It happened this past week … we learned of the passing of two giants of popular music: Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys; and Sly Stone, frontman of Sly and the Family Stone.
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Sly Stone
Born Sylvester Stewart in 1943, he became “Sly” when a classmate misspelled his first name on the chalkboard.
A gifted musician, by four he was singing on stage. He made his first recording at 9, and was working as a DJ when he formed a band in 1966.
Just a year later, “Dance to the Music” launched Sly and the Family Stone – the first major group to include Black and White men and women – into super-stardom.
Sly and the Family Stone perform “Dance to the Music”:
A string of hits followed in quick succession, including “Everyday People,” “Family Affair,” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime.”
But by the end of the 1970s, drug addiction and mental health issues had taken their toll. The band broke up, and Stone faded from the spotlight.
The band reunited in 2006 when they were honored at the Grammy Awards. It would be the last major performance by a man whose style, social conscience, and revolutionary sound forever changed the course of pop music.
Sly Stone died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 82.
“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” by Sly and the Family Stone:
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Brian Wilson
Then, on Wednesday, we learned of the passing of another musical genius, with an altogether different sound. Brian Wilson was born in California in 1942. In his teens, he (along with brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine) started a band.
Around that time Dennis started surfing, and as Brian told “Sunday Morning’s” Anthony Mason in 2015, the rest, is history.
“Mike and I started writing surf songs,” he said. “But I never surfed, and he never surfed, either.”
“Did you feel the need to surf for any reason?” Mason asked.
“No. I never tried it.”
“Surfin’ USA,” by the Beach Boys:
But the Beach Boys’ sonic palette of surf, sun, cars, and endless summers made them an indelible part of America’s pop culture.
Widely considered one of rock’s greatest songwriters, Brian Wilson was 82.
Brian Wilson/Tony Asher’s “God Only Knows,” from the Beach Boys album “Pet Sounds”:
Story produced by Liza Monasebian. Editor: Chad Cardin.
