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There are some songs where the rhythm for me so that. I'm well again welcome you're going to gain mastery here. That's my part. Of the pond. Right. Yeah.
That's a good take that back. Yet. You happen to have all my. Wits that. Night and you know. It would that they get that. The thing that was most amazing about Woodstock is. There's no way you could interest rate. When running. Hi hi hi.
I'm. Going. To do. My part. When I play high I think of Woodstock. That was the most phenomenal here. I mean no one could. Possibly anticipate. What was going to be taking place in which stock I mean how could you prepare for a half a million people. But aside from that how could a band prepare in their minds and hearts to take to perform for that many people I mean it's made us better that we didn't know it was going to be like. That. Humongous. And. The energy that that was that was flowing on the stage at that time I mean it just kept rising and rising and rising and rising and what really sent it into high
gear is when we finish because I was set was pretty continuous When we stop playing in the roar. Of the audience. Half a million people. Yes. It was like. I had never heard anything like that. In my. Life. And and that just sent us into another zone. That's what you hear in hyar you hear another zone that we entered into. That. I mean it it it took us the people took us out and then what they got from us. To. Him. I mean it was just a wonderful interchange that I don't think anything has happened. Like that. Since. Not not for me at least but because of that once you enter into a new zone musically you kind of like aware of an area that you can tap into that you've never
been with before. You know and that. We were able to get into that. Other. Festivals we play for example in Germany must have been about. 250000 and just played there. Which was. A fabulous concert I remember standing behind Jimi Hendrix amps in this plan you know and he was doing his back me and. You know going and he would do a back man in his pants and I. Thought. If you ran by an amplifier to pick his pants and I had my camera I was you know kind of picking through stuff but my camera got my film got messed up. I think most of what the radar's something you know in the airport some item of some kind when the film has some great shots but anyway that show was like great. And some of the energy that we had gotten from witch doctors only entered into and we started. Being able to get into that zone more often now. We played also the Isle of Wight up the coast of England and that was a big. Festival.
That had about. Maybe three or 400000 some have said half a million I don't know it was a lot of people. And. After that. I think that all of that contributed to the records that that that follow me once you taste something like that. It does something to you you know I guess that's my. Maybe one when my Woodstock. I'm sure today you know this this is the same show that I had always said back in 1969 and I was so impressed by the concept. I never took the bad ball if it's you know. You little starting out me but you still hold on this point. Yeah I just wait I just got this out about a week ago really. And this friend of mine that that. Was up in Reno and saw it sitting there and in and made them think about me and so I took it out and brought it for me and it just really did send me back to my box of Woodstock because they tried to redo it and I'm sure that what they did recently with the new Woodstock was was
was good I hear it I hear positive things. But I think there will be another one like Michael Owen the original the first. You know. And at least not for me. To. Point. Out. Back there. Not only. At. That time when it was announced that there was going to be a Woodstock. But at other times too. You know when you're that close. To band members like a family it did become a family affair. And it's like being raised almost like what your fleshly family that the fleshly brothers and sisters and. And if something happens everybody grow up in you go your own way and pursue your own life. You still missed that being together. You're happy as an individual. But you still look back on the days when the family
would get a gathering around the table and mom bring out chicken and biscuits and stuff in there by fighting over you. So as a family we get a lot of things together as a Family Stone we brought motorcycles together you know we used to go riding on the beach and stuff you know happens bad bad you know. And then we got into T-Birds together you know I still have minus 55 Thunderbird screamin orange red orange Paisley top you know psychedelic and Sly's was purple. With a purple haze on the top and Freddy's was pink. Ricky Martin is driving in the Las Vegas right with these T-Bird with these Paisley top pink and purple and orange and long hair and the strange clothes and people like. That you know what was up with him. But they was back in the club to see what we you know about. But it was like oh you know you missed you missed those musical events because.
Boy musically we reached untap and systems loans that. I don't know of anyone else. In the band has been able to tap into those zones by themselves or with any other group members I love my group. Grand Central Station of course and I think that we went into someone's zones ourselves. And. The back of a lot of the music that we were able to get into for example like Release yourself. We got into a serious zone. On nets basically live and in a jam you know and things like that but. It was different. You know it was it was different it had its own positive energy is about it. But the Family Stone zone was different you know. And I love both of them but sometimes I think about this line Family Stone especially when the Woodstock thing came up you know. Damn. Wouldn't it be nice if. You know. But you never know. You know maybe it's better left.
The way it was. Or maybe something will happen that will allow that to come together again for a brief moment you know. And anyway I can say that I've had the experience and I can always go back and put on my video tape and you know check out which stock one will pick up my bass and play hide. If you get my last word I. Will. Say. That. Well. Actually. There's not.
A whole lot I can pay you because the group of course we're going to put it on you can absorb so a lot of what went on would take place between management road management. OK. Well as a lot went on and Boston. But of course. A lot of those things that went on the group was kind of like. In a protected zone so to speak. So we would hear little bits and pieces of different things. But most of the things would be handled by road managers and managers and different people that were on the road with us. So we didn't really have any direct confrontations. But it got a little strange up there you know. But it all turned out you know positive. You know. People. Love the music and that's the bottom line if we get a chance here. I love it. Regardless of what went on. Surround it. It's kind of like disappears into. A space.
