SOUND PROJECTIONS

AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE

EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU

SPRING, 2017

VOLUME FOUR NUMBER TWO

JOHN COLTRANE

Featuring the Musics and Aesthetic Visions of:

EARTH WIND AND FIRE
(May 20-May 26)

JACK DEJOHNETTE
(May 27-June 2)

ALBERT AYLER
(June 3-June 9)

VI REDD
(June 10-June 16)

LIGHTNIN’ HOPKINS
(June 17-June 23)

JULIAN “CANNONBALL” ADDERLEY
(June 24-June 30)

JAMES NEWTON
(July 1-July 7)

ART TATUM
(July 8-July 14)

SONNY CLARK
(July 15-July 21)

JASON MORAN
(July 22-July 28)

SONNY STITT
(July 29-August 4)

BUD POWELL
(August 5-August 11)

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/earth-wind-fire-mn0000135273/biography

EARTH WIND AND FIRE

(1970-Present)

Artist Biography by Steve Huey

Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the '70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF's all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s, or improvise like a jazz fusion outfit. Plus, their stage shows were often just as elaborate and dynamic as George Clinton's P-Funk empire. More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF's eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn't been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone. Tying it all together was the accomplished songwriting of Maurice White, whose intricate, unpredictable arrangements and firm grasp of hooks and structure made EWF one of the tightest bands in funk when they wanted to be. Not everything they tried worked, but at their best, Earth, Wind & Fire seemingly took all that came before them and wrapped it up into one dizzying, spectacular package.

White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in Chicago in 1969. He had previously honed his chops as a session drummer for Chess Records, where he played on songs by the likes of Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart, and Etta James, among others. In 1967, he'd replaced Redd Holt in the popular jazz group the Ramsey Lewis Trio, where he was introduced to the kalimba, an African thumb piano he would use extensively in future projects. In 1969, he left Lewis' group to form a songwriting partnership with keyboardist Don Whitehead and singer Wade Flemons. This quickly evolved into a band dubbed the Salty Peppers, which signed with Capitol and scored a regional hit with "La La Time." When a follow-up flopped, White decided to move to Los Angeles, and took most of the band with him; he also renamed them Earth, Wind & Fire, after the three elements in his astrological charts. By the time White convinced his brother, bassist Verdine White, to join him on the West Coast in 1970, the lineup consisted of Whitehead, Flemons, female singer Sherry Scott, guitarist Michael Beal, tenor saxophonist Chet Washington, trombonist Alex Thomas, and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel. This aggregate signed a new deal with Warner Bros. and issued its self-titled debut album in late 1970. Many critics found it intriguing and ambitious, much like its 1971 follow-up, The Need of Love, but neither attracted much commercial attention despite a growing following on college campuses and a high-profile gig performing the soundtrack to Melvin Van Peebles' groundbreaking black independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

Dissatisfied with the results, White dismantled the first version of EWF in 1972, retaining only brother Verdine. He built a new lineup with female vocalist Jessica Cleaves, flute/sax player Ronnie Laws, guitarist Roland Bautista, keyboardist Larry Dunn, and percussionist Ralph Johnson; the most important new addition, however, was singer Philip Bailey, recruited from a Denver R&B band called Friends & Love. After seeing the group open for John Sebastian in New York, Clive Davis signed them to CBS, where they debuted in 1972 with Last Days and Time. Further personnel changes ensued; Laws and Bautista were gone by year's end, replaced by reedman Andrew Woolfolk and guitarists Al McKay and Johnny Graham. It was then that EWF truly began to hit their stride. 1973's Head to the Sky (Cleaves' last album with the group) significantly broadened their cult following, and the 1974 follow-up, Open Our Eyes, was their first genuine hit. It marked their first collaboration with producer, arranger, and sometime-songwriting collaborator Charles Stepney, who helped streamline their sound for wider acceptance; it also featured another White brother, Fred, brought in as a second drummer. The single "Mighty Mighty" became EWF's first Top Ten hit on the R&B charts, although pop radio shied away from its black-pride subtext, and the minor hit "Kalimba Story" brought Maurice White's infatuation with African sounds to the airwaves. Open Our Eyes went gold, setting the stage for the band's blockbuster breakthrough.

In 1975, EWF completed work on another movie soundtrack, this time to a music-biz drama called That's the Way of the World. Not optimistic about the film's commercial prospects, the group rushed out their soundtrack album of the same name (unlike Sweet Sweetback, they composed all the music themselves) in advance. The film flopped, but the album took off; its lead single, the love-and-encouragement anthem "Shining Star," shot to the top of both the R&B and pop charts, making Earth, Wind & Fire mainstream stars; it later won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group. The album also hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts, and went double platinum; its title track went Top Five on the R&B side, and it also contained Bailey's signature ballad in the album cut "Reasons." White used the new income to develop EWF's live show into a lavish, effects-filled extravaganza, which eventually grew to include stunts designed by magician Doug Henning. The band was also augmented by a regular horn section, the Phoenix Horns, headed by saxophonist Don Myrick. Their emerging concert experience was chronicled later that year on the double-LP set Gratitude, which became their second straight number one album and featured one side of new studio tracks. Of those, "Sing a Song" reached the pop Top Ten and the R&B Top Five, and the ballad "Can't Hide Love" and the title track were also successful.

Sadly, during the 1976 sessions for EWF's next studio album, Spirit, Charles Stepney died suddenly of a heart attack. Maurice White took over the arranging chores, but the Stepney-produced "Getaway" managed to top the R&B charts posthumously. Spirit naturally performed well on the charts, topping out at number two. In the meantime, White was taking a hand in producing other acts; in addition to working with his old boss Ramsey Lewis, he helped kickstart the careers of the Emotions and Deniece Williams. 1977's All n' All was another strong effort that charted at number three and spawned the R&B smashes "Fantasy" and the chart-topping "Serpentine Fire"; meanwhile, the Emotions topped the pop charts with the White-helmed smash "Best of My Love." The following year, White founded his own label, ARC, and EWF appeared in the mostly disastrous film version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, turning in a fine cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life" that became their first Top Ten pop hit since "Sing a Song." Released before year's end, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 produced another Top Ten hit (and R&B number one) in the newly recorded "September."

1979's I Am contained EWF's most explicit nod to disco, a smash collaboration with the Emotions called "Boogie Wonderland" that climbed into the Top Ten. The ballad "After the Love Has Gone" did even better, falling one spot short of the top. Although I Am became EWF's sixth straight multi-platinum album, there were signs that the group's explosion of creativity over the past few years was beginning to wane. 1980's Faces broke that string, after which guitarist McKay departed. While 1981's Raise brought them a Top Five hit and R&B chart-topper in "Let's Groove," an overall decline in consistency was becoming apparent. By the time EWF issued its next album, 1983's Powerlight, ARC had folded, and the Phoenix Horns had been cut loose to save money. After the lackluster Electric Universe appeared at the end of the year, White disbanded the group to simply take a break. In the meantime, Verdine White became a producer and video director, while Philip Bailey embarked on a solo career and scored a pop smash with the Phil Collins duet "Easy Lover." Collins also made frequent use of the Phoenix Horns on his '80s records, both solo and with Genesis.

Bailey reunited with the White brothers, plus Andrew Woolfolk, Ralph Johnson, and new guitarist Sheldon Reynolds, in 1987 for the album Touch the World. It was surprisingly successful, producing two R&B smashes in "Thinking of You" and the number one "System of Survival." Released in 1990, Heritage was a forced attempt to contemporize the group's sound, with guest appearances from Sly Stone and MC Hammer; its failure led to the end of the group's relationship with Columbia. They returned on Reprise with the more traditional-sounding Millennium in 1993, but were dropped when the record failed to recapture their commercial standing despite a Grammy nomination for "Sunday Morning"; tragedy struck that year when onetime horn leader Don Myrick was murdered in Los Angeles. Bailey and the White brothers returned once again in 1997 on the small Pyramid label with In the Name of Love.

After 2003's The Promise, a mix of new material and fresh looks at classics, the group realigned with several top-shelf adult contemporary artists and released 2005's Illumination, which featured a collaboration with smooth jazz juggernaut Kenny G. The album was Grammy-nominated in the category of Best R&B Album. Earth, Wind & Fire continued to tour and made a show-opening appearance on American Idol's Idol Gives Back show in 2007. Three years later, Maurice and Verdine White, Bailey, Dunn, and McKay were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The band released Now, Then & Forever, their first album in five years, in 2013. Three years later, on February 3, 2016, Maurice White died from the effects of Parkinson's disease at his home in Los Angeles; he was 74 years old.

http://pitchfork.com/features/afterword/9803-earth-wind-fires-maurice-white/

Maurice White: 1941-2016, Founder of Earth, Wind & Fire

by Zach Blumenfeld

February 5, 2016
Paste Magazine

Maurice White, the founder, chief songwriter and producer, and co-lead vocalist of legendary R&B/funk/soul band Earth, Wind, and Fire, passed away in his sleep yesterday at the age of 74. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for nearly three decades.

“The light is he, shining on you and me,” the band wrote on their Twitter account, accompanied by a photo of White walking towards the Egyptian pyramids. Verdine White, Maurice’s brother and EWF’s longtime bass player, posted on Facebook, saying, “While the world has lost another great musician, visionary and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult life changing transition in our lives.”

Maurice White founded Earth, Wind, and Fire in Chicago in 1969. The band’s move to Los Angeles in the early 1970s was a catalyst for success, and they had their commercial breakthrough with the landmark 1975 album That’s The Way Of The World, which spawned the hit song “Shining Star.” They followed that up with a number of other enduring songs through the ‘70s and early ‘80s, including “Sing A Song,” “September,” and “Let’s Groove,” all of which were co-written by White.

In addition to his work with Earth, Wind, and Fire, White also co-produced R&B singer Deniece Williams’ debut album, produced girl group The Emotions’ number one single “Best Of My Love,” and did work with Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow over the course of his career.

White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the late ‘80s and retired from touring in 1994, though he remained involved with Earth, Wind, and Fire. Last month, it was announced the band would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys, a ceremony that will now take on more emotional gravitas.

