Sly and the family Stone

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  • Year:
    1993
  • Inducted by:
    George Clinton (Parliament Funkadelic)
  • Category:
    Performers

Introduction

They took us higher.

Sly and the Family Stone were a brief glimpse of utopia. Their songs were more than danceable hits—they were a force for positive change. When Sly and the Family Stone played, we all got along. We were part of the family.

Hall of Fame Essay

1993

Harry Weigner

Sly Stone was very cool. Shirtless, vested, the languorous look, one eye cocked, mouth half-open as if caught laugh­ing at his own joke. Freddie, Rosie, Gregg, Larry, Cynthia and Jerry were the Family, and we were the children.

The bikers, the stoners, a butcher, a banker, the long­haired hippies and the Afro-ed blacks, we were all Everyday  People. Sly Stone alone created that mix. And when he raised two long fingers skyward at Woodstock, we went wherever he wanted to take us  —  literally, spiritually, eventually.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 1993
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1993 Inductees Sly and the Family Stone
the baddest sucker I’ve ever heard in my life.
George Clinton

Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage