“Elvis Presley. Bob Dylan. Lennon & McCartney. And now SLY STONE. The new leader.”
So proclaimed an ad that ran in Billboard in April of 1969, essentially proclaiming that it was Sly Stone’s turn to take over as the leading voice in all of popular music. And given the run that he was in the midst of with his band the Family Stone, it was hard to find fault with the implication: The group had just scored its first No. 1 single, was about to release its first full-length masterpiece, and had a whole host of classic singles still to release and iconic concerts still to play before the year was up.
On this week’s Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard executive digital director, east coast Joe Lynch, to talk about the greatest year by one of pop and rock’s brightest-burning superstars. We talk about everything that led up to the Sly & the Family Stone’s career-making year of 1969 — which ultimately resulted in the classic LP Stand, two bookending No. 1 hits in “Everyday People” and “Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin” and culture-defining gigs at Woodstock and the Harlem Cultural Festival — as well as why Sly’s star burned out so much quicker that we might’ve hoped for.
Among the most urgent questions discussed during the episode: Which should be considered the canonical Sly & The Family Stone LP, Stand! or There’s a Riot Goin’ On? How did “Everyday People” get away with a one-note bass line? Can the Family Stone really be held fiscally responsible for their fans causing $2,000 worth of damages in scraped chair paint? Who else in pop history can claim to be the simultaneous level of artistic genius, dynamic performer and culture-moving figure as Sly Stone was at his absolute peak — and how did we possibly go the last 50 years without really seeing him anywhere near that level again?
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from Sly & the Family Stone’s 1969, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
