (1974) was the last full Family Stone album of the classic era.
38. Sly released solo records under the Family Stone name to satisfy his label.
39. He appeared on Funkadelic’s Electric Spanking of War Babies in 1981.
40. In 1983, he was arrested for cocaine possession in Florida.
41. In the ’80s, he collaborated with Jesse Johnson, Bobby Womack, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
42. His solo single “Eek-Ah-Bo Static Automatic” appeared on the Soul Man soundtrack.
43. He co-wrote and produced “Just Like a Teeter-Totter” for The Bar-Kays.
44. He was supposed to collaborate with George Clinton on Ain’t But the One Way — but didn’t finish it.
45. A bootleg of late-‘80s demos reveals he was still writing brilliant stuff in hiding.
46. He reunited briefly with the Family Stone in 1993 for their Rock Hall induction.
47. He didn’t stay long at the mic — in true Sly fashion, he dipped out halfway through the speech.
48. He made a surprise appearance at the 2006 Grammys with a giant blonde mohawk.
49. He left the stage before the tribute finished — on a motorcycle, no less.
50. His 2011 album I’m Back! Family & Friends featured Jeff Beck and Bootsy Collins.
51. He said he never stopped writing — just stopped releasing.
52. Sly was reportedly homeless and living in a van in Los Angeles for several years.
53. He sued his former manager for $50 million in unpaid royalties and initially won.
54. The verdict was overturned on appeal in 2015.
55. Sly’s daughter Novena Carmel is a musician and a radio host on KCRW.
56. His other daughter Phunne is the child of trumpet player Cynthia Robinson.
57. His son Sylvester Jr. briefly pursued a career in music engineering.
58. His cousin Moses Tyson Jr. is a gospel musician.
59. Bootsy Collins called Sly “the most talented musician I know.”
60. Doris Day once sang “Que Será, Será” with Sly at a piano.
61. He once clashed with Charles Manson at Terry Melcher’s house — no joke.
62. His influence can be heard in everyone from Prince to Public Enemy.
63. “The most sampled man in funk” might be a title Sly secretly holds.
64. His music appeared in films like Idle Hands, The Animal, and Varsity Blues.
65. The Red Hot Organization’s Red Hot + Dance featured a remix of “Thank You”.
66. Different Strokes by Different Folks was a 2005 tribute with The Roots, Maroon 5, and more.
67. He released a funky Christmas single in 2023: “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (2023 Mix)”.
68. His autobiography, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), came out in 2023.
69. He told Questlove in Sly Lives! that he finally found peace in life’s quiet moments.
70. His band inspired Motown, P-Funk, and everything Prince ever did.
71. He made soul political and politics soulful.
72. He didn’t invent funk, but he supercharged it.
73. He believed music could unify people before that idea was trending.
74. He once said, “All the squares go home” — and the squares listened.
75. He performed barefoot at Woodstock.
76. His keyboard style blended gospel chords with psychedelic effects.
77. He never fit the mold, and he never tried to.
78. His signature phrase, “I want to take you higher,” was both spiritual and literal.
79. He released only 10 studio albums — and nearly every one changed the game.
80. He was unpredictable, unforgettable, and utterly himself.
81. He taught the world that funk wasn’t just a sound — it was a feeling.
82. And even in silence, his music will always speak volumes.

Sly and The Family Stone was a multicolored, multi-gendered, multi-everything burst of soul and sound that made the world dance and wake up at the same time. He broke rules. He broke barriers. And sometimes, he broke hearts. But one thing’s for sure:

He never stopped being Sly.

Rest in power, maestro. Thank you for falettin’ us be mice elf agin.Tools