Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, R&B,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, pop,

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, and

Afro pop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop or Afro pop), like Music of Africa, African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. M ...

. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide. The band was founded in Chicago by

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

in 1969, growing out of the Salty Peppers. Prominent members have included

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wi ...

Verdine White Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Early lif ...

, Ralph Johnson,

Larry Dunn Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment * Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer *Larry Boone ...

Al McKay AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

Roland Bautista Roland Bautista (May 30, 1951 – February 29, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Bautista was best known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire. He also worked with such artists as Ronnie Laws, The Crusaders, George Duke and ...

Robert Brookins Robert Brookins (October 7, 1962 – April 15, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and musician. Brookins was a member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. He also worked with artists such as George Duke, Stephanie Mills, Stanley Clark ...

Sonny Emory Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

, Fred Ravel, Ronnie Laws, Sheldon Reynolds and

Andrew Woolfolk Andrew Paul Woolfolk II (October 11, 1950 – April 24, 2022) was an American saxophonist. Woolfolk was a longtime member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire from 1973 to 1985, and from 1987 to 1993. He also collaborated with artists such as Deniece ...

. The band is known for its

kalimba Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and pl ...

sound, dynamic

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

, energetic and elaborate stage shows, and the contrast between Bailey's

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

and Maurice's

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

. The band has won 6

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

out of 17 nominations and four

American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

s out of 12 nominations. They have been inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

, the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

, the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, and Hollywood's Rockwalk, and earned a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

. The band has received an

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, a

BET Lifetime Achievement Award The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

, a Soul Train Legend Award, a

NARAS The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...

Signature Governor's Award, a

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award that is awarded by The Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording." ...

, the 2012 Congressional Horizon Award, and the

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...

in 2019. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' has called them "innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing" and declared that the band "changed the sound of black pop".

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

has described EWF as "one of the greatest bands".

History

1969–1970: Beginnings

In 1969, Maurice White, a former session drummer for

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

and former member of the

Ramsey Lewis Trio Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album '' The ...

, joined two friends in Chicago,

Wade Flemons Wade Herbert Flemons (September 25, 1940 – October 13, 1993) was an American soul singer. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas to Samuel and Kathyrine Flemons. His father was a minister, who introduced him to gospel music. After his parents' mar ...

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 Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. Calling themselves "The Salty Peppers", they had a marginal hit single in the Midwest titled "La La Time". 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 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 Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

to various record labels and the band eventually signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

1970–1974: Formation and early years

Maurice's

astrological sign In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...

, Sagittarius, has a primary

elemental An elemental is a mythic being that is described in occult and alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsus and his subsequent fo ...

quality of

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

and seasonal qualities of

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

and

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, 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 Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

, the fourth

classical element Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simil ...

. Based on this, he changed the band's name, to "Earth, Wind & Fire". Maurice held further auditions in L.A, adding Michael Beal on guitar, Chester Washington on reeds, and Leslie Drayton on trumpet. Maurice 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 Joe Wissert is an American record producer. Wissert has worked with artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Boz Scaggs, Helen Reddy, The Lovin' Spoonful, Gordon Lightfoot and The Turtles. Overview Wissert was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...

to be the band's producer.

Earth, Wind & Fire

The band's self-titled debut album was released in February 1971 on Warner Bros. The album got to No. 24 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Soul Albums chart and was certified Gold in France by the SNEP.

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music c ...

of ''

'' noted a "heavy Sly influence" and the "smooth harmonies" of

The Fifth Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

on the LP. Bob Talbert of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' also wrote "I'm not sure what to call this group. Afro-gospel-jazz-blues-rock? Must there be a label?".

''Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song''

EWF went on to supply the entire

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of the

Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the 2000s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' ( ...

feature film ''

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'' is a 1971 American blaxploitation film written, co-produced, scored, edited, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles. His son Mario Van Peebles also appears in a small role, playing the title character ...