Above, check out a recording of Earth, Wind, and Fire performing “Devotion” live in 1974, and check out a few more songs from the same set in the Paste Cloud here.

http://pitchfork.com/features/afterword/9803-earth-wind-fires-maurice-white/

Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White (1941-2016)

Michael J. Agovino pays tribute to late Earth, Wind & Fire leader Maurice White, who combined jazz, blues, gospel, soul, funk, R&B, and disco in the '70s to create an inclusive style that still resonates today.

by Michael J. Agovino

Rock

February 5, 2016
Pitchfork

I first saw Earth, Wind & Fire live in 1987 at Radio City Music Hall. I came down from the Bronx with Rene, a friend I went to school with. For us—kids from a not-so-nice place, in a not-so-nice time—EW&F managed to project cool while remaining squeaky clean. Their 1972 album, Last Days and Time, even had a song called “Mom.”

But by the late ’80s, the band wasn’t what it had been. The tour wasn’t a comeback, per se, but something was different. A lot was different, in fact. Many of the original members were gone, and the clothes changed: out were the capes and platform shoes; in were loose-fitting blazers with rolled-up sleeves. The vibe wasn’t the same, but the message was—and Maurice White was that message. White, who passed away yesterday at 74, was Earth, Wind & Fire. He was the reason we were all at Radio City in the first place.

After working as a session drummer for Chess Records, White started the band in Chicago as the Salty Peppers in 1969 before moving them to Los Angeles and going on to effortlessly—and joyously—fuse a variety of African-American musical forms: jazz, blues, gospel, soul, funk, R&B, disco. Their music was a celebration, and everyone was invited. White was inclusive, but the band was often derided by white rock fans and smarty-pants critics as “crossover.” Not that it mattered; people listened, sang along, danced.

As a vocalist, White was good, but not in the category of the great soul and R&B singers of the ’60s and ’70s golden era; he wasn’t Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Teddy Pendergrass, Bobby Womack, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye. (The famous, soaring falsetto long-associated with EW&F belongs to Philip Bailey.) But beyond being the architect of the band, White excelled as a lyricist, composer, and arranger. The group’s ballads, often at least co-written by White, were emotionally rich, as were their covers of songs like Pete Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

In the early ’70s, White’s band veered toward a flower-child aesthetic, somewhere between Sly and the Family Stone and the Fifth Dimension (see: the cover of 1973’s Head to The Sky). Those records didn’t churn out the super hits EW&F became best-known for, but they are grittier, more soulful. Then came the breakout in 1975: That’s The Way of the World. It was a soundtrack for a movie no one saw starring Harvey Keitel as a record producer, and the band members themselves, who barely had any dialogue, as “The Group.” But it gave us the title track, along with “Shining Star” and Philip Bailey’s opus “Reasons,” which Charles Burnett used to memorable effect in his great film Killer of Sheep three years later. (EW&F also performed the music for Melvin Van Peebles groundbreaking 1971 movie Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.)

White recognized the importance of the sound of brass—a mainstay in black American music—and the EW&F horn section was legendary. This was a big band, though not in the Ellington sense. White used two guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, multiple percussionists, and those horns. He used strings on a couple of albums, too.

EW&F explored their African roots: White played the kalimba, an African thumb piano, and started a production company named after the instrument; the thunderous opening number of the 1975 live album Gratitude was called “Africano”; they did a 13-minute instrumental entitled “Zanzibar” in 1973; Egyptology was an ongoing interest. White also looked to Brazil, doing on a short version of Milton Nascimento’s “Ponta De Areia” (a wink to Wayne Shorter, who did his own version of the song).

Fitting their global curiosity and welcoming sweep, the band’s world tours were epic by the late ’70s. Magician Doug Henning was an advisor; Verdine White, the bassist and Maurice’s brother, would levitate. Black bands had toured the world before, but rarely in stadiums, and none with a stage show as conceived by Maurice White.

The cover of the 1980 double album Faces—featuring visages from all over the world, of all different backgrounds—was White’s homage to inclusiveness. On the eve of Reaganomics, his message was one of hope, brotherhood, and humanity. It always was.

By 1987, fascinations with Egypt and the intergalactic were no longer, replaced with songs with titles like “Money Tight” and “System of Survival.” The band fell out of favor, though younger musicians—Common, OutKast, D’Angelo, so many others—would eventually pay tribute. They knew what trends and prissy critics didn’t: That EW&F created something timeless.

So that 1987 concert was my first chance to see what Maurice White built. It wasn’t the most memorable show, but I’ll never forget it.

Michael J. Agovino is the author of

The Bookmaker and The Soccer Diaries.

http://www.earthwindandfire.com/history/biography/

BIOGRAPHY

During the 1970s, a new brand of pop music was born – one that was steeped in African and African-American styles – particularly jazz and R&B but appealed to a broader cross-section of the listening public. As founder and leader of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White not only embraced but also helped bring about this evolution of pop, which bridged the gap that has often separated the musical tastes of black and white America. It certainly was successful, as EWF combined high-caliber musicianship, wide-ranging musical genre eclecticism, and ’70s multicultural spiritualism. “I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before,” Maurice explains. “Although we were basically jazz musicians, we played soul, funk, gospel, blues, jazz, rock and dance music…which somehow ended up becoming pop. We were coming out of a decade of experimentation, mind expansion and cosmic awareness. I wanted our music to convey messages of universal love and harmony without force-feeding listeners’ spiritual content.”Maurice was born December 19, 1941, in Memphis, TN. He was immersed in a rich musical culture that spanned the boundaries between jazz, gospel, R&B, blues and early rock. All of these styles played a role in the development of Maurice’s musical identity. At age six, he began singing in his church’s gospel choir but soon his interest turned to percussion. He began working gigs as a drummer while still in high school. His first professional performance was with Booker T. Jones, who eventually achieved stardom as Booker T and the MGs.After graduating high school, Maurice moved to the Windy City to continue his musical education at the prestigious Chicago Conservatory Of Music. He continued picking up drumming jobs on the side, which eventually lead to a steady spot as a studio percussionist with the legendary Chicago label, Chess Records. At Chess, Maurice had the privilege of playing with such greats as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart, Willie Dixon, Sonny Stitt and Ramsey Lewis, whose trio he joined in 1967. He spent nearly three years as part of the Ramsey Lewis Trio. “Ramsey helped shape my musical vision beyond just the music,” Maurice explains. “I learned about performance and staging.” Maurice also learned about the African thumb piano, or Kalimba, an instrument whose sound would become central to much of his work over the years.In 1969, Maurice left the Ramsey Lewis Trio and joined two friends in Chicago, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, as a songwriting team composing songs and commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol and called themselves the “Salty Peppers,” and had a marginal hit in the Mid-western area called “La La Time.” That band featured Maurice on vocals, percussion and Kalimba along with keyboardists/vocalists Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead.

After relocating to Los Angeles and signing a new contract with Warner Bros., Maurice simultaneously made what may have been the smartest move of his young career. He changed the band’s name to Earth, Wind & Fire (after the three elements in his astrological chart). The new name also captured Maurice’s spiritual approach to music – one that transcended categories and appealed to multiple artistic principals, including composition, musicianship, production, and performance. In addition to White, Flemons and Whitehead, Maurice recruited Michael Beal on guitar, Leslie Drayton, Chester Washington and Alex Thomas on horns, Sherry Scott on vocals, percussionist Phillard Williams and his younger brother Verdine on bass.

Earth, Wind & Fire recorded two albums for Warner Brothers: the self-titled 1970 album Earth, Wind And Fire and the 1971 album The Need Of Love. A single from this album, “I Think About Lovin’ You,” provided EWF with their first Top 40 R&B hit. Also in 1971, the group performed the soundtrack to the Melvin Van Peebles film ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’.

In 1972, White dissolved the line-up (except he and brother Verdine White) and added Jessica Cleaves (vocals – formerly of the R&B group The Friends of Distinction), Ronnie Laws (flute, saxophone), Roland Bautista (guitar), Larry Dunn (keyboard), Ralph Johnson (percussion) and Philip Bailey (vocals, formerly of Friends & Love). Maurice became disillusioned with Warner Brothers, which had signed the group primarily as a jazz act. Maurice, in contrast, was more interested in combining elements of jazz, rock, and soul into an evolving form of fusion, a truly universal sound.

A performance at New York’s Rockefeller Center introduced EWF to Clive Davis, then President of Columbia Records. Davis loved what he saw and bought their contract from Warner Bros. With Columbia Records, debuting with the 1972 album Last Days And Time, the group slowly began to build a reputation for innovative recordings and exciting, live shows, complete with feats of magic (floating pianos, spinning drum kits, vanishing artists) engineered by Doug Henning and his then-unknown assistant David Copperfield. Their first gold album, Head To The Sky, peaked at number 27 pop in the summer of 1973, yielding a smooth tangy cover of “Evil” and the title track single. The first platinum EWF album, Open Our Eyes, whose title track was a remake of the classic originally recorded by Savoy Records group the Gospel Clefs, included “Mighty Mighty” (number four R&B) and “Kalimba Story” (number six R&B).

Maurice once again shared a label roster with Ramsey Lewis, whose Columbia debut Sun Goddess, was issued in December 1974. The radio-aired title track was released as a single under the name Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind & Fire. It went to number 20 R&B in early 1975. The Sun Goddess album went gold, hitting number 12 pop in early 1975. Maurice had also played on Lewis’ other high-charting album, Wade In The Water; the title track single peaked at number three R&B in the summer of 1966.

The inspiration for “Shining Star” (one of EW&F’s most beloved singles) was gleaned from thoughts Maurice had during a walk under the star-filled skies that surrounded the mountains around Caribou Ranch, CO a popular recording site and retreat during the ’70s. The track was originally included in the ‘That’s The Way Of The World’ movie that starred Harvey Keitel and was produced by Sig Shore (Superfly). “Shining Star” glittered at number one R&B for two weeks and hit number one pop in early 1975. It was included on their 1975 multi-platinum album That’s The Way Of The World that held the number one pop spot for three weeks in Spring 1975 and earned them their first Grammy Award. The title track single made it to number five R&B in summer of 1975. It also yielded the classic ballad “Reasons,” an extremely popular radio-aired album track.

