SLY STONE - STONE SORRY FOR LETTING FANS DOWN

Funk legend SLY STONE has apologised to fans for letting them down over the years as he prepares to embark on a comeback tour.
The eccentric singer/songwriter became a superstar with hits like Family Affair and Dance To The Music in the late 1960s and early 1970s but a series of drug issues and legal woes drove him into seclusion and Stone has spent much of the last three decades as a recluse.
That ended in 2006 when he made a bizarre, headline-grabbing appearance at the Grammy Awards, during an all-star tribute to his music.
Two years later and Stone will hit the stage at the House of Blues in California on Friday (23Apr08), as he launches what is hoped will be an inspired comeback.
But he doesn't blame fans for being sceptical - because he made a name for himself by missing gigs and tardiness.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, Stone, now 65, says, "I got in fights with promoters and I had a real attitude... I kind of still do, but not the same.
"But I forgot the people in the audience, the people who loved the music. The music meant a lot to people, but it comes with responsibility."
And Stone, who claims to have 20 years of material ready to be recorded, urges fans not to judge him by his oddball Grammys appearance, when he stumbled onto the stage at the Staples Center, sporting a blond mohawk hairstyle, performed with contemporary stars for just a minute and then walked off.
He adds, "It wasn't what I thought it would be, but that's OK."