Sly Stone Sues Former Manager for Millions

They are too busy being entertainers(traveling), song writers, and working hard in the studio. Should they pay more attention to their financial situation. Absolutely, but it's very hard to do both. It's hard to be creative, and at the same time keep up with the books. And by the way we aren't talking about chump change here. We're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. No way should a guy like this be homeless. If he had a good manager this type of thing should never happen. I think the manager is guilty, because part of being a good manager is taking care of your client. A good manager should help with the investments,savings etc. etc. etc. so at least you can say as a manager I protected my client in good conscious, and also so I won't be held responsible in a court of law. A good manager must care about his client, and do a good job in protecting that client as best as he or she can. I couldn't sleep at night with the thought my client is homeless. I just couldn't. This manager sounds like a real piece of shit.

Dear Concerned,

After reading several of the responses to your question about "Artist" being duped out of their monies, I could easily go along with the prevailing point of view and say Sly Stone and many other artist were drug abusers and or illiterate. I'm not going to do that because that's the easy way out.

The "Showbusiness" we see practiced over the decades since entertainment was a part of our lives has been in the hands of some very greedy and unscrupulous people and companies. The color of the skin of the managment types had nothing to do with how artist got systematically robbed. The greed in the heart of management types is what has lead to so many of "OUR" Iconic Super Star musicians, actors, and athletes being robbed in broad daylight.

Why is this happening today when artist have the historic blood sucking examples to read about as well as know about through friends and family members being taken off? Well, most of the Iconic World known artist give "trust" to the wrong people when they get involved in showbusiness! Most successful artist come into the "Show" and pick people to manage "their affairs" and they know absolutely nothing about that individual or company! The artist forget about the trustworthy friends that would give their lives to protect their "artist" friends. Instead, most artist go with the recommendation of some more folks they don't know. Sly Stone is another classic example of trusting people you don't know. It doesn't matter if Sly Stone was on drugs or was a sober as a church mouse. If he had his lifelong trustworthy friends looking out for his interest, we would be talking about how the "baby boomer" and world famous group was coming out of retirement and going back on tour! Instead, we read about Sly Stone being homeless, living on social security, and suing that person and company that was greedy and surely should not have been trusted by Sly & The Family Stone in the initial kick off of the group's career!

Yes, faith and trust are still alive! In addition to that, the artist of Sly Stone's era should have hired newly graduated Historically Black Colleges and Universities' MBA family of friends to ride control over their assets. There's nothing better than having your family of friends grow up with you in the showbusiness world making a professional name for themselves and at the same time giving the "artist" top notch asset protection, advice, and solid investment of some monies.

Finally, I look at two examples to give readers a close look at how you should go about doing your business! One is Michael Jackson who used the role model example by consulting with John Johnson, The Johnson Publication businessman from Chicago, to guide him on how to handle his fortune and what to invest in. As a result of that advice, Michael Jackson purchased some of the world's greatest music catalogues. Michael's estate is busting with money to provide for his family after his death. Mike also owned the masters of his created music and took that example from Brother Ray Charles.

Also, in today's shark infested show business world we have one Lebron James. Yes folks, we have twenty-five year old Lebron James as the template on how to handle your business. Lebron is an old school businessman walking in the Hip Hop world of showbusiness! Lebron studies the history of great entertainers and men in the NBA, to get his game off the court as tight and explosive as his dunks on the court. The Akron miracle used the recommended corporate types to take his businesses off the ground, but he used his lifelong and trusted family of friends, after they received on the job training for several years, to take over the management of his affairs. That move has given Lebron peace of mind and a strength of will that we haven't seen in professional athletes since Black Players started playing in the NBA. Mr. James has used the combination of advice, guidance, and long trusted family of friends to give the Lebron James Brand name strength like no other professional athlete on the scene today! I salute the Lebron James prototype and suggest that more black showbusiness professionals get the message sent out by James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, when he stated that Showbusiness is 10% Show and 90% business. We "Black" entertainers have got to get deeply involved in the 90% business and stop giving that large portion of their careers to folks they don't know!

In the interest of Learning a Financial Lesson,

Mr. Zachary C. Husser, Community Organizer
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CB Thanks for your agreement to my comment. I only wish I were the judge for this case! Those crooked, slimy agents would pay! Sly is a great artist, and as I said drugs permeated the American landscape way back then, and this agent took full advantage of this artist who was busy with performing, being famous, and did not have a business sense, I'm sure, and trusted this creep. I hope he wins this case!

CB
- Thank you for your reply to my earlier post today. You are absolutely right in everything you noted about the crookedness of the music industry and the cutthroat agents, etc... Back then everything was so much more innocent -- the musicians themselves especially... I am glad Sly is going after this jerk agent. I only wish I was the sitting judge for the case! And that group, led by Sly, was fantastic... he is a great artist. Agents are nothing more than fast talking salesmen for the most part. There are a few good "men"... but those waters are loaded with sharks. I will keep my eye on this story.

it was all over for Sly after he left The Supremes...

Wow!You gotta remember these guys got into music when they were just kids! 16,17 young, by the time they were 20 they started making something,its not the drugs, or counting to 100, its unscruplous management!
Watch Dreamgirls,Chess Records, this always happens, it has happened since the begining of Rock N Roll. Which really wasn't long ago!
So many stars who arent 'on drugs' and can count, got taken by management, those guys are snakes,and when you are young, and dont know the business, you take someones word that they will do the right thing by you, but sometimes,they dont!
And it's different when you have lotsa money then when you have a couple hundred.
Oh and some of you should get your info straight before you comment!

Sly Stone deserves every penny he has coming due to the selling of his songs - songs he wrote, performed, and should own. He's an unrepeatable talent.

Glad to hear that Sly and Co. is still putting-out the entertainment. I use to be his paperboy in the Oakland Hills when I attended Skyline High. His grandmother was a good walking pal of my grandmother and sometimes one of the family would give my grandmother a ride up the hill from Safeway. Great family and a class act.

Unfortunately, most if not all creative people are focused on their art, whatever that may be. Creating music, art or acting demands more than just what non creative folks have to offer. People who garner fame or a semblance of fame are always surrounded by those who want to live off of that fame:" Parasites." The booze and drugs do not help the cause, however, no one should have his or her artistic endeavors stolen from them for ANY reason. The artist is just as human and is seduced just the same as the Parasite is with all of the money and fame. Bottom line: No one should be stolen from, EVER!

Glad to hear Sly Stone and family still putting out entertainment. I use to be his paperboy when I went to Skyline High-he lived a couple of dozen houses away from us in the Oakland hills where we lived. His grandmother and mine were good pals and Sly or another family member use to give her a ride home from Safeway.