What can you say about Sly Stone other than pure genius and a trillion other musical superlatives.
His band went high, it went low, a sound like no other, fabulous female musicians up front as well, arguably the first ebony-ivory musical assimilation, featuring a White drummer in the ultimate fusion unit. That was sorta of what Stone’s life was all about, highs and lows and when he hit ground it was often in crash-landing style. He missed gigs. Will he show up? Hard for promoters to book him under those circumstances.
He lived in a puritanical era when my artists were targeted for things they put in their bodies, obtuse politicians and cops orgasmic for screaming headlines.
In the late 1960s and early 70s he and band reached apex efficiency for sound and success Then the nose candy stoned him in more ways than one.
In 1987, Stone was arrested in California on narcotics charge. When he failed to appear in court, a warrant was issued.
Sly had friends in Connecticut. He holed up for a while in Wilton.
It wasn’t enough California law enforcement was after him. The FBI was in on the chase and Connecticut State Police.
In 1989, the feds and state police both charged him in Connecticut for unlawful flight. He was ordered held on $500,000 bond in the Bridgeport Correctional Center. The state charge provided California more time to extradite him so Sly spent a bunch of days in Bridgeport lockup. Eventually he waived extradition in Bridgeport Superior Court to face the music in California.
Legendary concert promoter Jimmy Koplik who spends most of his spring and summer in Bridgeport booking gigs at The Amp wrote this on his Facebook page:
My only concert I promoted of Sly Stone was May 3, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio. He was very late. He got on stage over 3 hours late. I went backstage after the show and went into his dressing room and there was a large Hellmans Mayonnaise bottle filled with what looked like sugar. But it wasn’t sugar. I remember it like it was yesterday. May he find the peace he seemed never to find on Earth.
He could take you higher!
#1 Family product took him as high as he could go.
Ah, speedy that’s right, the era of Mariano Sanchez and Number One Family. What was suburban business like those days?
“Nose candy”.. haven’t heard that term in years,and certainly never thought I’d see it used on OIB..haha