Rustee Allen - In Time with Sly and the Family Stone

Growing up with musicians playing on almost every Sobrante Park doorstep, Rustee Allen was bound to pick up an instrument. After a short time strumming a guitar Rustee found the bass felt better. Before he was out of school, the gifted musician was drawing a pencil moustache on his face to help him get in to San Francisco night clubs. His talent was spotted by Freddie Stone and soon Rustee was introduced to Sylvester Stewart, better known to the world as Sly. After the inventor of slap bass, Larry Graham, left Sly and the Family Stone, Rustee joined the band - his first task was to play on the funk classic In Time, for the album Fresh. He sat down with Nick Atkinson to talk about those classic sessions with Sly, which were the prelude to a glittering career, often darkened with stories of fellow musicians, including Sly himself, whose lives were ruined by addiction and bankruptcy.