|
In The Beginning…
In the early 70’s a new sound was born,
transforming music into a spiritual legacy that
transcended the traditionalism of urban music.
This fresh new sound was introduced at a time
when African-Americans were rebuilding their social
image and fighting to redefine their place as
a people in American society. At the core of it
all, the African-American musical experience had
widened and a dream began to unfold: The world
had been blessed with the sounds of Earth, Wind
& Fire.
Born of the Earth, are nature’s children
Fed by the Wind
The breath of life
Judged by the Fiery hand of God
– "Earth, Wind & Fire" (1976)
Over the years, the music of Earth, Wind &
Fire has touched the lives of many. The group’s
spiritual and social consciousness led to a personal
journey to uplift their audience through music
and lyrics, blending African-American music –
jazz, blues, gospel, funk and soul – with
pop. Formed in the early 70’s by writer/producer/singer
Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire used a blend
of various sounds to establish music that would
be remembered forever. Under the insightful vision
of the Memphis-born, Chicago-reared White, it
was clear that Earth, Wind & Fire’s distinct
global sound stemmed from a mixture of White’s
down-home Memphis roots and his experience as
a drummer on the local Chicago jazz scene.
The Hits of
Earth, Wind & Fire
SHINING STAR 1975
THAT'S THE WAY
OF THE WORLD 1975
SING A SONG 1976
GETAWAY 1976
SERPENTINE FIRE 1978
SEPTEMBER 1979
AFTER THE LOVE
IS GONE 1979
BOOGIE
WONDERLAND* 1979
LET'S GROOVE 1981
FALL IN LOVE
WITH ME 1983
*with the Emotions
List compiled from Billboard |
It was White’s exposure to the many forms
of music that helped shape the structure and character
of Earth, Wind & Fire. As a teenager, he played
with a local Memphis R&B group in colleges
and clubs throughout the area, but it was when
he graduated and moved to Chicago that some major
opportunities began to arise. Without question,
White embraced those opportunities and found himself
doing session work as a drummer for R&B icons
such as Betty Everett, Etta James, Billy Stewart,
Fontella Bass, Little Milton, Buddy Guy and the
Impressions, among others.
White later joined the widely popular Ramsey
Lewis trio and toured as a drummer for three years.
Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis became a role model
for the young White and the experience with Lewis
added to the foundation of the early sound of
Earth, Wind & Fire.
White’s thirst and passion for music had
continued for years after his experience with
Ramsey Lewis and his drive had eventually become
stronger. In 1971, Earth, Wind & Fire recorded
their first album, Earth, Wind & Fire,
on the Warner Bros. label. That album was later
followed by another release, The Need of Love,
before the band left WB to sign with Columbia
Records.
It was then that the band became the classic
Earth, Wind & Fire that we’ve learned
to appreciate and accept as one of music’s
greatest pleasures. With all the elements in place
– White, bassist Verdine White, vocal phenomenon
Philip Bailey, percussionist/vocalist Ralph Johnson,
keyboardist Larry Dunn, saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk
and guitarists Al McKay and Johnny Graham –
the lineup was complete. (Woolfolk, McKay and
Graham joined the band in 1972-73, replacing guitarist
Roland Bautista, saxophonist Ronnie Laws and vocalist
Jessica Cleaves).
The Journey…
The early days of Earth, Wind & Fire stimulated
the human mind and promoted social change. Although
the band was fairly new, White’s vision to
be the paramount of this new wave of music was
never blurred. The positive messages they delivered
were received well by the masses because of the
emotion and sincerity behind their thought-provoking,
inspirational lyrics.
As Earth, Wind & Fire was learning to conceptualize
just the right formula to take the world by storm,
their audience took the journey alongside them.
By the release of their third album, Last Days
and Time, in 1972, the group had combined
the musical standards set by early pioneers such
as Sly and the Family Stone, The Temptations and
James Brown to convey their universal message.
Although the album had minor success, Earth,
Wind & Fire continued their ambitious plight
to bring new music and new ideas to its listeners.
At the time, the struggle for social and political
freedom rang across the nation through every art
form imaginable and the need for change in the
African-American community was evident. Music
began to evolve, people began to elevate their
consciousness, and Earth, Wind & Fire was
providing a soundtrack to the progression. They
released their first gold album, Head to the
Sky, in 1973.
…Gave me the will to be free
purpose to live is reality
Found myself never alone
changes come to make me strong…
– "Keep Your Head to the Sky"
(1973)
The release of Head to the Sky and Open
Our Eyes (1974) put Earth, Wind & Fire
on a path to commercial success. "They played
at my high school prom (Locke High School, Los
Angeles), then ‘Mighty Mighty’ came
out and BAM! They just took off," says R&B
sensation Patrice Rushen. "Mighty Mighty"
became one of the groups first top ten R&B
hits, along with the single "Kalimba Story."
The album was saturated with one of the group’s
signature sounds, the kalimba, a handheld African
thumb piano played by White who found the instrument
in a Chicago drum store and taught himself how
to play. The sound represented White’s connection
to the Motherland and the use of the instrument
helped spread racial unity and pride through Earth,
Wind & Fire’s music and put the group
in a class of its own.
