Sly Stone Finally Announces Memoir 'Thank You': 'It's Been a Wild Ride!'

Sly Stone, the leader of Sly and the Family Stone, is finally releasing his very own memoir, "Thank You," later this year.

"For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story," Stone explained.

"I wasn't ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It's been a wild ride and hopefully, my fans enjoy it too."

According to the Associated Press, the 80-year-old musician's forthcoming memoir title took inspiration from the 1969 hit, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."

The memoir was co-written by Ben Greenman and will be released on Oct. 17 through AUWA Books imprint, by Questlove, part of the Macmillan Publishers.

'Thank You'

A statement released about "Thank You" notes that it will go through Stone's creative and personal life.

These two sides of his life was very important as he grew up in a church-going music-loving family, so both his creative and personal pursuits tend to get mixed. This much is seen in his music career with the Family Stone.

The Guardian also reported that the memoir will cover the singer's drug abuse which went on for over five decades before he finally decided to quit it three years ago.

The statement, read by Lee Brackstone, the publisher of White Rabbit summed up the memoir in a sentence: "It is a revealing portrait of one of the defining musical geniuses of the 20th century, inspiring but also melancholy of course."

Documentary

According to reports, aside from working on a memoir with Stone, Questlove revealed that he has a lot in store for the funk musician.

He plans to direct a documentary about Stone, he explained that it will delve into "behind the rise, reign, and fadeout of one of pop music's most influential artists and, in doing so, tells a very human story about the cost of genius."

As of this writing, there is no definitive details when Questlove plans to begin working on the documentary.

Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, began his music career in the 1960s, but his roots in music ran deeper.

He was recognized as a musical prodigy as a child, and he was proficient in playing multiple instruments like the guitar, keyboard, bass, and drum.

Despite beginning his career with the Family Stone, it was his drug addiction that effectively ended his ties with them. He reunited with them briefly for a performance and in 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group.

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Memoir