Sly, Slick & Wicked

Biography

In 1970, three Cleveland, OH, natives dubbed themselves Sly, Slick & Wicked and began a long-lasting career that touched many paths in the history of soul. John F. Wilson (Sly), Charles Still (Slick), and Marc Sexton (Wicked) were high-school friends whose talents almost immediately landed the group in a session produced by Stax recording artist Eddie Purrell. One track from the session, "Stay My Love," caught the ears of Paramount executives and the label released the song as the band's first single in 1971, but it was about this time Marc Sexton chose to leave and was replaced by Terry Stubbs. "Stay My Love" created a buzz nationwide and Paramount issued a 1972 follow-up, "It's Not Easy." The strength of these two singles attracted none other than James Brown, who offered Sly, Slick & Wicked the chance to record for People Records, a subsidiary of Paramount that Brown was running at the time, and become part of his First Family of Soul.

Brown climbed behind the board as co-producer with Purrell, and Sly, Slick & Wicked released "Sho' Nuff"; the single saw more success nationwide, even landing the band on the prestigious Soul Train in 1973. In 1974, Sly, Slick & Wicked moved over to Shaker Records, owned by the O'Jays, and released "Turn On Your Lovelight," which again created a buzz, enough that Motown came knocking at the door. Sly, Slick & Wicked jumped at the chance to record for the legendary label and, through one of its subsidiaries, Ju-par, released their first full-length recording, Sly, Slick & Wicked, in 1976. Extensive touring followed the release and the band even recorded material for a second Motown/Ju-par album that never surfaced. By 1979, Sly, Slick & Wicked had jumped over to Epic and recorded "All I Want Is You," but the band's momentum had waned considerably.

The trio continued to perform sporadically through the '80s, '90s, and 2000s while its members separately worked on other projects, Stubbs as a songwriter (most notably for the O'Jays) and Wilson as a producer (Janet Jackson, Barry White) and songwriter. In late 2003, the group received the Men of Motown Award from the Motown Museum and later was inducted into the Motown Alumni Association Hall of Fame. In 2004, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gave the group a nod when it featured Sly, Slick & Wicked in part of its permanent display. Shortly before this display went up, Sly, Slick & Wicked began a new full-length recording with DeFrantz Forrest taking over the role of "Wicked." ~ Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide