Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is a renowned band from the United States founded in 1969 by Maurice White. The band masters different musical styles such as Funk, R&B, Disco Music, and Soul.
The story of Earth, Wind & Fire begins in Memphis in 1941, where Maurice White, the band's founder, was born. In his teens, he and his family moved to Chicago where Maurice began working as a drummer for Chess Records. In 1967, he briefly joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
Shortly after, in 1969, he joined two more friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, and as a songwriter they managed to sign a contract with Capitol Records under the name Salty Peppers. However, Maurice felt that the band's name didn't quite fit, so he decided to change it from Salty Peppers to Earth, Wind & Fire. The band's name is based on the Sagittarius sign (Maurice's sign); in astrology, Sagittarius has fire as its natural ruling element and earth and wind as its seasonal rulers.
Also in 1969, vocalist Sherry Scott joined the band along with percussionist Phillard Williams, and in 1970 Maurice's younger brother, Verdine, joined as bassist, Michael Beale on guitar, Chester Washington on drums, Leslie Drayton on trumpet, and trombonist Alex Thomas, who was initially the band's arranger, and Flemons on vibes, electric piano and vocals, the band was assembled and ready to record. Already in the studio in 1970, they released their first self-titled album, and in 1971 they released the album The Need Is Love which featured the single "I Think About Lovin' You".
After the release of The Need Is Love, the band broke up, leaving only the White brothers. Immediately after the departure of musicians Maurice and Verdine, they began working on a new lineup. The first members to join the band were Jessica Cleaves on vocals, Ronnie Laws on saxophone, Roland Bautista on guitar, Larry Dunn on keyboards, Ralph Johnson on percussion, and Philip Bailey on vocals and percussion.
With a new lineup and a new record label, Columbia CBS, they released the album Last Days and Time, which featured songs like "Where Have All The Flowers," "Make It With You," and the song Power, where Maurice introduced the Kalimba (an African musical instrument) to the band for the first time, a sound that remains a trademark of the group to this day.
In 1973, the album Head To The Sky was released, yielding their first two hits: "Evil," co-written by Maurice and Philip, and the title track, "Keep On Head To The Sky," both of which reached the top 30 in R&B. The following year saw the release of the album "Open Our Eyes," which featured songs like "Mighty Mighty," which reached the top 30 on the American pop charts, and "Devotion," which carried a very profound spiritual message.
International success only came in 1975 with the soundtrack to That's The Way Of The World. Although the film wasn't a huge success, the soundtrack, entirely composed by Earth, Wind & Fire, was a hit with songs like "Shining Star," "That's The Way of the World," "Africano," and "Reasons," earning the group a Grammy for Best Funk Album. That same year, the album Gratitude was released, featuring songs like "Can't Hide Love" and "Sing a Song," and Earth, Wind & Fire received a platinum record. Alongside the band, Maurice created Kalimba Productions, which went on to produce all of the band's albums and those of artists like Deniece Williams, Barbra Streisand, and bands such as The Emotions.
In 1976, the album *Spirit* was released, featuring songs like "Getaway," "Imagination," and "Saturday Nite." It was with *Spirit* that the band began to focus more on live performances, incorporating lasers, light effects, violinists, flying pyramids, and colorful, fun costumes that became their trademark. In 1977, another major success followed with the album *All In All*, which included unforgettable songs like "Jupiter," "Be Ever Wonderful," "Love's Holiday," "I'll Write a Song For You," and "Fantasy." Around this time, Earth, Wind & Fire introduced a mega-pyramid into their performances that would engulf the band as if by magic.
1978 was a special year for the band; they released the album The Best Of EW&F Vol I, which featured their greatest hits and three new songs: "Love Music," "Got To Get Into My Life" (the theme song from the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), and the ephemeral disco hit, "September" (produced for a UNICEF campaign). In 1979, another mega-hit followed: the album I Am. At the height of the disco era, the album included songs like "In The Stone," "Let Your Feelings Show," "After The Love Has Gone," and "Boogie Wonderland."
The band entered the 80s with full force with the double album Faces, in 1981 they released the album Raise! which went double platinum and featured songs like "My Love Wanna Be With You" and "Let's Groove", and in 1983 the highly successful album Powerlight, between 83 and 86 the band slowed down and relaxed briefly, because in 1987 they released the single System Of Survival which reached number one on Billboard and "Thinking Of You" which are part of the album Touch The World of the same year, in 1988 the album The Best Of EW&F VOL II was released.
On July 30, 1993, saxophonist Don Myrick was fatally shot by the Los Angeles Police Department in a case of police error. Five years later, Maurice White announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. On October 13, 1993, former Earth, Wind & Fire member (1970-1972), Wade Flemmons, died in Battle Creek, Michigan. On September 15, 1995, Earth, Wind & Fire was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even without touring due to Maurice's health problems, he continued recording and producing for the band; *In The Name Of Love* was released in 1997 on Pyramid Records.
In 2000, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2003 they were inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk, with Maurice and Philip inducted into the Vocalists Hall of Fame. In 2002, they released the album Live In Rio, recorded in 1980 at the Maracanãzinho arena in Rio de Janeiro. In 2003, they released the album The Promise, which was a great success and featured the song "All In The Way," which became a classic for the band. In 2004, the band released the album Illumination, which was nominated for a Grammy in the R&B category and a Soul Train Music Award.
Over the past two years, the band has been performing with the band Chicago. On December 11, 2007, the band performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, along with other artists, a show that was broadcast live to over 100 countries, including Brazil. Throughout their career, Earth, Wind & Fire has sold over 80 million records, won 40 American Music Awards, 7 Grammys, and received 22 Grammy nominations.
EARTH, WIND & FIRE - FUTPEDIAMUSIC SELECTION
Earth, Wind & Fire
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