The multi-platinum album Gratitude held the number one pop album spot for three weeks in late 1975. On the album was “Singasong” (gold, number one R&B for two weeks, number five pop), the Skip Scarborough ballad “Can’t Hide Love” (number 11 R&B), and the popular radio-aired album tracks “Celebrate,” “Gratitude,” and the live version of “Reasons.” In 1976, Maurice decided he wanted to record a spiritual album. The multi-platinum album Spirit parked at number two pop for two weeks in fall of 1976 and boasted the gold, number one R&B single “Getaway” and “Saturday Nite.” Spirit is remembered as one of EWF’s best albums and sadly for also being the last project of Producer Charles Stepney. He died May 17, 1976, in Chicago, IL, at the age of 45. Charles was a former Chess Records arranger/producer/session musician/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter and Maurice’s main collaborator on his EWF projects. The multi-platinum album All ‘N All peaked at number three pop in late 1977, won three Grammy’s, and had arrangements by Chicago soul mainstay Tom Tom Washington and Eumir Deodato. The singles were “Serpentine Fire” (number one R&B for seven weeks) and “Fantasy.” The group’s horn section, the legendary Phenix Horns (Don Myrick on saxophone, Louis Satterfield on trombone, Rahmlee Michael Davis and Michael Harris on trumpets) became an integral part of the Earth, Wind & Fire sound.

During this time, Maurice produced several artists such as The Emotions (1976’s Flowers and 1977’s Rejoice which included the number one R&B/pop hit “Best Of My Love”) and Deniece Williams (1976’s This Is Niecy which included the Top Ten R&B hit “Free”). In the late seventies, in association with Columbia Records, Maurice also launched a record label, ARC.

The multi-platinum greatest-hits set The Best Of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. I included a cover of the Beatles’ “Got To Get You Into My Life” went to number one R&B and number nine pop in Summer 1978. The group performed the song in the 1978 Bee Gees/Peter Frampton movie ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. Another single, “September,” made it to number one R&B, number eight pop in early 1978. On the flip side was the enchanting popular radio-aired album track “Love’s Holiday” from All ‘N All.

Their live performances were stellar as well. Sellout crowds were spellbound by the band’s bombastic performances. Their performances blasted a cosmic wave of peace, love and other happy vibrations to audiences using a combination of eye-popping costumes, lights, pyrotechnics and plain old good music. Sometimes they even threw in magic illusions. Earth, Wind & Fire’s message was one of universal harmony, in both musical and cultural senses. “We live in a negative society,” Maurice told Newsweek. “Most people can’t see beauty and love. I see our music as medicine.”

The multi-platinum album I Am hit number three pop in Summer 1979 on the strength of the million-selling single “Boogie Wonderland” with The Emotions (number two R&B for four weeks, number six pop) and the phenomenal gold ballad “After The Love Has Gone,” written by David Foster, Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin that stayed at number two R&B/pop for two weeks. Their Faces album peaked at number ten pop in late 1980 and was boosted to gold by the singles “Let Me Talk” (number eight R&B), “You” (number ten R&B), and “And Love Goes On.”

The million-selling funked-up “Let’s Groove,” co-written by The Emotions’ Wanda Vaughn and her husband Wayne Vaughn, was the track that re-energized EWF’s career, parking at number one R&B for eight weeks and number three pop, causing their Raise! album to go platinum (hitting number five pop in late 1981). Their next gold album Powerlight made it to number 12 pop in spring 1983 and included the Top Ten R&B single and Grammy-nominated “Fall In Love With Me.” Their 1983 Electric Universe album stalled at number 40 pop, breaking the band’s string of gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums.

In 1983, Maurice decided he and the band needed a break. During this hiatus, Maurice recorded his self-titled solo album Maurice White and produced various artists including Neal Diamond, Barbra Streisand and Jennifer Holliday. Reuniting with the band in 1987, EWF released the album Touch The World and scored yet another number one R&B single, “System of Survival” and embarked on a corresponding nine-month world tour. This was followed by the 1988 release The Best Of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. II.

In 1990 the group released the album Heritage. Two years later, Earth, Wind & Fire released The Eternal Dance; a 55-track boxed set retrospective of the band’s entire history. The appearance of such a project after a prolonged period of relative inactivity signaled to many listeners that the band was calling it quits but that did not turn out to be case. In 1993, EWF released the album, Millennium that included the Grammy-nominated “Sunday Morning” and “Spend The Night.”

Earth, Wind & Fire kept recording and in 1996 released Avatar and Greatest Hits Live; followed by 1997’s In The Name Of Love; 2002’s That’s The Way Of The World: Alive In ’75; Live In Rio which was recorded during their 1979 “I Am World Tour;” 2003’s The Promise, which included the Grammy-nominated “Hold Me” and 2005’s Illumination, which included the Grammy-nominated “Show Me The Way.”

In 2000, the nine-piece ’70s edition of Earth, Wind & Fire reunited for one night only in honor of their induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In 2001, Eagle Rock Entertainment released the documentary ‘Earth, Wind & Fire: Shining Stars’, which contains rarely seen historic video footage along with in-depth interviews with the band members.

Even though Maurice is no longer a part of the touring group, he remains the band’s heart and soul from behind the scenes as composer and producer. Maurice reflects, “I wanted to create a library of music that would stand the test of time. ‘Cosmic Consciousness’ is the key component of our work. Expanding awareness and uplifting spirits is so important in this day. People are looking for more. I hope our music can give them some encouragement and peace.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/11/that-groove-was-undeniable-making-earth-wind-fires-all-n-all/265323/

'That Groove Was Undeniable': Making Earth, Wind & Fire's 'All 'N All'

by Chris Williams
November 21, 2012

The Atlantic

Larry Dunn, the keyboard player and musical director of Earth, Wind & Fire, talks about recording the band's album All 'N All, which turns 35 this week.

Earth Wind and Fire. AP Images

By the middle of the 1970s, Earth, Wind & Fire had had already become one of the most influential forces in popular music. But after putting out the classic, platinum-selling albums That's the Way of the World (1975), Gratitude (1975) and Spirit (1976), they still had more in them. The 11-song All 'N All, released in 1977, would go on to be their most commercially successful record and equal anything else in their catalog for critical acceptance. Led by the masterful harmonies of group founder Maurice White and Philip Bailey and the unforgettable melodies and arrangements by musical director Larry Dunn, Verdine White, Al McKay, Fred White, Ralph Johnson, and the Phenix Horns, the album would win two Grammy awards and produce songs that live on now both on their own and as sampling material for today's hitmakers.

On the occasion of All 'N All's 35th anniversary this week, I spoke with Larry Dunn about recording it.

How did you become the musical director for the group?

On Last Days and Time (1972), I did all of the keyboard work on that album. The next album, Head to the Sky (1973), I began writing with Maurice. I wrote "Clover." I wrote the intro and bridge to "Keep Your Head to the Sky" and on different stuff as well. It was just a natural progression to become musical director for the group due to the fact I was the keyboard player. I really enjoyed it. I was the youngest member of the band during that time and I was able to create the interludes and make sure the music was correct. I tell people that Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the greatest bands of all time. We had extremely talented musicians, but at the same time we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed. So—you put together brilliant musicians and cats who weren't scared, but cats that enjoyed rehearsing. That's how you end up with our sound and those shows that were just phenomenal.

Tales From Making Marvin Gaye's Final Album

By the mid-1970s, the group was essentially a juggernaut. Coming into the making of this album, what direction were you trying to go with the sound?

It wasn't something that I really thought about. It was just the music that was coming through us. I think this was the second album after Charles Stepney passed. I was renting a little house out in Culver City. I made a little ghetto studio in the back with just eight tracks. I bought a drum set from a pawn shop. All of the guys would come over every day. Freddy would be on the drums, I would be on the keyboards, Verdine and Al would be there as well. Some of the stuff we wrote together, like the song "Magic Mind." We just came up with the groove in that little room.

Other stuff, like "Be Ever Wonderful," I came home one night from hanging out at some clubs and I wasn't really sleepy. It got later and later and something was coming up. It was raining outside and I stayed up all night and went into the studio. By noon, I called Maurice and told him I had finished all the music for the song. I played it over the phone and he was like, "Yea!"

There wasn't really a formula. We really had to pull together. It was a great loss, losing [Stepney], but I was around him a lot and I learned a lot from him. I remember asking him about arranging because I was also blessed at 21 to start my producing career with Caldera then Ramsey Lewis, Tequila Mockingbird, Stanley Turrentine, Lenny White, and stuff like that. When I asked him about arranging, he told me, "Hey, man. Sometimes when it comes to arranging, it's not so much what to write, but what not to write." Space is an important part of music just as important as the notes.

Could you talk about the creative dynamic that existed within the group?

I tell people often that I don't live my life based around astrology. There are some basic little traits or whatever, but Maurice did a lot of astrological charts and stuff. The thing that was ironic is the fact we were exact opposites to the day. He was born on December 19th and I was born on Juneteenth, which is June 19th and a celebration of the emancipation of slaves. With us being born on the exact opposite day and him being a drummer and me being a keyboard player was cool. He played drums for the Ramsey Lewis Trio. I grew up playing all types of music from The Temptations, James Brown, The Stylistics, The Dells, Santana, Jimmy Smith, and on and on and on. I learned jazz music at a young age, so when Maurice and I would get into a room together, he had a sense of rhythm and I had the chords and notes. Maurice would always say, "When me and that cat get in a room together, something good is going to pop off." And, luckily for us, that was the case. The Phenix Horns added an amazing spark to our group. Johnny Graham had a great sense for blues music and incorporated it within the group. Andrew Woolfolk grew up with Philip and I in Denver. Freddy White was Maurice's half-brother and Verdine's brother. He actually played with Donny Hathaway when he was 16. Ralph Johnson was great as well. It was just an amazing aggregation of musicians who were very serious about their music.

Can you describe the studio atmosphere when the group was constructing this album?