''. The soundtrack, composed by Van Peebles, was released in April 1971 on

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

. The album reached No. 13 on the ''Billboard''

Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart.

''The Need of Love''

In November 1971, EWF's second album, titled ''

The Need of Love ''The Need of Love'' is the second studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 35 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart. ''The Need of Love'' would be the band's ...

'', was issued. The LP got to No. 35 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart. Bruce Lindsay of

Jazz Journal ''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund Sc ...

called The Need of Love "a worthwhile album". Al Rudis of

The Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide v ...

wrote the LP "works beautifully and while the elements of Earth, Wind & Fire aren't new, this mixture of them is a unique sound". A single from the album called "

I Think About Lovin' You "I Think About Lovin' You" is a song by the band Earth, Wind & Fire released as a single in January 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. The song peaked at No. 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Singles chart. Overview "I Think About Lovin' You" was produ ...

" reached No. 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart. The band became popular on college campuses, although some members started to become restless and the band eventually split. With only Verdine left, Maurice decided to re-form the group. During 1972, Maurice added vocalist Helena Davis, Ronnie Laws on the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and saxophone, rhythm guitarist

, keyboardist

, vocalist

and percussionist Ralph Johnson. Davis was soon replaced by

Jessica Cleaves Jessica Marguerite Cleaves (December 10, 1948 – May 2, 2014) was an American singer and songwriter. Cleaves was a lead singer of the Friends of Distinction, Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament Funkadelic and Raw Silk. Early life Jessica Cleaves was ...

, a former member of the R&B group

The Friends of Distinction The Friends of Distinction were an American vocal group founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, best known for their late 1960s hits, "Grazing in the Grass", "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", and " Going in Circles". Career The Friends of Distincti ...

. The band successfully auditioned for managers Bob Cavallo and Joe Ruffalo. Cavallo's management of

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...

introduced EWF to

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

, then-President of

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Davis was impressed and bought their contract from Warner Bros. Wissert went along with the band.

''Last Days and Time''

Their debut album on CBS/Columbia Records, '' Last Days and Time'', was issued in October 1972. The album got to No. 15 on the US ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 9 on the UK

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

Top British Soul Albums chart. Paul Sexton of

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

proclaimed "Musical historians and EWF fans alike will welcome" ''Last Days and Time''. Ovid Goode Jr. of ''

The Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Da ...

'' declared that the LP is full of "moving tunes" that "sprouts forth with a fresh sound which sets it apart from many of the ho-hum aggregations around today". A single called "Mom" got to No. 39 on the Cashbox Top R&B Singles chart. Soon thereafter, Roland Bautista and Ronnie Laws left. Denver native Philip Bailey recommended his former East High School classmate, saxophonist

as a replacement for Laws. Woolfolk had been busy in New York studying sax with sax maestro

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

and was due to start a career in banking at the time. To fill the void created by Bautista's departure, rhythm guitarists

and Johnny Graham were added. Graham previously played with

New Birth Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

, while McKay was a former member of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band.

''Head to the Sky''

EWF's fourth studio album, ''

Head to the Sky ''Head to the Sky'' is the fourth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in May 1973 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard (magazine), Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 ...

'', was released in May 1973. The album rose to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 27 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

chart. ''Head to the Sky'' was certified US Platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Vince Aletti Vince Aletti (born 1945) is a curator, writer, and photography critic. Career Music industry Aletti was a contributing writer for ''Rolling Stone'' from 1970 to 1989. He was the first person to write about disco in an article published by the m ...

declared that EWF "sound like a cosmic choir and generate a Sly Stone effect" on an album that's "certainly beyond all expectations". ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' also described the record as "a movin' new package." A single off the LP titled "

Evil Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...

" got to No. 19 on the ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Songs The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

and No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs charts respectively. Another single called " Keep Your Head to the Sky" rose to No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart. Jessica Cleaves left after the album release.

