Photo: Distributed by Epic Records, Daedalus Management, and William Morris Agency, Inc. Photographer uncredited and unknown - Public domain

Sly And The Family Stone Doc Teaser: Look + Listen

Showcasing the band’s meteoric rise and the cultural impact of its enigmatic frontman Sly Stone, on Thursday (1.22) the trailer was released for Amir “Questlove” Thompson’s upcoming documentary, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).

Having premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the latest music documentary is scheduled for a February 13 release, courtesy of Hulu.

According to a press release, the doc “examines the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone.” The project will also capture “the band’s rise, reign and subsequent fadeout while shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America.”

The follow-up to Questlove’s Oscar-winning directorial debut Summer of Soul (which highlighted the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, dubbed “the Black Woodstock”) has been in the works for quite sme time, and in a 2021 statement discussing the soon-to-be-released film, Amir said, “It goes beyond saying that Sly’s creative legacy is in my DNA… it’s a black musician’s blueprint… to be given the honor to explore his history and legacy is beyond a dream for me.”

The iconic band’s drummer, Greg Errico, previously recalled:

“From the moment we got together, Sly knew exactly what he wanted.” “He knew he wanted to mix all of these musical elements and he knew he wanted a mixed race band.” “The first time that we got together, we didn’t even play a note.” “We talked a lot about what we were going to do. And we all quickly realized what Sly was doing when we looked around at each other. There were race riots going on at the time. Putting a musical group together with male and female and black and white, to us, it felt really natural and cool and comfortable, but it made a statement that was definitely threatening to some people.”

Along with Questlove as director, Joseph Patel and Derik Murray are the producers on the film. that features interviews with Family Stone members Jerry Martini, Larry Graham Jr. and Greg Errico along with Andre 3000, Chaka Khan, Q-Tip, D’Angelo, Nile Rogers, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Clive Davis.

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Author: Saul Goode

Photo: Distributed by Epic Records, Daedalus Management, and William Morris Agency, Inc. Photographer uncredited and unknown – Public domain