Sly & the Family Stone bassist still making music to dance to

The legendary musician Larry Graham speaks about his band's latest album, meeting Muhammad Ali and the longevity of influential music.

Larry Graham of the band Graham Central Station performs on stage in France last year. David Redfern / Redferns

Larry Graham played with the funk superstars Sly & the Family Stone from 1966 to 1972, sharing the lead vocals on hits such as Dance to the Music. He also pioneered the "slap" bass-guitar style later adopted by players such as Bootsy Collins. Graham formed his own band, Graham Central Station, in 1974. The new GCS album Raise Up, their first in 14 years, features guest spots from Prince and Raphael Saadiq.

The title track on Raise Up expresses frustration with airport security, right?

Well, that's just one of life's many trials, isn't it? The whole point of that song is that, whatever is getting you down, you have to rise above it. Fortunately, our whole CD is designed to help you accomplish that (laughs).

Prince guests on the new album - you must feel at home at his Paisley Park studio by now?

Yes, Paisley Park is right around the corner from my house and Prince and I are like brothers. He trusts me totally and vice versa. My grandkids call him Uncle Prince.

You're credited with converting Prince to the Jehovah's Witnesses faith …

Prince knew that I had become one of Jehovah's Witnesses back in 1975, and he also knew that I studied the Bible. When he asked me to tour with him, he had tonnes of questions stored up. Every day he would ask me something and many times we'd be in the scriptures until the sun came up. All I did was point him towards the answers. I never pushed him at all. He's not the kind of person who would respond to that anyway (laughs).

One of the most famous Sly & the Family Stone gigs was at Woodstock in 1969 ...

We went on at 3.30am and it was dark, so we couldn't see the half-million people who were out there. Our set was full of medleys, but when we did stop the roar was deafening and we tapped into a zone that we'd never reached before. I suppose it was a bit like when Michael Jordan realised he could slam-dunk the ball from the free throw line - there was no going back.

You met Muhammad Ali after a gig in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in the early 1970s, right?

Oh, yeah! I remember him being incredibly fast in both body and mind. Sly was messing and they started bopping around up on their toes, pretend-boxing. Ali threw this punch that was so lightning-fast that time stopped and we were all waiting to see if Sly was going down. But Ali had stopped just in front of his nose. That's how precise he was.

Sly & the Family Stone was one of the first rock bands to have black and Caucasian members. Were outside forces sometimes disapproving of that?

Not really, no, but we were certainly aware that we were pretty unique in that respect. Fortunately, the music stood up, and that really opened people's minds to the message of songs such as Everyday People.

Last year it was widely reported that Sly was living in a camper van parked in Crenshaw, Los Angeles …

Which makes me feel bad, of course. I wouldn't want Sly or any of the band to be living in a situation like that.

Could you imagine him making another record?

As long as he's alive, you can't rule him out. I hope it can happen - that's where my heart is. I know God has written him off, so why should I?

You're almost 66 now. What will your legacy be?

Probably the music we made in Sly & the Family Stone. How many of the records being made today will still be influential in 40 years? Will people want to sample them like rappers are still sampling Dance to the Music?

Follow

Arts & Life on Twitter

to keep up with all the latest news and events