''Open Our Eyes''

The band's follow-up album was co-produced by Maurice and Wissert. This LP was recorded at

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

's Caribou Ranch Studio and '' Open Our Eyes'' was released in March 1974. Ken Emerson of ''

'' called ''Open Our Eyes'' "a pleasant miscellany of Africana, Latin rhythms, well-mannered funk, smooth jazz, Sly Stone,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

and

the Fifth Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

". ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''s

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

described the album as a complete "tour de force". The album rose to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 15 on the

chart. ''Open Our Eyes'' was certified US Platinum. A single from the LP called "

Mighty Mighty Mighty Mighty are a British indie band formed in Birmingham, England, in the mid-1980s. History Showing influences from Postcard Records bands such as Orange Juice, they came to prominence when featured on the ''NMEs ''C86'' compilation, at a ...

" reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. " Kalimba Story" rose to No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart. "

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

" got to No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After ''Open Our Eyes'' was issued, Maurice's younger brother, Fred White, joined the band. He had previously played in Chicago clubs as a drummer with

and

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. George disbanded the group because of creative differences shortly before his death in 1979. Surviving ...

. On April 6, 1974, EWF performed at the

California Jam California Jam (also known as Cal Jam) was a rock music festival co-headlined by Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, on April 6, 1974. It was produced by ABC Entertainment, Sandy Fel ...

, a West Coast rock festival that attracted an audience of 200,000. The concert was televised in the US on May 10, 1974, by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

''Another Time''

In September 1974, a compilation double album titled ''

Another Time Another Time may refer to: * ''Another Time'' (book), a 1940 book of poems by W. H. Auden * ''Another Time'' (Jeff Williams album), 2011 * ''Another Time'' (Earth, Wind & Fire album), 1974 See also * " Another Time (Andrew's Song)", a 2014 so ...

'' with all the songs from EWF's first two studio albums was released by Warner Bros. The album got to No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart. The band collaborated with

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...

on his album ''

Sun Goddess A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

,'' which was produced by Maurice and issued in late 1974 by Columbia. The album got to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The LP's

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may al ...

rose to No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart. ''Sun Goddess'' was certified US Gold.

1975–1980: Ornate sound

''That's the Way of the World''

During 1975, EWF was approached by

Sig Shore Sig Shore (May 13, 1919 – August 17, 2006) was an American film director and producer. His 1972 film '' Super Fly'' is considered one of the first blaxploitation films. Biography Shore was born in Harlem, New York and grew up in The Bronx. ...

, producer of the motion picture '' Super Fly'', to record the soundtrack to a new film titled '' That's the Way of the World''. With a screenplay from

Robert Lipsyte Robert Michael Lipsyte (born January 16, 1938) is an American sports journalist and author and former Ombudsman for ESPN. He is a member of the Board of Contributors for ''USA Todays Forum Page, part of the newspaper's Opinion section. He re ...

, the film was produced and directed by Shore. The film starred

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

, EWF as "The Group" and Maurice as Early, "The Group"'s leader. Keitel played the role of a record producer who hears "The Group" performing and is wowed by their act. When the band saw the film they were convinced that it would become a

box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

, which it eventually was. They therefore released the film's soundtrack before the film's premiere. The LP was produced by White and

Charles Stepney Charles Stepney (March 26, 1931– May 17, 1976) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. Stepney is noted for his work with artists such as The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire. Career He ...

and recorded at the Caribou Ranch Studio. Stepney had previously worked with artists such as

the Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

Terry Callier Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American soul music, soul, Folk music, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter. Life and career Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was r ...

and

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use o ...

and

the Rotary Connection Rotary Connection was an American psychedelic soul band, formed in Chicago in 1966. In addition to their own recordings, including their 1967 debut album ''Rotary Connection'', the band is notable as the backing band for Muddy Waters on his 1968 ...

