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By Root 306 0

"He wanted to come back up here where his group started-that was the idea, man," says Mario Errico, who made the move back to his native Bay Area alongside Sly and continued to function as Sly's right-hand man. Now somewhat frail and inclined to nervous energy, Mario approved of the "peacefulness" of the new Napa home, and the exercise gear that came with the rented mansion. Despite the tolls that hard living and middle age have taken on both men, "If he sees me get into [an exercise program], he'll do it, he'll follow," assures Mario. But most of Sly's days, at whatever hour they commence, are filled with "music, man. We take a little ride to the store, for groceries, clothes and things. Then back to the house.... He's got this Korg [keyboard], it cost about ten-and-a-half thousand.... He stays there, man, he loves it.... I'm down in the garage, messing around."

In tune with Mario's affections for Sly and wheeled vehicles, and standing high in Sly's confidence, is Neal Austinson. Twenty years younger than Sly and Mario, Neal grew up in Marin County and became a focused fan of the Family Stone while in high school. Through one of his schoolmates, a daughter of Jerry Martini, Neal got to visit Sly's pad in Novato while the marriage to Kathy Silva was still in place, though he got little one-on-one attention from Sly at that time. There were occasional interchanges during the '80s and '90s as Neal pursued his father's career in surveying, and in his offhours began accumulating what is arguably the world's most complete collection of Sly & the Family Stone memorabilia and material. The Neal Austinson Archives include photographs, promotional papers, clothing, and audio and video recordings.

Now living in Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, north of Marin, Neal found himself summoned by Sly for a variety of pragmatic and fanciful purposes, after Sly moved to Napa County, an hour's drive to the east. Neal's assignments ranged from registering vehicles to evaluating business opportunities (Sly briefly considered opening a rib house) to fielding requests from curious press and documentarians. "I would never violate Sly's privacy or do anything weird like that," he says. "I just feel extremely fortunate that I can pretty much go there any time I want. Nobody [else] really goes up there. From what Mario tells me, [Sly] likes me and trusts me.... It hasn't gotten to the point yet where he's let me hear anything, but he's let me read lyrics, and he's recited lyrics to me, too. I think he wants to share things with people, but he hasn't brought it to that level yet." Through the latter part of 2006, both Mario Errico and Austinson had taken steps to help me realize the hope that Sly would grant some personal experience to include in this book. "He's liable to," Mario remarked mysteriously over a December lunch. "You just gotta catch him at the right time."

Forty years after the formation of the Family Stone and thirtyfive since the start of its dissolution, it looked like the band's founder was still making music-and still doing drugs. There had been little or no press coverage of either activity for a long time, though intimates reported that the latter had diminished as Sly had moved further from the fast lane. The other scattered remainders of the legendary band had been finding their way through middle age as best they could. Brother Freddie, long cleansed of his own drug problems, continued tending to his family, including several grandchildren, and to his flock at the Evangelist Temple Fellowship Center in Vallejo, where he presided every Sunday. Sister Rose began work on a book and a funky solo album (released in 2008 as Already Motivated). She also sang with Jerry Martini's group, while her daughter, Lisa, prepared to stand in for her in Vet's and Sly's various aggregations. Cynthia, living modestly in Sacramento, brightened all of the spin-off bands with her horn and spunky stage presence. Jerry helped form and lead several of those bands, catering to an abiding appetite for the sounds of the Family Stone by touring fairs, boardwalks,