Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro-pop.[4][5] They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.[6][7][8]
Not to be confused with Earth and Fire, a Dutch rock and pop group.
Earth, Wind & Fire
- EW&F
- EWF
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1969–present
(hiatus mid-1984 to mid-1987)
- Verdine White
- Philip Bailey
- Ralph Johnson
- B. David Whitworth
- Philip Bailey Jr.
- Myron McKinley
- John Paris
- Morris O'Connor
- Serg Dimitrijevic
- Earth, Wind & Fire Horns
- Maurice White
- Wade Flemons
- Jessica Cleaves
- Ronnie Laws
- Roland Bautista
- Larry Dunn
- Andrew Woolfolk
- Al McKay
- Fred White
- Sheldon Reynolds
- Phenix Horns
- Doug Carn
- Sonny Emory
- Dick Smith
- Vance Taylor
- Fred Ravel
- David Lautrec
- Greg Moore
- Morris Pleasure
- Robert Brookins
- Daniel de los Reyes
- Kimberly Brewer
- Kim Johnson
- Krystal Bailey
- Johnny Graham
The band was formed in Chicago by Maurice White in 1969, growing out of the Salty Peppers; its history includes a hiatus from mid-1984 to mid-1987.[6][9] Prominent members have included Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Roland Bautista, Robert Brookins, Sonny Emory, Fred Ravel, Ronnie Laws, Sheldon Reynolds and Andrew Woolfolk.[10] The band is known for its kalimba sound, dynamic horn section, energetic and elaborate stage shows, and the contrast between Bailey's falsetto and Maurice's baritone.[11][12]
The band has won six Grammys out of 17 nominations[13] and four American Music Awards out of 12 nominations.[4] They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, and Hollywood's Rockwalk, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band has received an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award, a Soul Train Legend Award,[4][14] a NARAS Signature Governor's Award,[4] a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,[4][13] the 2012 Congressional Horizon Award,[15] and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019.[16] Rolling Stone has called them "innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing" and declared that the band "changed the sound of black pop".[17] VH1 has described EWF as "one of the greatest bands".[11]
History[edit]
1969–1970: Beginnings[edit]
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. They wrote songs and commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol Records. Calling themselves "The Salty Peppers", they had a marginal hit single in the Midwest titled "La La Time".[12][18]
The Salty Peppers' second single, "Uh Huh Yeah", did not fare as well. Maurice moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. He added singer Sherry Scott[19] and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel, both from Chicago, to the band. He asked his younger brother Verdine to join and on June 6, 1970, Verdine moved from Chicago to LA to become the band's bassist. Maurice began shopping demo tapes featuring Donny Hathaway to various record labels and the band eventually signed to Warner Bros. Records.[12]
1970–1974: Formation and early years[edit]
Maurice White'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". White held further auditions in L.A, adding Michael Beal on guitar, Chester Washington on reeds, and Leslie Drayton on trumpet. White was a percussionist and lead vocalist. Drayton served as the group's arranger. Trombonist Alex Thomas completed the then ten-man lineup. Warner Bros. designated Joe Wissert to be the band's producer.[6][12][20]
Legacy[edit]
Influence[edit]
EWF has influenced artists such as Alicia Keys,[406] Usher,[407] will.i.am,[408] Janelle Monáe,[409] Mary J. Blige,[410] Prince,[411] Kelly Rowland,[412] India Arie,[264] Jon Secada,[413] and Wyclef Jean.[264] They have also been influential to musical acts like Angie Stone,[414] Patrice Rushen,[415] Pharrel Williams,[416] The All-American Rejects,[417] Nelly[418] Teena Marie,[419] Musiq Soulchild,[264] Solange Knowles,[420] Babyface,[421] Taylor Dayne,[422] Will Gregory of Goldfrapp,[423] Outkast,[424] and Gloria Estefan.[425]
Other artists such as Jamiroquai,[426] Melissa Etheridge,[427] Pitbull,[428] Lenny Kravitz,[429] Vanessa Williams,[430] Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers,[431] Justice[432] Omarion,[433] Rob Bourdon of Linkin Park,[434] Jill Scott,[264] and Justin Timberlake have also proclaimed being influenced by EWF.[435] The band has also influenced musical acts such as Bonnie Raitt,[436] Mark Ronson,[437] Erykah Badu,[438] Jamie Foxx,[439] Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy,[440] Lalah Hathaway,[441] Amy Winehouse,[442] and Meghan Trainor.[443]
Acclaim via contemporaries[edit]
Miles Davis described EWF as his "all time favorite band", saying, "they have everything (horns, electric guitar, singers and more) in one band".[444] Quincy Jones proclaimed himself to be the "biggest fan of Earth, Wind & Fire since day one."[445] Dionne Warwick named Earth, Wind & Fire her favorite group of all time.[446]
Theatrical depictions[edit]
In the movie Baadasssss!, actor Khalil Kain portrayed a young Maurice White leading the earliest incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire. Released at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, the film was based on Melvin Van Peebles' struggle to film and distribute the motion picture Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and was directed by his son Mario Van Peebles. Baadasssss! earned an NAACP Image Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Independent Motion Picture[447][448]
Hot Feet, a jukebox musical based on the Earth, Wind & Fire song catalog, opened on Broadway in April 2006.[449] It closed in July of that year, losing its entire $8 million investment.[450]
Studio albums