Rose Stone (born Rosemary Stewart, March 21, 1945) is an American singer and keyboardist. She is best known as one of the lead singers in

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul music, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel music, gospel, and R&B, becam ...

, a popular psychedelic soul/

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

band founded by her brothers,

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

and Freddie Stone.

Career

1960s-1980s

Stone, along with brothers Sly and Freddie, formed

in 1966. She often wore a platinum-colored wig while performing with the band, and was noted for her strong

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

. After the band's dissolution in 1975, "Sister Rose" (as she was also known) married Sly Stone's former manager/co-producer, Bubba Banks. She later recorded a solo album on

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

, billed as Rose Banks. During the 1980s and 1990s, Stone worked as a backing session singer, appearing on recordings by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

Reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

and

Bobbysocks! Bobbysocks is a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge" ("Let it swing"). Elisabeth went by the surname Andreasson ...

. Stone is today part of the musical department at her brother Freddie's church. She returned to her gospel roots in 1983 when she sang on Sandra Crouch's

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning album ''We Sing Praises'', soloing on the old hymn "Power in the Blood". She has been associated with the Crouch family and the music department of Christ Memorial COGIC in California for many years.

1990s-present

She sang backing vocals on the gospel-influenced tracks "You R Loved" and "Get Away" from Victoria Williams' 1994 album ''

Loose Loose may refer to: Places * Loose, Germany * Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England People * Loose (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z * ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album ...

''. Also in 1994, she sang backing vocals on two songs on psychedelic rock band

's fifth album '' Hoist''. She also appears on

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

' album '' Escapology'' on the track "Revolution", a

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

with Williams. She is the featured soloist in the church choir in the movie '' The Ladykillers''. She is heard also in the music in the final credits. Her daughter, Lisa Stone, sang with

Vet Stone Vet Stone (born Vaetta Stewart; May 2, 1950, Vallejo, California) is an American soul singer. She is the sister of Sly Stone, Rose Stone, and Freddie Stone. She was also a member of Sly & the Family Stone and Little Sister. Background Vae ...

and Cynthia Robinson in a Sly & the Family Stone tribute band. In 2006, Stone reunited with the original Family Stone. In 2011 and 2012, Stone and her daughter Lisa toured with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

as members of his vocal backing group. Stone appears briefly in a deleted scene "Judith's Youth" on the DVD of the movie '' 20 Feet from Stardom''.

Legacy

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of Sly and the Family Stone.

Discography

Albums * ''Rose'' (1976) * ''Already Motivated'' (2007)

References

1945 births Living people African-American women singers American funk singers American gospel singers Motown artists Sly and the Family Stone members American soul singers Musicians from Vallejo, California Singers from California 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Members of the Church of God in Christ African-American Christians American soul keyboardists American rhythm and blues keyboardists American funk keyboardists Psychedelic soul musicians Rhythm and blues pianists 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers Elton John Band members 20th-century American women pianists 21st-century American women pianists {{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Rose