#23: Sly Stone
Sly Stone is often remembered first as a frontman and bandleader, which is fair, but it can obscure how innovative he was as a producer-arranger. The records by Sly and the Family Stone did not just feature daring songs. They carried a whole new sensibility, one that fused soul, rock, funk, psychedelia, and gospel into something vibrant, democratic, and a little unpredictable. His arrangements could feel loose and communal one moment, then sharply controlled the next. That combination influenced an astonishing range of artists, from Prince to Public Enemy.
