Happy Birthday To Larry Graham!
![Sly & The Family Stone](https://cdn-p.smehost.net/sites/ab80019aa2b543979239e86245645ad7/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/slyfam3.jpg)
It in no way minimizes Sly Stone’s genius to state that the primary instrumental force of Sly and the Family Stone was Larry Graham. Larry, who turns 66 today, was a true pioneer of the bass guitar: through that instrument he invested Sly’s songs with a power unheard of in pop music, and he is credited with inventing the “bass slap,” a crucial element in all funk music. Larry is also beloved for his baritone vocal interjections: “I’m gonna add some bottom!” Here he is, far right, with the band in 1970.