DAILY DIRT: Sly ‘took us all higher’ — all the way to No. 4 in our countdown

Daily Dirt for Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Sly Stone: The J.D. Salinger of funk … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,277 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Today we reveal the No. 4 group in our week-long countdown of the greatest American bands from the 1960s.

Welcome to this select club, Sly & The Family Stone, the first major U.S. rock group to have a racially integrated/mixed-gender lineup. The band was able to successfully combine such elements as social commentary within its pop sound, and did so with a genuine flare.

Sit back, relax and enjoy The Daily Dirt recap of Sylvester “Sly” Stone and the group that helped revolutionize what we heard on the radio in the latter stages of the ’60s:

No. 4 Sly and the Family Stone

Unless you were around at the time, it’s hard to explain just how big — and popular — Sly and the Family Stone were in the late 1960s.

What started out as funk band formed in San Francisco in the mid-1960s wound up becoming a driving force in not only funk, but soul, rhythm and blues, rock and psychedelic (a popular term at the time) music. The group eventually settled on the term “psychedelic soul” to describe its music, and what music it was. An Associated Press report on Sly once referred to him as the J.D. Salinger of funk.

Unfortunately, this group with such a magnificent sound began to unravel around the mid-1970s due to drug woes and personal clashes. Serious drug problems eventually forced Sly Stone into an early retirement in the mid-to-late 1980s.

Despite its tragic ending, Sly & The Family Stone was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1983.

My three favorite Sly & The Family Stone songs:

“Dance To The Music.”:  This 1967 classic has been covered by 12 other artists and was the band’s first top-10 hit.

“(I Want To Take You) Higher”: This was actually the “B” side to “Stand!,” but took on a 1968 life of its own in terms of popularity.

“Everyday People”: The group’s first No. 1 song, back 1969.

Those are far from the band’s only hits. Let’s never forget “Hot Fun In The Summertime,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” “Everybody Is A Star,” “Family Affair” and a few others that will always be attached to Sly & The Family Stone’s legacy.

The American band countdown so far:

4. Sly & the Family Stone

5. Creedence Clearwater Revival

6. Grass Roots

7. Beach Boys

2. Did you know (Part 355)

• That “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”.
• That “never off or even” spelled backwards is “never odd or even”. (Who recognizes this stuff?)
• That “dammit I’m mad” spelled backwards is “dammit I’m mad”. (Sigh … )
• That “Arby’s” is pronounced “RB’s” … which is short for roast beef. (I just slapped my head)
• That the word “set” holds the record for having the most definitions of any single word. According to Guinness World Records, there are 430 different definitions for the word “set”. 

3. If you have said any of the following you are officially “middle-aged” … or later:

• “Has anyone seen my phone?”
• “That scale cannot be right.”
• “Who cares if it looks good? I’m comfortable.”
• “Who in the world is calling at 9:30 p.m.?”
• “Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say.”
• “Wait, what did I come in here for?”
• “I could have sworn that was my password.” (My personal favorite)

Steve Thought O’ The Day — The best cover version of any song? I probably have to go with Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam’s take on “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson. I also enjoy Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and Sara Bareilles’ version of “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Along with being the Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love, he is also the Grandfather of Funk.