Sly Stone Bio En Route

As close to “an authorized biography of Sly as we’re ever likely to see.”

By Fred Mills

Music book publisher Backbeat Books will be unleashing in October the first-ever comprehensive Sly Stone biography I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone. According to Backbeat, author Jeff Kaliss (a San Francisco-based music, film and theater critic who has contributed to several jazz books) “scored the first face-to-face interview with the reclusive superstar in over 20 years, making this book a must-read for any rock ’n’ roll fan.”

The book covers the group’s entire history, from the highs of the Family Stone’s hits and its countercultural ascendance during the Woodstock period and There’s A Riot Going On to the lows of Sly’s succumbing to drugs, erratic behavior and personal and professional seclusion.

Backbeat adds that “with cooperation from Sly himself, as well as numerous band members and associates, including Greg Errico and David Kapralik, I Want to Take You Higher is as close to an authorized biography of Sly as we’re ever likely to see.” The book will be 300 pages long and will include an extensive photo gallery.