Sound Summit marks 10th year with tribute to Sly and the Family Stone

Sound Summit, an annual rock festival on Mount Tamalpais, is gearing up to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. The idea for this tribute came from producer Michael Nash, who wanted to honor a homegrown musical icon with the help of top Bay Area musicians during the daylong concert scheduled for September 13 at the Mountain Theater.

Sly Stone and his band, Sly and the Family Stone, were trailblazers in the music industry. Formed in San Francisco in 1966 amidst the changing landscape of the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, the band was groundbreaking for being racially integrated with both Black and White musicians playing together. Their inclusive lineup also included female members, such as Stone’s sister, Rose, and Cynthia Robinson, who played trumpet.

During their peak in 1968 and 1969, Sly and the Family Stone made waves with a series of chart-topping hits like “Dance to the Music,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” and “Everyday People,” which introduced the now-iconic phrase “different strokes for different folks.” Later hits from the band included songs like “Stand!,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” and “You Can Make It If You Try.” Their unique sound, described by record executive Clive Davis as a blend of rock, soul, gospel, funk, R&B, and the improvisational style of the San Francisco sound, influenced generations of musicians including Prince, Michael Jackson, and Miles Davis.

Before forming Sly and the Family Stone, Sly Stone himself was a well-known disc jockey on a Bay Area soul station and a talented multi-instrumentalist and producer. The band’s popularity soared with appearances on iconic shows like “The Ed Sullivan Show” and memorable performances at events like Woodstock and the Harlem Cultural Festival.

In light of Sly Stone’s recent passing, the planned tribute at Sound Summit takes on a bittersweet tone. Nash had intended to honor Stone while he was still alive, but his unexpected death added a layer of poignancy to the event. Nevertheless, Nash and the lineup of artists, which includes Cake, Alvvays, Real Estate, Wolf Jett, and a Youth Speaks poetry slam, are committed to celebrating Stone’s legacy with joy and reverence.

For Nash, the goal of the tribute is to recognize the impact of Sly and the Family Stone’s music and pay homage to a musical pioneer who broke barriers and enriched the cultural tapestry of American music. The tribute promises to be a fitting tribute to a legendary figure who changed the face of rock and soul music.