Sly and the Family Stone – Dance to the Music

“Dance to the Music” Single by Sly and the Family Stone from the album Dance to the Music
B-side “Let Me Hear It From You”
Released November 17, 1967
Label Epic, EMI Columbia
DB 8369 (March 1968 UK release)
Songwriter Sly Stone
Producer Sly Stone
Charted No.8 in US, No.7 in UK

“Dance To The Music” is the song that put Sly & the Family Stone on the map. The title track and lead single from their second album, it was their first hit, and also served as a great introduction to the band.

The song was written and produced by group leader Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone. He assembled an unconventional band to deliver his particular brand of funky soul, and in “Dance To The Music” they get a roll call.

Trumpet player Cynthia Robinson is the one who hollers “Get up, dance to the music!” at the beginning of the song. She was a trailblazer, taking up trumpet when it was a very male-dominated instrument. Her partner in the horn section was Jerry Martini, another white guy.

“Dance to the Music” was one of the most influential songs of the late-1960s. The Sly and the Family Stone sound became the dominating sound in African-American pop music for the next three years, and many established artists, such as The Temptations and their producer Norman Whitfield, Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Impressions, The Four Tops, The 5th Dimension, and War began turning out Family Stone-esque material. The Temptations’ single “Cloud Nine” was inspired by “Dance to the Music” and was a top ten hit, winning a Grammy Award. “Dance to the Music” and the later Family Stone singles also helped lead to the development of funk music.

The band performed this in their set at Woodstock in 1969. They didn’t take the stage until 3:30 a.m. on Day 2, but they were worth staying up for, as their performance was hailed as one of the best – “Dance To The Music” and two other songs from their set were included on the official soundtrack.

“Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.