Sly Wants to Take Us Higher

I can honestly say that the most jaw dropping music moment I witnessed in many years came with Sly Stone's awkward, uncomfortable, yet magical appearance at the Grammy Awards in March 2006. On that historic night, having seemingly fallen off the face of the earth, the one-time icon of the Woodstock generation, made one of a very very small number of appearances since 1987, when he was arrested for posession of cocaine and subsequently became a recluse. His last major public appearance until 2006 was during the 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony where Stone, much to the surprise of everyone (including his former bandmates), showed up onstage to be entered into the Hall of Fame along with the Family Stone. In 2003, the other six members of the original Family Stone entered the studio to record a new album. Stone was invited to participate, but declined. Coming out from the side of the stage during the Grammy tribute to his own career, Sly spent only a number of seconds in front of the band before disappearing offstage and out of our sights yet again.

This news story was released today detailing what might be a small-scale comeback for ol' Sly:

Following on from the renewed interest in the group, reports are in that The Family Stone are back in the recording studio - making their twelfth album - and with Sly Stone onboard too.Sly Stone, whose last appearance wirh the original Family Stone was a bizarre short vocal performance at the 2006 Grammy Awards, has reportedly been writing, recording and producing songs at his home studio in California.His Grammy appearance was the first time Sly had sung onstage with the group since 1987, and the tribute show was impetus for original group members minus Sly Stone and Larry Graham to reform as The Original Family Stone for a reunion tour.The tour is schreduled to arrive in Europe later this year.News that Sly Stone has rejoined the group in the studio, follows on from raptuous acclaim that the Sly & The Family Stone remastered reissues have gained.The group's eleventh and final album was 1983's "Ain't But the One Way" - a collaboration with George Clinton.