In 1974, decades before Ye, then known as Kanye West, packed Madison Square Garden for a twin album-fashion spectacular, Sly Stone, the cosmically groovy singer-songwriter who died on June 9, offered his own extravaganza of dance, funk and flash on New York’s biggest stage.

Saying farewell to Sly Stone, whose avant-funk vision changed the world and influenced generations of musicians

Nearly 60 years after it happened, the earliest known live recording of Sly & the Family Stone will finally be released next month.

F ifty-five summers ago, a riot broke out in Chicago’s Grant Park, where Sly and the Family Stone was booked to play a concert. Sly was on en route, but the crowd, fearing that

The Winchester Cathedral recordings showcase a one-of-kind outfit that was already at the peak of its powers, long before it became internationally famous,” says producer Alex Palao.

On the surface, Sly and the Family Stone's revolution in the '60s may not seem all that significant. But pull back the outer level of radio-friendly, era-equipped soul-pop music they pretty much ...

I was heading down the street to my local ice cream parlor when an album sticking out from a record store sidewalk-sale bin caught my eye. The guy on the front of it was, without a doubt, the baddest dude I’d ever seen in my life — a lean Black guy in studded black leather,