The rumors were true--it was indeed a family affair.

And a bizarre one at that.

Sly Stone, the reclusive, long-vanished funk-rock pioneer and subject of a star-studded Grammy night tribute, stole the show at the Grammy Awards tonight by making his first major public appearance in nearly 13 years.

Hunched over, sporting a gigantic blond Mohawk and a shiny silver jacket, Stone, 61, sang along on his hit "I Want to Take You Higher" as part of an all-star tribute to his band, Sly and the Family Stone.

He left the stage before the song was over, letting participants like Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, British soul singer Joss Stone, pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas, Van Hunt, and pop band Maroon5 do the heavy lifting.

All of those artists appeared on the recent Sly and the Family Stone tribute compilation, Different Strokes by Different Folks.

It was Stone's first live performance since 1987--the last time he spoke to the media--and his first major public appearance since January 1993, when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

After turning the music world on its head in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a mix of psychedelic soul and blissed-out funk, Stone stepped out of the spotlight amid battles with his record label, alleged drug problems, and reported bizarre behavior.

He faced a slew of legal problems in the early 1980s, mostly drug related, and was declared a fugitive in 1989 after failing to show up for a court date in Los Angeles. After being captured in Connecticut, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of cocaine and to two counts of cocaine possession.

He participated only partly in the Hall of Fame induction and hasn't been in the public eye since.

In June 2005, Starbucks released the little-publicized Different Strokes, and Sony is giving the album a well-timed wider release tomorrow.