Sometimes I would bring a tune in and the music would already be there. So—we would go into the studio and we would cut what was called the basic track. The basic track would be the rhythm section. It would be either Maurice or Fred White or Ralph Johnson on drums. On bass would be Verdine, Al McKay, and Johnny and me on keyboards. And we would cut the basic track. It would take about six hours usually. We had to make sure that groove was undeniable and that everything was tight. Back then, they didn't have hard disc recording. We were recording on two-inch tape. Once in a while, take No. 3 from the intro to the bridge was killin' and then from the bridge on out it wasn't as great. But on take No. 6 from the bridge on out would be great. The guy would take the razor blade and cut the tape and then splice it together. And, then we would have our masterpiece: the basic track.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/earth-wind-fire-12-essential-songs-20160204

by Mosi Reeves, Jason Heller, Jordan Runtagh, Simon Vozick-Levinson, Oliver Wang, Christopher Weingarten

February 4, 2016

Rolling Stone

"I was writing about my life," Maurice White once told the late journalist Timothy White. Yet in the mid-to-late 1970s, his funk juggernaut Earth Wind & Fire resonated with millions. They were arguably the biggest black rock band in the world, scoring nearly a dozen gold and platinum albums, and charting Top 10 singles like "Shining Star," "Sing a Song" and "After the Love Is Gone." Critics may have eventually soured on their increasingly sophisticated mix of disco, fusion jazz, Africana, soft pop and stoned soul; but their message of peace, spirituality and love, as well as their fantastic outfits and incendiary live concerts, made them one of the quintessential bands of the era.

Earth, Wind & Fire employed 10 musicians during their peak years, as well as the famed Phenix Horns section. White was always at the center, whether singing lead vocals with the gospel-trained Philip Bailey, or working in the studio alongside legendary producer Charles Stepney (who tragically passed away in 1976). He oversaw the intricately designed gatefold covers that depicted Egyptian pyramids and Biblical symbols, and inserted references to his beliefs in his lyrics. Whether the audience understood everything he sang about or not, no one could deny the power of EWF. Here's some of the group's best.

"Sweetback's Theme" (1971)

Circa 1970, playwright, poet and radical raconteur Melvin Van Peebles was finishing work on his low-budget film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. The filmmaker still needed a soundtrack and his assistant happened to be dating a young Chicago transplant to Los Angeles, Maurice White, whose band Earth, Wind & Fire was still shopping their demos. As Peebles told Wax Poetics, "they were all starving to death on Hollywood Boulevard" but he enlisted their help in concocting a set of greasy funk and jazz loops that Peebles himself warbled and screeched over. The album and movie unexpectedly became runaway successes and EWF became the first musical stars of the blaxploitation era, paving the way for Isaac Hayes's Shaft and Curtis Mayfield's Superfly.

"Devotion" (1974)

"Maurice’s whole vision was to kinda sneak a little jazz on people," said EWF singer Philip Bailey in a 2013 interview. Nowhere is that more evident than in "Devotion," a minor hit but major fan favorite from 1974's Open Our Eyes. Awash in shimmering chords, fusion-rich keys and a lusciously sinuous bass line, the song's hooks are as subtle as they are unshakeable. It's a tender song for a time when America felt anything but — and White’s mission to smuggle jazz into the R&B and pop charts feels more sacred here than almost anywhere else in EWF’s catalogue. Or as the song itself unabashedly states, "So our mission, to bring melody/Ringing voices sing sweet harmony." Its most memorable version can be heard on the 1975 live album Gratitude, where the band's rendition at the Omni Theater in Atlanta is like a gospel-funk revival.

"Shining Star" (1975)

1975 was the year Earth, Wind & Fire wrote themselves into the pop canon, and that had a lot to do with this jubilant, chart-topping smash. "Shining Star" sounds like a party – and it certainly soundtracked more than a few — but it's really an uplifting motivational anthem along the same lines as Sly and the Family Stone's "Everybody Is a Star," riding along on a clean, bright, brassy groove that stands as one of White's finest production jobs. In 2000, when Earth, Wind & Fire joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he remembered the single as a crucial turning point. "That's the Way of the World really took off very slow," he said of their sixth studio LP. "We thought it wasn't gonna happen. Then we released 'Shining Star,' and it went to the top of the charts and saved the album."

Ramsey Lewis, "Sun Goddess" (1975)

Maurice White was involved in numerous groups in the late Sixties and early Seventies, even as Earth, Wind & Fire was starting to become his main attraction. One of those groups is the band that backed popular jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis — so it only makes sense that Lewis and EWF would cross paths, which they did to scintillating effect on "Sun Goddess." The 1974 single is a monstrously groovy funk dreamscape full of airy harmonies, ripe brass and a deeply reverential undertone — a beautiful illustration of White’s transition from sideman and session player to bandleader nonpareil.

"That's the Way of the World" (1975)

Just as Earth, Wind & Fire made their debut on the Sweet Sweetback soundtrack, their first Number One album was also birthed out of a film project: Sig Shore's 1975 flop That's the Way of the World. The band was cast as the Group, an up-and-coming R&B outfit shepherded by a cocky record producer played by Harvey Keitel. Band vocalist and percussionist Philip Bailey wrote in his autobiography, Shining Star, that recording the album was "a spiritual experience," especially for the silky title track, adding, "when Maurice played us the finished mix ... I thought we sounded like angels. ... It was as if God had been guiding us." The group's real life success far outshone the film that birthed it; Shore's flick didn't even get a DVD release until 2006 while the album of the same name became one of the best sellers of 1975, eventually going triple platinum.

"Sing a Song" (1975)

Gratitude, EWF's 1975 double album, showcased three sides of the best live material from their busy year of touring. But tucked away on the fourth side is a quintet of studio gems, led off by the shimmering "Sing a Song." Guitarist Al McKay came up with the track's signature riff while in his dressing room prior to a show, before presenting the tune to Maurice White for lyrical input. White kept the words simple and optimistic, penning an infectious disco-flecked jingle praising the healing power of music. Produced with his old Chess Records colleague Charles Stepney, White replicated — and updated — the classic sound he created for Etta James and Fontella Bass a decade before. The result was a triumph that reached Number One on the Billboard R&B charts and pushed Gratitude past the 3 million sales mark.

"Reasons" (1975)

If you're an old-school rap fan, then you remember the scene in Erick Sermon's "Stay Real" video where he sings "Reasons" in the shower. Indeed, many people have tried and failed to reach the notes that Philip Bailey hits on this ballad from EWF's That's the Way of the World. The song is not only a karaoke classic, but also a sign of how the group had evolved from a visionary funk-rock band to a cosmopolitan ensemble that incorporated easy pop, jazz and disco. As Maurice White, who co-wrote the track with Bailey and producer Charles Stepney, explained to Billboard in 1975, "It was simply our goal to reach everybody."

"Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo)" (1977)

"Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo)" is just a flighty 80-second groove near the center label of an album that spawned two huge singles; but thanks to its falsetto disco call — "Beijo! Beijo! Ba da ba ba ba!" — its impact on hip-hop would be monumental. DJs from New York's earliest days of the genre would spin the track for MCs to rhyme over; Southern rap pioneer MC Shy D copped it for his hard-rocking 1987 single "I've Gotta Be Tough"; A Tribe Called Quest used it to fill out their groundbreaking debut, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and Big Punisher couldn't resist copping it for his iconic 1998 Top 40 hit "Still Not a Player." Everyone from the Black Eyed Peas to MF Doom have joyfully borrowed its ecstatic hook — "beijo" is, after all, Portugese for "kiss."

"Got to Get You Into My Life" (1978)

With its hot horn section, "Got to Get You Into My Life" was already one of the funkier Beatles songs out there. That made it a natural fit for EWF, who covered the song for the 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film starring the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. The movie isn't exactly remembered fondly: "What was incredible is that people like … Earth, Wind and Fire got into that. You would have never thought any of them would have gotten into that ... thing," a regretful Barry Gibb later told RS. But the cover took on a life of its own, thanks largely to its prime placement on Earth, Wind & Fire's first greatest-hits album that same year — ensuring that generations of fans love the easygoing EWF groove as much or more than the version heard on Revolver.

"September" (1978)

In 1978, EWF negotiated a new contract with Columbia that gave them their own label, ARC. The first fruit was The Best of Earth Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, and "September," a new single that soared to Number One on the R&B charts. The track represented White's talent for writing joyously optimistic soul anthems. At the song's center are the soaring Phenix Horns and Philip Bailey’s falsetto vocalese closing the song by riffing, "Bow dee ow dee ow dee." It was a throwback reference to the days of doo-wop, White told Billboard magazine in 1979. "My principle for producing is to pay attention to the roots of America, which is doo-wop music."

"Boogie Wonderland" (1979)

[Maurice White] takes simple dance formulas like 'Boogie Wonderland' and finds fresh possibilities within them," wrote Dave Marsh in his Rolling Stone review of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 album, I Am. With disco in full bloom, White and his collective of jazz-funk explorers put a commercial sheen on this intricate yet deeply soulful strut. Brassy and ebullient, the track nonetheless bears a dark heart: Anguish and desperation lurk in the song's quicksilver arrangement and startlingly grim lyrics by Allee Willis and Jon Lind, who drew inspiration from the harrowing 1977 Diane Keaton film Looking for Mr. Goodbar. The song's portrayal of boogie-ing to numb the pain ("You dance and shake the hurt") seemed to predict disco's disillusioning crash, right around the corner.

