Greg Errico was the original drummer in the legendary late 1960s/early 1970s band Sly & The Family Stone. Today, the band are criminally underrated in regards to how they have both influenced and shaped modern music in a great many ways as we know it.
To understand Errico’s place in musical history, one must first get to know the history of the band that he was most famous for being part of.
Firstly, Sly & The Family Stone were one of, if not the first, highly popular, multi-racial and multi-gender bands -Errico is of an Italian-American heritage. Secondly, they pretty much rewrote the rules as far as popular music is concerned, combining elements of soul, rock and the then-popular psychadelic sounds of bands like Jefferson Airplane. This ‘new’ form of music is what we now know as funk. Along with George Clinton and his groundbreaking and astounding work with Parliament and Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone wrote the rules for this kind of new, exciting music which still continues to impress and inspire to this day.
The Family Stone were lead by the incredibly talented and charismatic Sylvester ‘Sly’ Stone, who very much had the vision and scope that took the band where it went, for better or worse. On their first four albums, the aptly titled A Whole New Thing, Dance To The Music, Life and Stand!, the band combined an incredible, highly original and fresh groove with stinging social commentary via their lyrics and a strong, pertinent and incredibly positive, joyous, feeling about life and the universe around them.
This is the band responsible for such incredible and inspiring tracks like “Stand”, “Everyday People”, “Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey”, “Family Affair” and “If You Want Me To Stay”. Their influence cannot be stated enough. No Family Stone, no Prince and definitely no rap or hip hop (the latter being genres whose artists have sampled brilliant drum and bass lines from Family Stone tracks innumerable times).
However, things took an interesting and ultimately negative turn around the turn of the decade as the band entered the 1970s. Mired and conpromised by ego clashes and rampant drug use, especially Sly’s well-documented issues with cocaine, the band started to fall apart. 1971s There’s A Riot Going On was the total flipside to what the band were known for. Soul-scrapingly dark on a lyrical level and clasutrophobic and oppressive on a sonic one, the album, now hailed as a masterpiece, was not what fans of the band expected. It illustrated the uncertainty and despair that many, especially Sly, held towards the world around them and their place in it.
After two more interesting but overall unremarkable albums, especially compared to what had come before them, the band officially split in 1975. Over the years, Sylvester “Sly” Stone has become something of a recluse. He has made albums intermittently and popped up briefly in the world spotlight, such as when the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993. However, he has been a shadow of his former self, the long term effect of drug abuse.
Greg Errico left the band in 1971 due to internal turmoil and the negative effects of widespread drug use within the band. He went on to work with such varied artists as The Pointer Sisters, David Bowie (on his underrated 1974 Diamond Dogs album), The Grateful Dead, and it’s founder, Jerry Garcia in The Jerry Garcia band. Errico also works as a producer.
I recently spoke to this highly respected and influential musician/producer, who is about to visit Australia for the first time as part of The Family Stone, touring the country as part of The Gathering (widely referred to as “Harvest”) taking place this November.
“When we first came onto the scene, we were defintely a band completely out of the box,” begins Errico. “It was initially quite difficult to get traction in the industry on both a reording and a playing live front. Looking back now, we were definitely ahead of our time with what we were doing. Slowly, we began to make a name for ourselves. Playing live, especially, was where we made a name for ourselves.”
Along with Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, Errico formed one of the most influential and explosive rhythm sections that has ever anchored a band, funk or otherwise. “Larry and I had a natural sense of chemistry as musicians. We just locked into each other on a musical level. Most of the time, we didn’t even have to speak words to each other to discuss what fit between drum and bass with the band’s music. I saw Larry a few months ago, his band have been opening for Prince on his tours. He was someone that it was an absolute pleasure to play with,” says Errico.
On their first four albums, the band very much developed music together. That began to change with the turn of the decade, perhaps best illustrated with There’s A Riot Going On. “I left the band just before the album was recorded and released,” says Errico. “I had worked on a few tracks that were still in their raw, undeveloped state. Sly definitely stepped up in regards to doing more on this album than previously. It did begin to become his vision of where he was at spiritually and mentally at the time. With hindsight, although it wasn’t popular at the time and alienated fans somewhat, I am glad to see the album still connects with people after all these years.”
After taking a year off, Errico worked with a great variety of people, such as Luther Vandross and The Pointer Sisters, and toured with David Bowie on the Diamond Dogs tour. “Bowie was another person, like Sly, who was way ahead of his time. What I remember most about the tour is the massive stage – I’d never seen anything quite like it!” laughs Errico.
“I have had some wonderful and enriching opportunites that I am incredibly grateful for in my musical career.” Some of these experiences have included jamming with The Grateful Dead and playing drums in The Jerry Garcia project.
Errico became involved with the reformed Family Stone a few years ago. “The latest lineup features myself, Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini from the original lineup. The rest of the players in this current lineup are fantastic musicians and wonderful people. There is a fantastic musical chemistry between us. The Family Stone has always been about a strong and positive sense of spirit and energy. Right now, that is at a fantastic level. We couldn’t do this if it was otherwise.”
Sly Stone is not on this tour, due to personal issues. “We would love Sly to play with us, and the door is always open. Right now, he is dealing with rehab and personal issues and the like. We wish him all the best,” says Errico when asked a question that, undoubtedly, he has been asked many times previously.
Errico is incredibly positive and bright about the future. “We are definitely looking at recording new material sometime in the future. Also, we would love to re-record some of the old material, both with the infinitely better technology in existence these days, as well as collaborating with musicians from the current music scene.” One starts to drool when thinking about a collaboration between The Family Stone and Prince!
The Family Stone are very excited about coming to Australia for the first time in their career. “Friends have told me so many wonderful things about Australia. The band is very much looking forward and excited about going there. Also, I hear it’s your Spring in that part of the world, I’m loving the idea of sunshine and great weather, as well as the chance to bring our music to both those that have loved The Family Stone for many years and those that will discover us for the first time.” says Errico.
It truly is an exciting prospect thinking about these classic songs from a wonderful band being performed live on these shores for the first time.
– Neil Evans
Tour Dates for The Family Stone.
Saturday 12 November, 2011 – Harvest Presents The Gathering. Werribee, Victoria.
Sunday 13 November, 2011 – Harvest Presents The Gathering. Paramatta, NSW.
Tuesday 15 November, 2011 – The Forum Theatre, Mellbourne, VIC.
Saturday 19 November, 2011 – The Harvest Festival. Brisbane, QLD.
