Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir

Stone created one of the most influential and revolutionary groups of the 1960s and ’70s, Sly and the Family Stone. His story of music and fame is at the heart of this engaging memoir, coauthored with Ben Greenman, who also cowrote Questlove’s Mo’ Meta Blues and Brian Wilson’s I Am Brian Wilson. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart in 1943 in Denton, TX, moved with his family to Vallejo, CA, in 1950. As a young adult, he became one of the most popular DJs and songwriters in the Bay Area. In 1966, he assembled a multiracial group of talented men and women musical artists to create Sly and the Family Stone. Their music incorporated funky beats, candid wisdom, and playful wordplay, all of which united masses of people and fans. This book is full of remembrances of songwriting, performances, and collaborations with other musicians such as Bobby Womack and George Clinton. The authors also offer much insight and do not shy away from stories about Stone’s many years of excessive partying and drug abuse.