Like. That. Where. Well in. The South. The. Problems that I recall I mean of course you don't run into confrontations because. You know. Integrated group you know. So you're going into those kinds of problems. But. We also ran into a few problems because of. The flag. That was the. Red white and black. Flag that would be hung in front of the Oregon. And in fact. On. The use of the CDU right there.
There's. This CD here this this particular concert at Madison Square Garden. Now if you could see me if you can I don't think is in the answer. But if you can see a picture of me you know it's not here but I have on my red white and black flag and. It was like red white stripes all the way down like a rose. It was all the way down to the floor. The collar with white light. On. Now. Down south. We did run into. A few problems. I mean having an integrated room. During those times and where the world was at that time there
were a few problems with going into because of that. But we ran into a few problems too. Because of the fact that there would be a red white and black flag hanging in front of the organ. And. Sometimes I'd wear. A robe that looked like a flag of red and white stripes. On the way down the road down to the floor and. And I had a black college with white stars on it. It was a flag red white and black flag. And we would run into the problem not only in the south but other places with that. This flag because. You know some folks had their opinions. About that. Well. The White. Was for the White race. And the black for the black race and the real before the real race is what we thought was. Right. At the
time. And in other words the colors and the flag. Pertaining to the races. So that was that was the thought at that time. And. You know when you start to get into certain areas you may encounter. Certain. Negatives. About. About that. I'm sure that when Hendrix. Did the Star Spangled Banner. His fashion. You know there were some people that had. Something to say about that. Some people loved it. Some people get. You know. So sometimes when you express yourself in certain ways. You find that you find people is going to love it and find some people is going to hate it you know. So with that that was a feeling at the time it was like an expression.
Of thoughts that was being expressed. And that's how we would do it. That you were at that. Year. And then things. When. I left the band. How about night seemed 70 71 something like that. 70 71. In fact riots.
As a riot was about the last album that. I actually played on there were some cuts that came out later that I had played on before. I'm not absolutely sure if it was released. Before I left or after a match it was close the time period was very close. So you know I can say what. Well. SLY THE FAMILY STONE. Had been. A close family like Martin ization band. And. You feel like this is something that's going to be together. Forever. Like when you're part of a family. You can always be a part of that family. I mean I'm always part of the Graham family that's that's something that's going to be forever.
Certain things you can get hooked into a locked into it if you start feeling the same way about that. But it's not necessarily the case. It could be a job a person could have a job and I really love the job and I think well I would be with this company forever. And then when it's not like that one day kind of like oh wow. You know. And that's what happened would mean. Things. Weren't the way they were in the beginning. You know and so I ended up actually Gregory Cole left. Before I did. And. Then I left with me 70 71 something like that. And I last gate was in the Coliseum and. In the Los Angeles. And when I left. I didn't really. Plan to like start my own band or anything like that in fact I don't know exactly what I was going to do musically. My next. Thing would be project. But I put together this band called Hot Chocolate what we call a hot
shot is not the same band it had some hit records out later but this was this was our hot chocolate. And. I said well I'm going to write and produce them. And that's really what my next project was going to be. Not when I left the group but later on that's what it turned out. To be. And so I started writing and producing produce from him and one night we were playing they were playing a gig in a place called cymbals in San Francisco. And the last song I went and sat in with the band. And. That was something that just clicked. With that with that with the chemistry we went into a zone and and the people just you know went. Off. And it was obvious. At that moment that this was the next thing. It wasn't going to be hot choc'late it was going to be this group with me right.
And then later I came up with the name Grand Central Station. And. That was the beginning of that. That turned out to be the next thing and some people say that they the next thing. Well they they would sometimes make a connection between SIGN OF FAMILY STONE a ramp and the station naturally because of me. And. In fact in fact. One time. Slot A Family Stone in Grand Central Station was almost on the same deal. And Washington D.C.. And. People were flying in from. Different parts of the country. To see this show. Graham Central Station slyness family is the. Capitol Center Washington D.C.. Twenty two thousand people inside broke all attendance records you know. And about five or six thousand people outside that wanted to come in and as
I heard. It tore the doors down. They came in the play's in places it packed. You know. And. You know a motive came in a room and told me said Well you know something has come up and slap I'm going to be able to make it. And. You know I was kind of wondering if. You would go out there until the people look like. That.
Series
Rock and Roll
Raw Footage
Interview with Larry Graham [Part 3 of 4]
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/15-bg2h70859w
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Description
Description
Interview with Larry Graham [Part 3 of 4]
Asset type
Raw Footage
Topics
Music
Subjects
funk; Graham, Larry, 1946-; Sly and the Family Stone; Bass Guitar; rock and roll
Rights
Rights Note:,Rights:,Rights Credit:WGBH Educational Foundation,Rights Type:All,Rights Coverage:,Rights Holder:WGBH Educational Foundation
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:22:58
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Credits
Interviewee2: Graham, Larry
Publisher: Funded by a grant from the GRAMMY Foundation.
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: 49335f87c96f056aaa35171671481c234d9f5fe6 (ArtesiaDAM UOI_ID)
Format: video/quicktime
Color: Color
Duration: 00:00:00
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Citations
Chicago: “Rock and Roll; Interview with Larry Graham [Part 3 of 4],” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 28, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-bg2h70859w.
MLA: “Rock and Roll; Interview with Larry Graham [Part 3 of 4].” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 28, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-bg2h70859w>.
APA: Rock and Roll; Interview with Larry Graham [Part 3 of 4]. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-bg2h70859w