Will it be a full-blown "Family Affair"?

That's the question on the minds of many in the music industry in advance of the Grammy Awards Wednesday night.

Sly Stone, the reclusive, long-vanished funk-rock pioneer and subject of a star-studded Grammy night tribute, is reportedly going to appear onstage at the music industry's biggest night.

Citing several friends and associates of Stone, the Washington Post reported that the Grammys will be home to a reunion performance of the original lineup of Sly and the Family Stone.

If the group does indeed appear, it will join a previously announced tribute lineup that includes John Legend, Maroon 5, Joss Stone, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, all of whom appeared on the Sly and the Family Stone tribute compilation, Different Strokes by Different Folks.

It would be 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. It would also mark the first time since 1971 that the band has played in its original configuration, as drummer Greg Errico quit the group that year and bassist Larry Graham left soon after.

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.

Recording Academy spokesman Ron Roecker declined to confirm the performance to the Post but did admit that Stone will be in attendance.

"The facts are what we put in the press release," he said. "As far as anything else, it's all just rumor. But we do believe that he is attending the Grammy Awards."

"It seems like the right time for him," he added. "We're thrilled that we'll be able to do this."