Free Republic

Sly Stone, the frontman of legendary band Sly and the Family Stone, has died. He was 82. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, had been in poor health in recent years. His publicist Carleen Donovan said Monday that Stone died surrounded by family after contending with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other ailments. Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s and beyond with such hits as "Everyday People," "Stand!" and "Family Affair."

Girls don't play trumpet, they told her. Cynthia Robinson had an answer to that — one that would later resonate in the hit song she recorded with Sly and the Family Stone: "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)." At a time when black women were relegated to roles as backup singers... Robinson died of cancer Nov. 23 in Carmichael, Calif. She was 71. Robinson, born Jan. 12, 1944, in Sacramento, was the daughter of LaVern Robinson, a concert pianist, and William Robinson, a military man. Cynthia began playing in the school band as a young girl. She tried various...

Funk singer Sly Stone has been awarded $5 million by a Los Angeles jury in his lawsuit against a former manager and attorney he claimed diverted royalties from his music for their own benefit. The Los Angeles Superior Court announced its verdict on Tuesday, after two days of deliberations. Stone’s litigation, filed under his real name Sylvester Stewart, involved millions of dollars in royalties and stretched over almost five years. He filed suit in 2010, claiming that manager Gerald Goldstein and attorney Glenn Stone in the late 1980s induced him to sign an employment and shareholder agreement with Even Street...