White Rabbit Books pre-empts eagerly awaited Sly Stone memoir

White Rabbit Books has pre-empted the memoir of funk legend Sly Stone – real name Sylvester Stewart – titled Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) after Sly and the Family Stone’s 1969 track. 

Lee Brackstone, publisher, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights from Marc Gerald at Europa Content. Thank You will publish on 28th September 2023 in hardback, export trade paperback, e-book and audio.

The synopsis reads: “One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer who created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock; penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and 70s, from ‘Everyday People’ to ‘Family Affair’; and electrified audiences with a persona and stage presence that set a lasting standard for pop culture performance. Yet he has also been a cautionary tale, known as much for how he dropped out of sight as for what put him in the spotlight in the first place. As much as people know the music, the man remains a mystery. 

“In Thank You, he’s finally ready to share his story – a story that many thought he’d never have the chance to tell. Written with Ben Greenman, who has written memoirs with George Clinton and Brian Wilson among others, Thank You will include a foreword by Questlove. The book was created in collaboration with Sly Stone’s manager Arlene Hirschkowitz.”

Stone commented: “For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story, I wasn’t ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It’s been a wild ride and hopefully my fans enjoy it too.”

Brackstone added: "I fell in love with Sly Stone as a teenager and have been obsessed with his music and the mysterious story of his life ever since. To be publishing his memoir at White Rabbit Books is the ultimate honour. It simply doesn’t get any bigger or more exciting than this: a bona fide genius, a funk visionary who re-set the dial in the late 60s and in so doing anticipated the hip hop revolution to come. This book delivers and then goes again.”