"Let's Groove" (1981)

The disco backlash was coming hard and fast by the early Eighties, but the group navigated the changing trends with this slick piece of synth funk. The robotic vocoder heard on the intro heralded the dawn of a new EWF for the new decade, mixing electronica with their live-brass past. White explained the transition to NME. "It's really just knowing the feelings and fundamentals involved in producing a hit. Just like writing a story. It's not less honest than a piece of jazz. Take the new record, 'Let's Groove.' It's real honest. We just went in and done it — a natural giving thing. Just saying, Hey man, enjoy this with me. Share this with us." Many did — the song sold over a million copies and earned a Grammy nom for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

THE MUSIC OF EARTH WIND AND FIRE: AN EXTENSIVE VIDEO OVERVIEW, A CROSS SECTION OF RECORDINGS, MUSICAL ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY, PLUS VARIOUS INTERVIEWS WITH EWF:

Earth Wind and Fire - "Keep Your Head to the Sky":

</ifram</b></span><div class=""> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b class=""><br class="" /></b></span></div> <div class=""> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b class=""><iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8iJ_E5WRABc">https://www.youtube.com/embed/8iJ_E5WRABc</a>" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></ifram</b></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="" style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div class="" style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b class=""><span class="" style="color: #128a07;">RIP Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 3, 2016)</span></b></span></div> <br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /> <h1 class="watch-title-container" style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="watch-title" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Earth Wind & Fire - Devotion"><span class="" style="color: #b91128; font-size: large;">Earth Wind & Fire - “Devotion”</span></span></span></h1> <div class="" style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </div> <br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /> <br /> <h1 class="watch-title-container" style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h1> <h1 class="watch-title-container" style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="watch-title" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Earth Wind & Fire (The Very Best Of)"><span style="color: #bd0d17; font-size: large;">Earth Wind & Fire (The Very Best Of):</span></span></span></h1> <div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="watch-title" dir="ltr" title="Earth Wind & Fire (The Very Best Of)"><span style="color: #090101;"><b> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/24LFE8a-4nU" width="560">

Earth Wind & Fire - “Devotion”:

Earth, Wind and Fire - "Can't Hide Love”:

Earth, Wind & Fire - "Boogie Wonderland”:

Earth Wind and Fire- "Shining Star”:

Earth Wind and Fire's Shining Star from the album 'That's The Way of the World.' (1975)

Earth Wind & Fire - Greatest Hits Live-- (Full Album):

Tracklist:

0:00:00 01. September (McKay, White, Willis)
0:02:41 02. Let Your Feelings Show (Foster, White, Willis)
0:03:58 03. Let's Groove (Vaughn, White)
0:07:12 04. Sun Goddess (Lind, White)
0:12:50 05. Can't Hide Love (Scarborough)
0:16:15 06. Boogie Wonderland (Lind, Willis)
0:21:05 07. Fantasy (DelBarrio, White, White)
0:25:01 08. Reasons (Bailey, Stepney, White)
0:32:39 09. That's the Way of the World (Stepney, White, White)
0:38:03 10. Africano (Dunn, White)
0:43:58 11. I'll Write a Song for You (Bailey, Beckmeier, McKay)
0:47:26 12. Be Ever Wonderful (Dunn, White)
0:51:09 13. After the Love Has Gone (Champlin, Foster, Graydon)
0:55:50 14. Shining Star (Bailey, Dunn, White)
1:00:27 15. System of Survival (Skylark)
1:06:14 16. Sing a Song (McKay, White)
1:07:46 17. Devotion (Bailey, White)

Earth, Wind & Fire - "After The Love Has Gone”-- (Live):

Earth Wind And Fire - "Getaway":

Earth Wind & Fire (The Very Best Of):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth,_Wind_%26_Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire performing in 2009
Background information
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Rhythm and blues soul funk jazz disco pop rock psychedelia
Years active	1970–1984 1987–present
Labels	Warner Bros. ARC Columbia Legacy Sanctuary
Associated acts	Ramsey Lewis The Pharaohs Charles Stepney Phenix Horns The Emotions David Foster Caldera Chicago Deniece Williams Toto George Benson LL Cool J Skip Scarborough
Website	www.earthwindandfire.com

Members	Philip Bailey Verdine White Ralph Johnson B. David Whitworth Myron McKinley John Paris Philip Doron Bailey Morris O' Connor Serg Dimitrijevic

Past members	Maurice White (deceased) Michael Beal Leslie Drayton Wade Flemons (deceased) Yackov Ben Israel Jeff Bowen Sherry Scott Alexander Thomas Chester Washington Don Whitehead Roland Bautista (deceased) Jessica Cleaves (deceased) Larry Dunn Ronnie Laws Doug Carn Johnny Graham Al McKay Andrew Woolfolk Fred White Beloyd Taylor Sonny Emory Sheldon Reynolds Carl Carwell Vincent Canfield Dick Smith Vance Taylor Fred Ravel Morris Pleasure David Romero Mike McKnight Robert Brookins (deceased) Gordon Campbell Bobby Gonzales Daniel de los Reyes Kimberly Brewer John Johnson Krystal Bailey Kim Johnson Greg "G-Mo" Moore Vadim Zilberstein Stanley Clarke George Duke (deceased) Seán Cullen Don Myrick (deceased) Michael Harris Louis Satterfield (deceased)

Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) is an American band that has spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, Latin and African. They are one of the most successful bands of all time.^[1]^[2] Rolling Stone Magazine described them as "innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing" and declared that the band "changed the sound of black pop".^[3]

The band was founded in Chicago by Maurice White in 1970, having grown out of a previous band known as The Salty Peppers.^[4]^[5] Other members have included Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay and Andrew Woolfolk. The band has received 20 Grammy nominations; they won six as a group and two of its members, Maurice White and Bailey, won separate individual awards.^[2] Earth, Wind & Fire have 12 American Music Awards nominations and four awards.^[2] They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and have sold over 100 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[2]^[10] Five members of Earth, Wind & Fire were also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame: Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn and Al McKay.^[11] The music industry and fans have bestowed Lifetime Achievement honors from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award – 2002), NAACP (Hall of Fame – 1994) and the BET Awards (Lifetime Achievement Award – 2002).^[2]

Earth, Wind & Fire is known for the dynamic sound of their horn section, their energetic and elaborate stage shows, and the interplay between the contrasting vocals of Philip Bailey's falsetto and Maurice White's tenor.^[1] The kalimba (African thumb piano) is played on all of the band's albums.^[12] In the 1970s and early 1980s, the band had many hits, including "Shining Star", "That's the Way of the World", "Devotion", "Reasons", "Sing a Song", "Can't Hide Love", "Getaway", "Fantasy", "Love's Holiday", "September", "Boogie Wonderland", "After the Love Has Gone", and "Let's Groove". Two Earth, Wind & Fire classic songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame: "That's the Way of the World" (2004) and "Shining Star" (2007).^[2]

The band is also known as having been the first African-American act to sell out Madison Square Garden and to receive the MSG Gold Ticket Award.^[2] President Barack Obama invited Earth, Wind & Fire to perform at the White House for the first social event of the new administration.

History

Beginnings (1969–1970)

In 1969, Maurice White, a former session drummer for Chess Records and former member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, joined two friends in Chicago, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, as a songwriting team composing songs and commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol; they called themselves "The Salty Peppers" and had a marginal hit in the Midwestern area called "La La Time".^[13]

The Salty Peppers' second single, "Uh Huh Yeah", did not fare as well, and Maurice moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. He then added to the band singer Sherry Scott^[14] and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel, both from Chicago, and then asked his younger brother Verdine how he would feel about heading out to the West Coast. On June 6, 1970, Verdine left Chicago to join the band as their new bassist. Maurice began shopping demo tapes of the band, featuring Donny Hathaway, around to different record labels and the band was thus signed to Warner Bros. Records.^[13]^[15]

Formation and early years (1970–1973)

The cover of 1972 album Last Days and Time

Maurice's astrological sign, Sagittarius, has a primary elemental quality of Fire and seasonal qualities of Earth and Air, according to classical triplicities. (Sagittarius in the northern hemisphere occurs in the autumn, whose element is earth, and in the southern hemisphere, it is spring, whose element is air. Hence the omission of Water, the fourth classical element.) Based on this, he changed the band's name, to "Earth, Wind & Fire". Maurice held further auditions in L.A. adding Michael Beale on guitar, Chester Washington on reeds, and Leslie Drayton on trumpet; Drayton also served as the group's musical arranger. Trombonist Alex Thomas completed the then ten-man EWF lineup.^[1]^[16]

The band's self-titled debut album, Earth, Wind, & Fire, was released in February 1971 to critical acclaim, as was November 1971's The Need of Love. Both albums were produced by Joe Wissert and a single, from The Need of Love called "I Think About Lovin' You", with Sherry Scott on lead vocals, provided EWF with their first Top 40 R&B hit. In 1971, the group also recorded the soundtrack of the Melvin Van Peebles film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.^[1]

The soundtrack was recorded at Paramount Recording Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard and released on Stax Records. The band developed a growing popularity on college campuses but, in spite of this, some members of EWF started to become restless and the band broke up after having been together less than six months. With only Verdine left, Maurice decided to re-form the group.

In 1972, Maurice added vocalist Helena Davis (who was soon replaced by Jessica Cleaves, a former member of the R&B group The Friends of Distinction), Ronnie Laws on the flute and saxophone, rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, keyboardist Larry Dunn, percussionist Ralph Johnson, and vocalist and Denver native Philip Bailey to the group. Warner Brothers didn't know how to promote this new combo as the only other funk band on their label was Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.^[1]

The band successfully auditioned for managers Bob Cavallo and Joe Ruffalo. Cavallo's management of John Sebastian led to a series of gigs as the opening act for the pop/folk singer and The Lovin' Spoonful founder. A performance at New York's Rockefeller Center introduced EWF to Clive Davis, then the President of Columbia Records. Davis was very impressed with the band's performance and bought their contract from Warner Bros. Their debut album on CBS/Columbia Records, Last Days and Time, featured mostly original material, but Bailey had recommended that the band cover the Pete Seeger song "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", and the band also remade the Bread hit "Make It with You".^[15]^[16] The album also includes the original (Maurice-penned) composition "Power", an uptempo eight-minute instrumental. In stark contrast to the ballads, "Power" features extended fuzz guitar and soprano saxophone solos set against a driving funk beat.

