Sly Stone, American musician and record producer (Sly and the Family Stone)

Sylvester Stewart, better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development of psychedelic soul and funk with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel in the 1960s and 1970s. AllMusic stated that "James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it," and credited him with "creating a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds". Crawdaddy! has credited him as the founder of the "progressive soul" movement.

Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel, and R&B, became a pivotal influence on subsequent American popular music. Their core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's siblings Freddie Stone and Rose Stone alongside Cynthia Robinson, Greg Errico (drums), Jerry Martini (saxophone), and Larry Graham. The band was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup.

June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 205 days remain until the end of the year.