Editing Sly and the Family Stone (section)

=== 2006 Grammy Awards tribute ===
A Sly and the Family Stone tribute took place at the [[Grammy Awards of 2006|2006 Grammy Awards]] on February 8, 2006. The original plan, to have been a surprise for audiences, was to feature a reunion performance by the original Sly and the Family Stone lineup as the highlight of the tribute. However, the Grammy Award show's producers were worried that Sly Stone, who missed some of the rehearsals and belatedly arrived for others, would miss the show.<ref name="AP2006">{{cite news| last=Coyle| first=Jake| date=February 8, 2006| url=http://movies.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=215255| title=Reclusive Sly Stone Steps Out at Grammys| publisher=MSN.com| access-date=February 1, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101031308/http://movies.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=215255| archive-date=November 1, 2007| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The tribute began halfway through the Grammy Awards ceremony, and was introduced by comedian [[Dave Chappelle]]. It featured [[Nile Rodgers]], Joss Stone, Van Hunt, and [[John Legend]] performing "Family Affair"; [[Fantasia Barrino|Fantasia]] and [[Devin Lima]] performing "If You Want Me to Stay"; [[Adam Levine]] and [[Ciara]] performing "Everyday People"; will.i.am performing "Dance to the Music"; and Steven Tyler and [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]] of [[Aerosmith]] with Robert Randolph performing "I Want to Take You Higher".<ref>Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2006). [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r788905|pure_url=yes}} Review of the Sly and the Family Stone compilation tribute album ''Different Strokes by Different Folks'']. Allmusic.com. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.</ref>

After the first half of "I Want to Take You Higher", the Family Stone took the stage alongside the other musicians, and Tyler called backstage "Hey, Sly; let's do it the way we used to do it!" Sporting a blonde [[mohawk hairstyle|mohawk]] hairdo, sunglasses, and a silver [[lamé (fabric)|lamé]] suit, Sly Stone emerged and contributed vocals and keyboards to a continuation of "I Want To Take You Higher." Three minutes into the performance, Sly tossed a wave to the audience and exited the stage, leaving the Family Stone and the guest performers to complete the number alone.<ref name="AP2006" />

Sly's unusual appearance and brief performance garnered highly mixed reviews and was covered throughout the press. One [[Associated Press]] report referred to Sly as the "[[J. D. Salinger]] of funk" and simply referred to the performance as being "bizarre".<ref name="AP2006"/> Another AP report stated that "nineteen years after his last live performance, Sly Stone proved he's still able to steal the show."<ref name="CBSAP">{{cite news | agency=Associated Press| date= February 9, 2006 |url=http://cbs5.com/entertainment/local_story_040104715.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070626202616/http://cbs5.com/entertainment/local_story_040104715.html|archive-date= June 26, 2007| title= Sly Stone Steals Show at Grammys | publisher= CBS5.com| access-date= November 12, 2009}}</ref> [[MTV News]] was much less complimentary: "The Grammy performance—Sly's first with the original Family Stone since 1971—was a halting, confused affair and a complete disservice to his music."<ref name=MTVNews/>