Classic period (1973–1980)

The album Head to the Sky was released in the spring of 1973 and gave the group their first two legitimate hit singles, "Evil", co-written by Maurice and Philip, and "Keep Your Head to the Sky", both of which reached the top 30 and the top 60 on the R&B and pop charts, respectively. Prior to this album's release some personnel changes took place as Roland Bautista and Ronnie Laws left the band to pursue new musical opportunities.^[17]^[18]^[19] Philip Bailey had recommended his former Denver East High School classmate, saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk, to the band as replacement for Laws; Woolfolk had been busy in New York studying sax with sax maestro Joe Henderson and was about to start a career in banking when Bailey called. To fill the void created by Bautista's departure, guitarists Al McKay (who had performed with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band) and Johnny Graham from R&B group New Birth were added to round out the new lineup.^[20] Jessica Cleaves left the band following the release of the album;^[21]^[22] the album was also their last to be produced by Joe Wissert.^[23] As some of the band's songs required lower register vocals than Bailey's, and due to the success of "Evil", Maurice altered his role in the group to incorporate that of lead vocalist.

Recorded at Colorado's Caribou Ranch Studio and released in 1974, Open Our Eyes was a commercially successful LP, selling over a million copies in the US and thus was certified Platinum. At Maurice's request, Open Our Eyes was co-produced by Charles Stepney with White. Stepney had previously worked with The Dells, The Rotary Connection, Terry Callier, Minnie Riperton, and the Ramsey Lewis Trio, to name a few.^[8] Released in May 1974, the single "Mighty Mighty" became Earth, Wind & Fire's first top 30 hit on the pop charts, peaking at No. 29. Another single, "Devotion", was a song with a strong spiritual message. Following the completion of this album Maurice's younger brother, Fred White, joined the band.^[24] Fred had played in Chicago clubs as a drummer with Donny Hathaway and Little Feat.^[1]

On April 6, 1974, Earth, Wind & Fire performed at the California Jam, a West Coast rock festival that attracted an audience of 200,000.^[25] Also in 1974, the band collaborated with Ramsey Lewis on his album Sun Goddess, which reached number one on the Billboard Jazz and Black Album charts and was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

In 1975, Earth, Wind & Fire was approached by Sig Shore, producer of the motion picture Super Fly, to record the soundtrack to new film about the dark side of the recording industry called That's The Way Of The World. The film also starred EWF as a new recording act known as "The Group"; they performed songs in the film and Maurice had a small speaking part, as leader of "The Group". In the film Harvey Keitel's character hears "The Group" performing and produces their first album. The film's title is repeated throughout the film as a shrug of the shoulders to the music world.^[1]

When the band saw the film, they were convinced that the motion picture would be a bomb, which it eventually was.^[16] To avoid being connected with the movie they released the album's soundtrack, also entitled That's the Way of the World, before its premiere. Recorded at the Caribou Ranch Studio and co-produced by Maurice White and Charles Stepney That's the Way of the World became Earth, Wind & Fire's breakthrough album, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Pop Albums Charts, five nonconsecutive weeks atop the Soul Albums chart.^[26] That's the Way of the World was also warmly received critically. For instance, AllMusic's Alex Henderson described the album as "one of the strongest albums of the [1970s]" and "EWF's crowning achievement", and Billboard Magazine called it "a very tightly produced and performed package". The album made EWF the first black act to top both the Billboard album and singles charts and was certified triple platinum in the US by the RIAA.^[1]

Included on the album were the hit singles "Shining Star" – which rose to number one on the R&B Singles and Billboard Hot 100 and won the band a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals – and "That's the Way of the World", which went to number five and number 12 on the R&B Singles and Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Because of the album's tremendous commercial success, the band was able to hire a full horn section, which was dubbed the Phenix Horns. The Phenix Horns, who became an integral part of the band's sound, were composed of saxophonist Don Myrick, trombonist Louis Satterfield, and trumpeters Rahmlee Davis and Michael Harris. Myrick and Satterfield both worked with Maurice during his days as a session drummer at Chess Records.

Subsequent to EWF's first tour of Europe, where they opened for the rock band Santana, Columbia Records wanted another album released as soon as possible. As a result, EWF returned to the studio in June 1975 and from these recording sessions two singles – "Sing a Song" and "Can't Hide Love", the latter written by Clarence "Skip" Scarborough – were spawned.^[15] These and other studio recordings were included, along with mostly live concert material from their 1974 and 1975 tours, on the double album Gratitude, released in late 1975. Gratitude rose to and stayed at number one on the pop and R&B charts for three weeks and six weeks respectively; it was also the second bestselling R&B album of 1976 and is certified triple Platinum for sales of over 3,000,000 copies in the US by the RIAA.^[27]^[28]

The band was nominated for Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the title track, "Gratitude". "Can't Hide Love" was also Grammy-nominated for Best Arrangement For Voices. Earth, Wind & Fire also won a Rock Music Award in the category of Best Soul Album for Gratitude and Down Beat magazine's Readers Poll for favorite Rock/Blues Group in 1975.^[29]^[30]

Additionally, in 1975 Maurice established a production company called Kalimba Productions to which he signed artists such as his former bandleader Ramsey Lewis, singer Deniece Williams (a former member of Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove backup group) and girl group The Emotions, who had a run of hits with Stax Records from 1969 to 1974. Maurice loaned the band's signature Phenix Horns and most of the other band members and put on tour with Earth, Wind & Fire these artists and others who were signed to Kalimba Productions.

After helping co-produce and arrange Earth, Wind & Fire's new album, Deniece Williams's debut album, This Is Niecy, Ramsey Lewis's Salongo, and The Emotion's first Columbia Records album Flowers, Charles Stepney died of a heart attack on May 17, 1976 in Chicago at the age of 43.^[31] With Stepney's passing Maurice took over and completed the production of the band's new album, Spirit, which was released October 1976. EWF paid tribute to Stepney in the form of the album's title. The album reached number 2 on the Billboard Pop and R&B Albums Chart and was certified double Platinum in the US by the RIAA; additionally, Spirit spawned the hit singles "Getaway" and "Saturday Nite.^[1]^[32]^[33]^[34]^[35]

During this period EWF concerts started to become loaded with pyrotechnics, magic, laser lights, flying pyramids, levitating guitarists and elaborate production tricks that included the entire group ascending in a pyramid and a disappearing act. Magician Doug Henning directed many of their tours throughout the 1970s with his young assistant, David Copperfield. The band also began to be choreographed by George Faison.^[1]^[36]

In 1977, EWF released their album All 'n All. The album was a hit reaching triple platinum status and spawned the hit singles I'll Write a Song For You, Serpentine Fire, Love's Holiday and Fantasy. The album was inspired by Maurice White's month long trip through Argentina and Brazil. The album went on to win two Grammy awards and an American Music Award. All 'n All is one of Earth Wind & Fire's most popular albums. The album went to 3 on the Pop Charts and 1 on the Black Albums chart respectively.

In 1978, EWF picked up three Grammy Awards, the third for their rendition of The Beatles' "Got to Get You into My Life". EWF's performance of the song was included on the soundtrack for the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. The film was a commercial failure; however, "Got to Get You into My Life" was the biggest hit from the movie's soundtrack, reaching numbers one and nine on the R&B and Pop singles charts, respectively.

1978 was also the year that Maurice and EWF's managers Cavallo and Ruffalo worked out a deal for the launch of a new record label called The American Recording Company (ARC), to be distributed through CBS, and the creation of a recording studio, George Massenburg/ARC, also called "The Complex", in West Los Angeles. The year ended with the release of another hit single, entitled "September", which was added to the quintuple Platinum compilation album, The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1, released on November 23, 1978. At this time, Bobby Harris of the Dazz Band requested and got Philip Bailey to produce the group's first album, Kinsman Dazz. Bailey had major input into the group's vocal arrangements and would go on to co-produce the band's second album, Dazz.^[37]

January, 1979, saw the band performing "September" and "That's The Way Of The World" at the Music for UNICEF Concert, which was broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly by NBC. Other artists performing at the event were ABBA, the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Donna Summer and Rod Stewart. Subsequent to this performance the band donated the royalties from one of their songs to UNICEF and began a tour of Europe and Japan.^[38]

The group's ninth album overall, seventh for Columbia Records, and second released on the ARC label was I Am. It was another smash hit, going double Platinum and reaching numbers 3 and 1 on the R&B and Pop charts, respectively. Singles spawned from this album included "In The Stone", "Can't Let Go", and the sad David Foster/Bill Champlin-written ballad "After the Love Has Gone", which rose to the number 2 spot on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts and won a Grammy for the Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1980. Though the band had previously overlooked disco, the summer of 1979 saw EWF topping the dance music charts with their most disco-inspired single, "Boogie Wonderland," which was produced by Maurice and Al McKay and featured The Emotions. Even with the song's success, Verdine White claims that the band is not a disco band, saying: "I guess you could say we were at the party but didn’t get on the dance floor."^[39]^[40]

In October 1980, the double-album Faces was released and rose to number 2 and number 10 and the R&B and Pop charts, respectively; it earned Gold status in the US. In a 2007 interview, when asked which EWF album was his favorite, Maurice White replied: "Probably Faces because we were really in tune, playing together and it gave us the opportunity to explore new areas."^[41] After the release of this album, longtime rhythm guitarist Al McKay left the band for personal and professional reasons. He was replaced by returning rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, who gave the band a bit of a hard rock sound with his style of playing.

Electronic period (1981–1990)

White decided that, given the changing musical landscape, the band needed to incorporate into their work more of the digital sound which was popular at the time. As a result, EWF's eleventh album, Raise!, was influenced by this new electronic sound and released in the fall of 1981. It sold more than a million copies in the US. Raise! featured the hit single "Let's Groove," which also went Platinum, and another single "Wanna Be With You," which won EWF a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group. Earth, Wind & Fire appeared at American Bandstand's 30th Anniversary Special, where they performed "Let's Groove" on October 30, 1981.^[42]

Earth, Wind, and Fire's Maurice White and Philip Bailey performing in 1982 at the Ahoy Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Two years after the release of Raise! came Powerlight, which included the singles "Fall In Love With Me," a number 17 pop hit, and "Side By Side". "Powerlight" went Gold. Also in 1983, the band contributed the song "Dance, Dance, Dance" to the soundtrack of the animated film Rock & Rule. After the fully synthesized album Electric Universe was released in late 1983 to a poor critical and commercial reception, Maurice believed the band needed a break so he put EWF on hiatus in early 1984.

