Good news for Sly Stone

A court has awarded Sly Stone five million dollars in lost royalties.

Let's just hope his former lawyer and manager held on to the cash so they can give it back...

Bookmarks: Sly And The Family Stone

Cynthia Robinson, founding member of the Family Stone, talks to NPR about the process of putting the band together:

Stone himself acknowledged in a 2009 interview with KCRW that he had in mind a mix of race and gender. That mission wasn't always easy: Jerry Martini says he remembers a point when Stone was pressured by the Black Panthers to kick the white members out of the band.

"I was in the airport when they approached and they told me to get ... out of the way," Martini says. "Sly always, always stood up for me, and in many instances, he saved my butt. When I got hit a couple times ... he just stood there ready to fight."

A Riot Goin' On, scheduled for a fortnight after the IRSO national confernce

Heady times in Bournemouth this July. Not only is there the excitement of the Institute Of Road Safety Offices gathering in the town to consider the challenges of 'making the connections our shared priority', but, later in the month, Sly and The Family Stone will be playing the only UK date of their European tour:

12 July Perugia, Italy - Umbria Jazz Festival
13 Montreux, Switzerland - Stravinski Hall (Montreux Jazz Festival)
14 Gent, Belgium - Blue Note Records Festival
15 Rotterdam, Netherlands - North Sea Jazz Festival
19 Nice, France - Nice Jazz Festival
20 Pori, Finland - Kirjurinluoto Arena (Pori Jazz Festival)
23 Paris, France - Olympia Hall
27 San Sebastian, Spain - Jazzaldia
28 Bournemouth, England - Opera House