, of which Riperton was a member. Stepney's writing and production style included a more ornate, orchestral flourish, which influenced the soundtrack album. '' That's the Way of the World'' was eventually issued in March 1975 by Columbia. The album rose to No. 1 on both the ''Billboard'' 200 and ''

'' Top Soul Albums charts. Stephen Curwood of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called the LP "a sound you shouldn't miss." Daryl Easlea of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

described ''That's the Way of the World'' as a "soul masterpiece." The album was certified US triple platinum. From the LP came the single " Shining Star", which rose to No. 1 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts. This made EWF the first black act to top both the ''Billboard'' album and singles charts. The song won a

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

. The album's second single was title track " That's the Way of the World". It reached No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 12 on the Hot 100 chart. With the album's success the band was able to hire their own

, dubbed the

Phenix Horns , originally known as the EWF Horns, were the main horn section for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. The horn section were composed of Don Myrick on saxophone, Louis "Lui Lui" Satterfield on trombone, Rahmlee Michael Davis on trumpet, and Michael ...

. They were composed of saxophonist

Don Myrick Donald Myrick (April 6, 1940 – July 30, 1993) was an American saxophonist. A member of The Phenix Horns, he is best known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins. He played alto, tenor, and soprano sax as a member of Earth, Wind ...

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

Louis Satterfield Louis Edward Satterfield (April 3, 1937 – September 27, 2004) was an American bassist and trombonist. Satterfield was a member of both The Pharaohs and the Phenix Horns. He also collaborated with prominent artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, ...

, and trumpeters Rahmlee Davis and Michael Harris. Myrick and Satterfield had both previously worked with White during his days as a session drummer at Chess Records.

''Gratitude''

After their first European tour, EWF returned to the studio in June 1975. The band eventually came away with an album of mostly live concert material together with some new tracks. As a double LP ''

Gratitude Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is from the Latin word ''gratus,'' which means "pleasing" or "thankful." Is regarded as a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another's kindness. This can be gifts, h ...

'' was issued in November 1975. It rose to No. 1 on both the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top Soul Albums charts respectively. The album was certified US triple platinum. With the LP came "

Sing a Song Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

", which rose to numbers 1 and 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs and

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

charts, respectively. "

Can't Hide Love "You Can't Hide Love" is a single by soul group Creative Source released in 1973 on Sussex Records. The song reached No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart. Overview "You Can't Hide Love" was produced by Michael Stokes and composed b ...

" got to No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart. "Can't Hide Love" was

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominated for Best Arrangement For Voices. The album's title track was also nominated for a Grammy in the category of

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

. During 1975, White established a production company called Kalimba Productions. He signed artists such as his former bandleader Ramsey Lewis; singer

Deniece Williams Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1951) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs " Free", " Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two ''Bill ...

, who had once been a member of

's "Wonderlove" backup group; and

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

the Emotions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. Maurice loaned the band's signature Phenix Horns and most of the other band members and put these and others Kalimba artists on tour with EWF. While co-producing and arranging EWF's follow-up LP, Williams's debut album, '' This Is Niecy'', Ramsey Lewis's '' Salongo'', and the Emotions' ''

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

'', their first album on

, Charles Stepney died of a heart attack on May 17, 1976, in Chicago at the age of 45.

''Spirit''

With Stepney's death, White went on to produce the band's new LP, ''

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

'', which was issued in October 1976. The album's title paid tribute to Stepney. The LP rose to No. 2 on both the ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums and Top Soul Albums charts. Craig Werner of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' called ''Spirit'' "one of the group's defining moments" and "gospel soul for the ages."

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to '' Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' declared "what is most interesting about Maurice White and his musicians..is their refusal to be locked into any stylistic format." ''Spirit'' was certified US

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. " Getaway" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart. The song also rose to No. 12 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Dance Club Play charts. " Saturday Nite" reached numbers 4 and 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs and Hot 100 charts, respectively. "Saturday Nite" rose to No. 12 on both the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs and UK Pop Singles charts, respectively. "Earth, Wind and Fire" was Grammy nominated for

Best Instrumental Composition The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of an original piece of music (not an adaptation), first released during the eligibility year. I ...

