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 city Vallejo in 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.
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.
