All of Sly & The Family Stone’s top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart return to Billboard’s rankings following the death of the group’s leader, Sly Stone, on June 9. The act logged five top 10s between 1968-1971.
On the R&B Digital Song Sales chart (dated June 21), “Everyday People” reenters at No. 2, while “Dance to the Music,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” and “Family Affair” debut at Nos. 4, 5, 7 and 10, respectively. (The chart ranks the top-selling digital songs of the R&B genre in the United States in the tracking week ending June 12, according to Luminate.)
Stone died after “a prolonged battle with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and other underlying health issues,” according to a statement from his family. Sly & The Family Stone released their first album in 1967 and charted hits through 1980, but had largely disbanded by 1975. This century, the group has expanded its chart history with multiple best-of collections on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and other surveys.
“Dance to the Music” was the group’s first top 10-charting hit on the all-genre Hot 100, peaking at No. 8 on the April 20, 1968-dated list. “Everyday People” was the act’s next top 10, and first No. 1, topping the list for four weeks beginning on Feb. 15, 1969. “Hot Fun In the Summertime” (No. 2, Oct. 18, 1969), “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (the A-Side of the double-sided No. 1 with “Everybody Is a Star;” it spent two weeks at the top, beginning on Feb. 14, 1970) and “Family Affair” (No. 1 for three weeks, beginning on Dec. 4, 1971).
All five of those songs also, unsurprisingly, rank among the act’s biggest Billboard hits.
In total, Sly & The Family Stone’s catalog of songs sold 10,000 downloads in the U.S. in the week ending June 12 — a surge of 1,977 % compared to the previous week. The group’s catalog of tracks was also streamed 5.78 million times — a gain of 277%. Its most-streamed song of the week was “Everyday People,” with 971,000 streams (up 94%).
In terms of album activity, the band’s catalog earned 8,000 equivalent album units in the week ending June 12 — up 389%. (Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums [TEA] and streaming equivalent albums [SEA]. Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.)
Album sales for the band totaled 3,000 for the week (up 527%).