During their hiatus, Philip Bailey released his second and most commercially successful solo project, the gold album Chinese Wall, featuring the Phenix Horns and produced by Phil Collins. The first single from that album, a duet with Collins called "Easy Lover," sold over a million copies, rose to number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the UK Singles Chart respectively, and was Grammy-nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group. The song's video went to the top of MTV's video playlist and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in 1985. Bailey released four gospel albums in this period, and one of them, titled Triumph, won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male.

Maurice White, during this time, produced for Barbra Streisand on her Platinum album Emotion and worked with Neil Diamond on his Gold album Headed for the Future and Cher on her 1987 Platinum album Cher. He also released the self-titled solo album Maurice White in 1985, which included a cover of "Stand by Me" that went to number six on the R&B charts and number eleven on the Adult Contemporary charts. The album also featured an appearance by saxophonist Gerald Albright. Also, during the hiatus, Verdine White wrote and directed videos. He produced Standing in the Light, by the English pop rock and jazz-funk band Level 42, with Larry Dunn, and promoted go-go bands like Trouble Funk and E.U.^[1]

The compilation album The Collection was released May 1986, stayed at number 5 on the UK singles charts for two weeks, and was certified Gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry.

Phil Collins saw EWF on one of their European tours and became a fan of the band. He came in contact with the Phenix Horns and they eventually worked with his band Genesis on songs including "No Reply At All" and "Paperlate," and on such Collins solo hits as "I Missed Again" and "Sussudio".

In 1987, CBS Records convinced both Philip Bailey and Maurice White that a reunion of Earth, Wind & Fire would be fruitful. As a result, original members Verdine White, Ralph Johnson and Andrew Woolfolk returned to the band with new members guitarist/vocalist Sheldon Reynolds, lead guitarist Dick Smith, and drummer Sonny Emory. A new horn section dubbed the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns was also created, made up of Gary Bias on the saxophone, Raymond Lee Brown on the trumpet, and Reggie Young on the flugelhorn and trombone.

The band's reformation fostered the 1987 Gold album Touch the World, which was nominated for a Soul Train Award in the category of Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year and rose to number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 33 on The Billboard 200.^[43] Featured on the album was a song penned by an unknown songwriter by the name of Skylark, titled "System of Survival". Released as a single, the song became a hit, going to number one on the Billboard R&B charts and Dance charts. Another single titled "Thinking Of You" peaked at number one and number three on the R&B and Dance charts as well. In 1988, the band released the compilation album The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2, which went Gold in the US. The group's final album released by Columbia Records was 1990's Heritage, which featured a collaboration with Sly Stone of Sly & the Family Stone. In 1992, the band released a 55-track anthology of their career up to that point entitled The Eternal Dance.

Neo-classic period (1993–present)

EWF signed once again with Warner Bros. and following this came the release in 1993 of their 16th studio album, Millennium. The album featured the single "Sunday Morning," which earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, the Billboard top-40-charting single "Spend The Night," and a track written by Prince called "Super Hero." Tragedy befell the band in 1993; on July 30, former Phenix Horns saxophonist Don Myrick was fatally shot by the Los Angeles Police Department in a case of mistaken identity.^[44] Then on October 13, former lead vocalist Wade Flemons died from cancer in Battle Creek, Michigan.^[45] In 1994, Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the NAACP Hall Of Fame.

Earth, Wind & Fire star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Earth, Wind & Fire tribute, Munich Olympic Walk of Stars on 9 April 2011

The band received another tribute in the following year in the form of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[46] All the original members of the group attended the inauguration ceremony, and in his speech Maurice White attributed EWF's success to the support of all of their fans. In 1994, White retired from touring with the band. At the time, he explained that he wanted to take a rest from the rigors of the road. Philip Bailey was given the role of onstage leader of the band.

The studio album In the Name of Love was released on Pyramid Records in 1997 to a favorable critical reception. EWF performed at the 1997 Montreux Jazz Festival and gave an encore performance the following year. In 2004, a DVD of their 1997 performance was released, entitled Earth, Wind & Fire: Live At Montreux 1997. In 1999, the group performed on the A&E Network show Live by Request,^[47] and in that same year Maurice revealed that the real reason for his ending his touring days in 1995 was because he had contracted Parkinson's disease in the late 1980s, which made it increasingly difficult for him over the years to handle the rigors of touring. A website entitled www.Startalk.org was set up in 1999 to offer Maurice support with his health struggles and on it were published messages of encouragement from celebrities such as Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine.^[48] Maurice, however, had the disease under control, so much so that he occasionally made appearances at Earth, Wind & Fire performances, and continued to write, record, produce and develop new recordings for Earth, Wind & Fire and other artists.

On March 6, 2000, Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to a standing ovation during the 15th annual induction dinner held at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. All of the band's original members from the 1973—80 "classic period", namely Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, Al McKay, Larry Dunn, Andrew Woofolk, Fred White and Johnny Graham, attended the ceremony, at which the nine of them played together for the first time in 20 years, performing "Shining Star" and "That's The Way Of the World". After their induction into the Hall of Fame an effort was made by the original band members to fully reunite, but it ultimately proved unfruitful.^[49]^[50]

Earth, Wind & Fire were the specially invited music guests at the June 20, 2000 White House state dinner hosted by President Bill Clinton on the South Lawn of the White House, in honor of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, and Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem.^[46]^[51] So impressed was the King by the band's performance that he made a successful personal request for EWF to perform in Morocco for his 37th birthday celebration, on August 21, 2000.^[52]

In 2001, a biographical documentary of the band entitled Shining Stars: The Official Story Of Earth, Wind & Fire was released, directed by Kathryn Arnold. Following the September 11 attacks of that year, the band members donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross at a September 13 show at Virginia's Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, the band's first concert since those events took place.^[53] February 24, 2002 saw Earth, Wind & Fire performing at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah.^[54]

A live album from the band's 1980 performance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, entitled Live In Rio, was released on Maurice White's Kalimba Records label in 2002, and that same year EWF was honored with the Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The award was presented to EWF by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman, Stevie Wonder, and Jimmy Jam.^[55] In addition, the band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Hollywood's RockWalk in 2003.^[56]

In 2003, Kalimba Records released The Promise – the band's first studio album in six years.^[57]^[58] The Promise rose to number 19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and received critical acclaim upon its release, with People Magazine and Blender Magazine describing the album as "musically rich" and "a classy collection", respectively. The track "Hold Me" produced and written by Tim & Bob, was Grammy-nominated for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The album spawned a kalimba-laden track reminiscent of the classic EW&F sound, titled "All in the Way", which reunited EWF with The Emotions. Featured on the album were two previously unreleased songs from the "I Am" recording sessions: "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Dirty".

On February 8, 2004, Earth, Wind & Fire performed in a tribute to funk at the 46th annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, California. Other artists performing at this tribute were Parliament Funkadelic, OutKast, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. EWF sang "Shining Star" and then at Outkast's request crooned "The Way You Move" with them. Robert Randolph and the Family Band performed their single "I Need More Love" and then all of the bands teamed to sing Parliament Funkadelic's classic "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)".^[36]^[59] Earth, Wind & Fire contributed to the Jimi Hendrix tribute album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix, released in May 4, 2004, with their cover of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)".

In the summer of 2004 Earth, Wind & Fire signed a record deal with Sanctuary Urban Records, owned by Mathew Knowles (father and manager of r&b/pop singer Beyoncé). Gary Bias and Bob Burns, Jr., of the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns were featured on Queen Latifah's The Dana Owens Album, which was released on September 28, 2004, and reached 16 and 11 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts, respectively, and was certified Gold. On September 27, 2004, former Phoenix Horns trombonist Louis Satterfield died, aged 67.^[60]

Kenny G's cover of "The Way You Move", which was released in November 2004 and charted at number 12 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart, featured the band with Maurice and Philip on lead vocals. EWF and Kenny G performed "The Way You Move" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in January 2005.^[61]

On December 11, 2004, Earth, Wind & Fire were honored at the first annual Grammy Jam held at Los Angeles's Wiltern Theater, where several artists such as Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, Sheila E., Miri Ben-Ari, George Duke, Kanye West, and Randy Jackson paid tribute to the band in the form of performances. Other celebrities who attended the event were Pamela Anderson, Tim Allen, Prince, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Nick Cannon, and Suzanne de Passe.^[62] EWF performed on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on December 31, 2004.^[63]

EWF released a single entitled "Show Me The Way", on which they paired with neo soul artist Raphael Saadiq on Sanctuary Records in the fall of 2005. The single garnered a Grammy nomination and was featured on Illumination, their 19th studio album, which was released on September 20, 2005. For this album EWF collaborated with artists such as will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Outkast's Big Boi, and Brian McKnight. Illumination reached number eight on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart and number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single spawned from the album, dubbed "Pure Gold", reached number 23 on the Adult Contemporary Charts.