Eyes also featured the title track "Open
Our Eyes," which wasn’t as commercially
successful as "Mighty Mighty" and "Kalimba
Story," but was clearly inspired by White’s
Memphis influence and it was truly symbolic of
Earth, Wind & Fire’s inspirational journey.
Father, open our eyes, that we
may see, to follow thee. Oh lord
grant us, thy lovin' peace, and let
all dissension cease. Let our faith,
each day increase,
and Master – Lord please –
Open our eyes, open our eyes
– "Open Our Eyes" (1974)
The real breakthrough for Earth, Wind & Fire
came in 1975 when the band released the double-platinum
soundtrack to the film That’s The Way
of the World. The album is definitely one
of Earth, Wind & Fire’s strongest releases
and one of their most memorable works to date,
reaching multi-platinum status and giving them
the edge needed to expand and share their music
worldwide.
The success of the album was incredible for obvious
"Reasons." Way of the World included
the Grammy Award-winning single "Shining
Star," the psychedelic funk groove that reached
#1 on Billboard’s R&B and Pop charts,
and the fire-filled, out-of-this-world ballad
"Reasons," sung by falsetto crooner
Phillip Bailey. It also included the title track,
"That’s The Way of the World,"
which has become the band’s national anthem
and remains a staple of their live performance
repertory to date.
Without a doubt, Way of the World marked
a milestone in the group’s career. This was
the first time Earth, Wind & Fire could afford
a full horn section and with this opportunity
came an entirely new direction. The Phenix Horns
were brought to the forefront and instantly became
an essential part of the Earth, Wind & Fire
legacy.
The album set the tone for the next five years,
sending the band on a multi-platinum streak throughout
the remainder of the 1970’s. With the releases
of Gratitude (1975), Spirit (1976),
Grammy Award-winning All ‘N All (1977),
multi-platinum The Best of Earth, Wind
& Fire, Volume 1 (1978) and I Am
(1979), Earth, Wind & Fire became one of the
most successful and inspirational acts of all
time.
Those albums included chart-topping hits such
as "Sing A Song," "Getaway,"
"Saturday Night," "Serpentine Fire,"
and "Got to Get You Into My Life," "September,"
"Fantasy," "Head To The Sky,"
"Can’t Hide Love," "I’ll
Write A Song For You," and Grammy Award-winners
"Boogie Wonderland" and "After
The Love Is Gone."
Earth, Wind & Fire’s music exuded an
enormous amount of positive energy and so did
their live performances. Often during Earth, Wind
& Fire’s exuberant performances, they
illustrated black pride and dignity, which was
consistent with the theme of their music. Promoting
unity and human awareness, the group sometimes
appeared in African garb or dashikis to create
a visual connection to the funk-driven, lyrically
inspirational tunes that they were universally
known for. Earth, Wind & Fire were undoubtedly
one of the first supergroups to embrace their
African heritage through music and presentation
without reluctance.
Although this universal theme was obvious in
Earth, Wind & Fire’s live performances,
the fundamental theme of goodness towards all
people and love for everyone, regardless of race
and culture, attracted loads and loads of integrated
enthusiasts from all walks of life.
In addition, one could never anticipate what
antics Earth, Wind & Fire might deliver in
front of a large audience, most times selling
out major arenas without any opening acts. They
frequently left their audience mesmerized because
the show was simply fascinating. They hired magicians
Doug Henning and his then unknown assistant David
Copperfield to design their stage shows, which
explains how band members disappeared and levitated
and how drum sets flipped upside down and rotated
wildly.
 To
the Future…
Earth, Wind & Fire released a number of albums
after their multi-platinum streak and continued
to widen their fan base across the globe. The
group continued to evolve as universal icons after
releasing #1 hits such as "Let’s Groove"
from the 1981 platinum release Raise and
"System of Survival" from the gold-certified
Touch The World album, which followed a
four-year hiatus and proved that Earth, Wind &
Fire was still capable of delivering the funk
with positive messages being the overall drift.
Throughout the latter 1980’s to the present,
Earth, Wind & Fire released several albums,
including compilations, greatest hits collections
and live albums.
Earth, Wind & Fire clearly are true masters
of the art form and they continue to receive accolades
across the world. Whether you remember the smooth
sounds of an Earth, Wind & Fire ballad like
"Reasons" or the earthy African-rooted
sound of "Kalimba Story;" or a live
performance when band members soared in mid-air
or simply disappeared; or the images of ancient
pyramids on their album covers, it remains that
Earth, Wind & Fire are just as familiar to
us as the elements themselves.
Earth, Wind & Fire truly deserve all of the
recognition and honor and "Gratitude"
as the ASCAP Heritage Award recipients and we
are proud to salute such great pioneers of music
artistry.
Wanna thank you, Wanna thank you
Freedom in stride, love, peace of mind
We just wanna give Gratitude…
– "Gratitude" (1975)
– Damien M. West
|
