Freddie Stone
A foundational guitarist and vocalist whose funky rhythms powered Sly and the Family Stone's revolutionary sound, later finding a second calling as a pastor.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American musician·Birthday: June 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Freddie Stone was born into music, but his path would help redefine it. As the younger brother of Sly Stone, he became a core member of the groundbreaking ensemble Sly and the Family Stone in the late 1960s. On stage, he was the steady, smiling presence, providing crucial guitar work and vocals on anthems like 'Everyday People' and 'Dance to the Music.' The band's explosive fusion of soul, rock, and funk, delivered with a racially and gender-integrated lineup, became a soundtrack for social change. After the group's peak dissolved, Stone faced personal struggles, including battles with substance abuse. His life took a dramatic turn in the 1980s when he became a born-again Christian. He shifted his focus entirely, becoming a pastor and founding his own church in Vallejo, California. His story is one of dual legacies: first as an architect of a seismic musical movement, and later as a spiritual guide dedicated to community service.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Freddie was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Freddie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Freddie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played guitar and sang as a founding member of the pioneering funk/soul band Sly and the Family Stone.
- Performed at the landmark 1969 Woodstock festival, cementing the band's countercultural status.
- Contributed to multiple chart-topping albums, including 'Stand!' and 'There's a Riot Goin' On.'
- Successfully transitioned from rock star to a long-term ministry, leading the Freddie Stone Ministries and Destiny Christian Center.
Did You Know?
He is the brother of Sly Stone and the cousin of another band member, bassist Larry Graham.
His nickname in the band was often 'St. Freddie.'
He was reportedly the first member of the band to become a born-again Christian.
He played a distinctive red Gibson ES-345 guitar during the band's peak years.
“You have to be happy with yourself before you can make anybody else happy.”
