Today, we Dance to the Music with Sly and the Family Stone co-founder, Jerry Martini. Jerry celebrated his birthday today, and we celebrate his sax contributions to funk, soul and R&B music!
Jerry arrived in San Francisco in the early 60’s, originally playing with a band called Joe Piazza and the Continentals. They were essentially the house band for KPIX Dance Party, a San Francisco television show. That’s where Jerry and Sly first met.
Martini went on to play with an interracial cover group named George and Teddy and the Condors. After a failed tour in Italy, Jerry returned to the Bay Area and in 1967, pitched the idea of a band to Sly. The rest, as they say, is history.
Martini played with Sly and the Family Stone from its inception in 1967 until 1975 when the band called it quits. Sly and the Family Stone was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup. The group, along with Martini, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Happy Birthday Jerry!
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