Editing Sly and the Family Stone (section)

=== Internal problems and a change of direction ===
With the band's new-found fame and success came numerous problems. Relationships within the band were deteriorating; there was friction in particular between the Stone brothers and Larry Graham.<ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 107, 146–152.</ref> Epic requested more marketable output.<ref>Lewis, Miles (2006), pp. 24–25.</ref> The [[Black Panther Party]] demanded that Sly replace Gregg Errico and Jerry Martini with black instrumentalists and fire manager [[David Kapralik]].<ref>Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 85.</ref><ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 89; interview with David Kapralik.</ref>

After moving to the Los Angeles area in fall 1969, Sly Stone and his fellow band members became heavy users of illegal drugs, primarily cocaine and [[phencyclidine|PCP]].<ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 94–98.</ref> As the members became increasingly focused on drug use and partying (Sly Stone carried a violin case filled with illegal drugs wherever he went),<ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), p. 122.</ref> recording slowed significantly. Between summer 1969 and fall 1971, the band released only one single, "[[Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)]]"/"[[Everybody Is a Star]]", released in December 1969. "Thank You" reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 1970.<ref name="BillboardCharts" />

During 1970, Sly Stone spent most of his waking hours on drugs.<ref name="SlyAddiction">Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 113–115.</ref> He became erratic and moody, and missed nearly a third of the band's concerts that year.<ref name=MTVNews>{{cite news| last=Aswad| first=Jem| date=February 10, 2006 | url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1524032/20060209/story.jhtml | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070216034534/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1524032/20060209/story.jhtml | url-status= dead | archive-date= February 16, 2007 | title= Who, Exactly, Is Sly Stone? (That Weird Guy with the Mohawk at the Grammys)|website=Mtv.com| access-date= February 11, 2006}}</ref> The band did close out the [[Strawberry Fields Festival]] near Toronto, Ontario, in August, but live appearances on television talk shows such as ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' and ''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]'' went unpredictably.<ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 120–122.</ref> Meanwhile, Sly hired his streetwise cohorts, Hamp "Bubba" Banks and J.B. Brown, as his personal managers; they in turn brought in gangsters such as Edward "Eddie Chin" Elliott and [[Italian-American Mafia|Mafioso]] J.R. Valtrano to be Sly's bodyguards. Sly enlisted these individuals to handle his business dealings, to retrieve drugs, and to protect him from those he considered his enemies, some of whom were his own bandmates and staff.<ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 99–100, 150–152.</ref> A rift developed between Sly and the rest of the band;<ref>Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 146–147.</ref> in early 1971, drummer Errico became the first to leave the band for other ventures. He was replaced with a succession of drummers until Sly settled on Gerry Gibson, who only remained with the band for a year before being replaced by [[Andy Newmark]] in 1973.

To appease fan demand for new songs, Epic began re-releasing material. ''A Whole New Thing'' was reissued with a new cover, and several of the Family Stone's most popular recordings were packaged into the band's first ''[[Greatest Hits (Sly and the Family Stone)|Greatest Hits]]'' album. ''Greatest Hits'' reached number two on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in 1970.

During this period, Sly Stone negotiated a production deal with [[Atlantic Records]], resulting in his own imprint, [[Stone Flower Productions]]. Stone Flower released four singles, including one by R&B artist Joe Hicks, one by a group called 6IX, and two pop Top 40/R&B Top 10 singles by Little Sister: "You're the One" and "[[Somebody's Watching You]]", a cover of a song from ''Stand!''. For unclear reasons, Sly gradually withdrew his attention from Stone Flower, and the label was closed in 1971. Little Sister's "Somebody's Watching You" is the first popular recording to feature the use of a [[drum machine]] for its rhythm track.<ref>Lewis, Miles (2006), p. 74.</ref>