The album garnered the admiration of critics, with AllMusic's Rob Theakston referring to the album as an "outstanding record" and Steve Jones of USA Today' remarking that on the album EWF are as "vibrant as ever".^[64]^[65] Illumination received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album and a Soul Train Music Award in the category R&B-soul album. EWF also received a NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Duo or Group.^[66]

The February 6, 2005, Super Bowl XXXIX pregame show in Jacksonville, Florida saw the band teaming with The Black Eyed Peas to sing "Where Is the Love?" and "Shining Star".^[67]^[68] In March 2005, EWF performed in Russia for the first time.^[46]

In 2004, Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago embarked upon a joint national tour, which gave rise to a DVD of a concert that took place at Los Angeles' Greek Theater entitled Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire – Live at the Greek Theatre. This DVD was released on June 28, 2005, and was certified Platinum two months afterward. Chicago and EWF once again toured together in 2005 and collaborated for a new recording of Chicago's ballad "If You Leave Me Now," that was included on Chicago's 2005 compilation album Love Songs. As part of an opening act for the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards held on September 18, 2005, at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, the band once more collaborated with The Black Eyed Peas. This was first time a musical artist had opened at the annual awards show.^[46]

In 2005, EWF released their first Christmas-themed track entitled "Gather Round," produced and arranged by David Foster and written by Maurice White, Foster, and Philip Bailey.^[69] In 2006, Maurice worked with Maurice Hines (the brother of famed entertainer Gregory Hines) to release the Broadway play Hot Feet, which was a jukebox musical whose theme was the music of Earth, Wind & Fire. Maurice co-wrote with Allee Willis – who wrote "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "In the Stone," and "Sunday Morning" for the band – several new songs for the play. EWF performed alongside Mary J. Blige and Ludacris "Runaway Love" at the 49th Grammy Awards held at Los Angeles's Staples Center.^[70]

Earth, Wind & Fire performing at the opening ceremony of the 2008 U.S. Open August 25, 2008

Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire, an album featuring cover versions of EWF's material, was released on Stax Records on March 27, 2007. Executively produced by Maurice, the album featured artists such as Chaka Khan, Kirk Franklin, Lalah Hathaway, Mint Condition, Dwele, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Angie Stone. Dwele and Meshell Ndegeocello's renditions of "That’s The Way Of The World" and "Fantasy", respectively, were each nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

The band was the opening act at a special edition of American Idol entitled "Idol Gives Back" (which aired April 25, 2007) and performed a medley of "Boogie Wonderland", "Shining Star" and "September".^[71] At the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2007, Earth, Wind & Fire performed "Fantasy" and "September". Hosted by Kevin Spacey and Uma Thurman, the Nobel Peace Prize Concert was broadcast to over 100 countries. Other artists who performed included Melissa Etheridge, Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, and Kylie Minogue.^[72]

Earth, Wind & Fire performed on the opening night of one of the largest musical events in Latin America, Chile's Viña del Mar Festival. The band so impressed the audience with their performance that the band was bestowed with the Gaviota de Plata (English translation: the Silver Seagull), the highest award that can presented to an artist performing at the Viña del Mar Festival. The intro to EWF's song "In the Stone" has been used for several years as the introductory theme for the event's broadcasts.^[73]^[74]^[75]^[76]

Maurice White, Ralph Johnson, Philip Bailey, and Verdine White each received an honorary degree from the Arts and Media College at Columbia College Chicago during the college's 2008 commencement exercises. Verdine White and Bailey both gave brief speeches during the ceremony, followed by all four honorees' giving an impromptu performance of "Shining Star".,^[77]^[78] EWF performed at the opening ceremony of the 2008 US Open, which was hosted by Forest Whitaker and served to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of tennis’s Open Era with a parade of more than 25 former US Open singles champions.^[79]

Earth, Wind & Fire performed at the White House on February 22, 2009, for the Governors' Dinner; they were the first musical artists to perform there since Barack Obama took office.^[80] The band toured once more with Chicago in 2009 for a tour of thirty US cities.^{[needs update]}^[81] On April 26, 2009, EWF performed at the 39th New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.^[82] Less than two weeks prior to this, former keyboard player Robert Brookins died from a heart attack; aged 46.^[83]

In 2010, EWF performed at the 40th New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In that same year, bandmembers Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson participated in the recording of the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" single.^[84] 2010 was also the year that saw Earth, Wind & Fire's original members Maurice White, Phillip Bailey, Verdine White, Al McKay and Larry Dunn all inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2011, the band was given the Legend Award at the Soul Train Awards at Atlanta, Georgia's Fox Theatre.^[85] In 2012, EWF were bestowed with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Annual Trumpet Awards, held at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.^[86]

On February 29, 2012, early guitarist Roland Bautista died, aged 60, of natural causes.^[83]

On April 30, 2013, Earth Wind & Fire were featured vocalists on 'Something About You' taken from LL Cool J's new album "Authentic (LL Cool J album)", along with former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton and Charlie Wilson.

Now, Then & Forever, the group's first album in eight years, was released September 10, 2013.^[87] On January 13, 2014, former percussionist Beloyd Taylor, who co-wrote the band's 1976 hit "Getaway", died;^[88] and on May 2 former vocalist Jessica Cleaves died, aged 65, following complications from a stroke.^[89]

On September 13, 2014, Earth, Wind & Fire performed at Proms in the Park at Hyde Park with the BBC Concert Orchestra ^[90] On October 21, 2014, Earth, Wind & Fire released their first ever holiday album entitled Holiday.^[91] On December 8, 2014, Earth, Wind & Fire performed at the Kennedy Center Honors, honoring Al Green.^[92] On December 14, 2014, Earth, Wind & Fire performed at the Christmas in Washington event.^[93]

Maurice White died on February 4, 2016, after a suffering for some years with Parkinson's disease. He was survived by his wife, his two sons, daughter and his brothers Verdine and Fred.^[94]

Influence

Earth, Wind & Fire's songs have been covered by artists such as Nokaut, Point of Grace, D'Angelo, CDB, Dionne Warwick, The 5th Dimension, Pomplamoose^[95] Lenny White,^[95] Patti LaBelle,^[96] The Manhattans, Wynonna Judd, Yolanda Adams, New York Voices, Donny Osmond, Chaka Khan, 112,^[96] the Vienna Boys' Choir,^[95] Herb Alpert,^[97] Musiq Soulchild^[98] and Tito Puente.^[96]

Earth, Wind & Fire's songs have been sampled by numerous artists, including UGK, A Tribe Called Quest, Wyclef Jean, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Nas^[99] Jay Z,^[100] Amerie, The Fugees, LL Cool J, De La Soul, Common, Frank Zappa, Naughty by Nature, P Diddy, The Roots, Will Smith,^[101] Cee-Lo Green,^[102] Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes^[103] of TLC, Public Enemy, EPMD, Lupe Fiasco, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Tupac Shakur, Brand Nubian^[104] and MC Lyte.^[95]^[96]^[99]^[100]

Earth, Wind & Fire have influenced artists such as Beyoncé,^[105] Usher,^[106] will.i.am,^[107] Janelle Monáe,^[108] Mary J. Blige,^[109] Prince,^[110] Pharrell Williams,^[111] India.Arie,^[112] The Neptunes,^[113] Jon Secada,^[114] Wyclef Jean,^[115] Common,^[116] Phil Collins,^[117] Boney James,^[118] Angie Stone,^[119] Raphael Saadiq,^[120] The All-American Rejects,^[121] Jesse McCartney,^[122] Musiq Soulchild,^[123] Solange Knowles,^[124] Babyface,^[125] OutKast,^[126] Jamiroquai,^[127] Five for Fighting,^[128] Lenny Kravitz,^[129] Marc Broussard,^[130] Omarion,^[131] Rob Bourdon of Linkin Park,^[132] Eric Benét,^[133] Jill Scott,^[134] Justin Timberlake,^[135] Sheila E.,^[136] Marcus Miller,^[137] Erykah Badu,^[138] Jamie Foxx,^[139] Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy,^[140] Meshell Ndegeocello,^[141] Wynton Marsalis,^[142] DNCE,^[143] Meghan Trainor^[144] and Mario.^[145]

Miles Davis described EWF as his "all time favorite band" saying, "they have everything (horns, electric guitar, singers and more) in one band".^[146] Quincy Jones has proclaimed himself to be the "biggest fan of Earth, Wind & Fire since day one."^[147] Dionne Warwick has named Earth, Wind & Fire as her favorite group of all time.^[148] David Foster has mentioned Earth, Wind & Fire as his favorite band of all time on the show Hit Man Returns: David Foster and friends (2011). In this concert he showed his respect to Maurice White publicly.

In the movie BAADASSSSS!, the actor Khalil Kain portrayed a young Maurice White leading the early incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire.^[149]^[150] Released at the Sundance Film Festival, the film was based on Melvin Van Peebles' struggle to film and distribute the movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and was directed by his son Mario Van Peebles.

Earth, Wind & Fire's songs have also been featured in many movies all over the world. These movies include Anchorman, Last Vegas, The Intouchables, Night at the Museum, and Caddyshack.

Earth, Wind & Fire's songs have also been featured in many television shows. These shows include The Mentalist, True Blood, The Office, Glee, Daredevil, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Members

Current members

Philip Bailey – vocals, conga, percussion, kalimba (1972–1984; 1987–present)
Verdine White – bass, percussion, vocals (1970–1984; 1987–present)
Ralph Johnson – drums, percussion, vocals (1972–1984; 1987–present)
B. David Whitworth – percussion, vocals (1996–present)
Myron McKinley – keyboards, musical director (2001–present)
John Paris – drums, vocals (2001–present)
Philip Bailey, Jr. – vocals, percussion (2008–present)
Morris O'Connor – lead guitar, vocals (2008–present)
Serg Dimitrijevic – rhythm guitar, vocals (2012–present)

Awards and nominations

Discography

Studio albums

Earth, Wind & Fire (1971)
The Need of Love (1971)
Last Days and Time (1972)
Head to the Sky (1973)
Open Our Eyes (1974)
That's the Way of the World (1975)
Spirit (1976)
All 'n All (1977)
I Am (1979)
Faces (1980)
Raise! (1981)
Powerlight (1983)
Electric Universe (1983)
Touch the World (1987)
Heritage (1990)
Millennium (1993)
In the Name of Love (1997)
The Promise (2003)
Illumination (2005)
Now, Then & Forever (2013)
Holiday (2014)

Top 10 albums

The following albums reached the Top Ten on either the United States Billboard 200 pop albums chart or the United Kingdom UK Albums Chart.^[151]^[152]

1975: That's the Way of the World (US #1)
1975: Gratitude (US #1)
1976: Spirit (US #2)
1977: All 'N All (US #3)
1979: I Am (US #3; UK #5)
1980: Faces (US #10; UK #10)
1981: Raise! (US #5)

Top 10 singles

The following singles reached the Top Ten on either the United States Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart or the United Kingdom UK Singles Chart.^[151]^[153]

1975: "Shining Star" (US #1)
1975: "Sing a Song" (US #5)
1978: "Got to Get You into My Life" (US #9)
1978: "September" (US #8; UK #3)
1979: "Boogie Wonderland" (featuring The Emotions) (US #6; UK #4)
1979: "After the Love Has Gone" (US #2; UK #4)
1981: "Let's Groove" (US #3; UK #3)

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Earth, Wind & Fire.

Official website
Earth, Wind & Fire at AllMusic
Earth, Wind & Fire discography at Discogs