. During this period, EWF concerts became 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. Stage magician

Doug Henning Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Early life Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and began practising magic at Oakenw ...

appeared on many of their tours with his assistant and eventual successor,

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

George Faison George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

began choreographing the shows.

''All'n All''

In November 1977, EWF released ''

All 'n All ''All 'n All'' is the eighth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in November 1977 by Columbia Records. The album reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. ...

'', their eighth studio album. It was inspired by Maurice's month-long trip through

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The album rose to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

of ''

'' declared "''All 'n All'' shows Maurice White and his cohorts pushing their music ever more in a febrile jazz‐rock direction." Monroe Anderson of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' called the album as a "rare blend of poetry, passion and artistic progression." ''All 'n All'' won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus. The album was certified US triple platinum. " Serpentine Fire" rose to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

" reached No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart. "Fantasy" was Grammy-nominated for

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

. "Runnin" won a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental. In April 1978, the band featured on

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

's special aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

where they performed a medley. EWF also appeared in the July 1978 feature film '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' where they performed a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Got to Get You into My Life "Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, first released in 1966 on their album ''Revolver''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is a homage to the Motown Sound, wit ...

". The song was eventually added to the film's

. However, the film was a commercial failure. EWF's rendition of "Got to Get You into My Life" was the biggest hit from the soundtrack, reaching No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B songs chart and No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Pop singles chart. The song was Grammy-nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. It went on to win a Grammy for

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ...

. The film's soundtrack was certified US platinum.

''The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1''

In 1978, White established a vanity label of CBS titled The American Record Company (ARC), and alongside sound engineer

George Massenburg George Y. Massenburg (born Baltimore, Maryland c. 1947) is a Grammy award-winning recording engineer and inventor. Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Georgia, Massenburg is widely known for submitting a paper to ...

, a new recording studio called The Complex in West Los Angeles. In November 1978, EWF issued a compilation album on the new vanity label entitled '' The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1''. It rose to No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album was certified quintuple platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA. "

September September is the ninth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the third of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the fourth of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. September in the Northern H ...

" rose to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "September" also reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. In January 1979, the band performed "September" and "That's the Way of the World" at the

Music for UNICEF Concert The Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song was a benefit concert of popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on January 9, 1979. It was intended to raise money for UNICEF world hunger programs and to mark the b ...

. The concert was broadcast worldwide from the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

. Other artists who performed at the event were

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

Andy Gibb Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the younger brother of Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, who went on to form the Bee Gees. Gibb came to pr ...

, the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

. The concert was

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-nominated in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Class.

''I Am''

During June 1979, EWF issued their ninth studio album, ''

I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (po ...

''. The LP rose to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. ''I Am'' was certified US double platinum. White and Baiiley Earth Wind and Fire

Connie Johnson of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' proclaimed that the album was "freshly innovative for EWF." Eric Sieger of ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' described ''I Am'' as being "faultlessly produced." "

Boogie Wonderland "Boogie Wonderland" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions, released in April 1979 on Columbia Records as the first single from their ninth album, ''I Am'' (1979). The song peaked at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' danc ...

", featuring

, got to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was also Grammy nominated in the categories of Best Disco Recording and

Best R&B Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance was awarded from 1970 to 1990 and in 1993. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1970 to 1985 the award was known as Best R&B Instrumental Performance *From 1986 to 1989 it was award ...

. "

After the Love Has Gone "After the Love Has Gone" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire released in 1979 on ARC/Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, behind The Knack's "My Sharona" and the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. ...

" reached No. 2 on both the ''Billboard''

and Hot Soul Songs charts. The song made No. 3 on both the ''Billboard''

and UK Pop Singles charts. The ballad was Grammy-nominated in the category of

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

. "After the Love Has Gone" won a Grammy for the Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

''Faces''

During October 1980, EWF issued a double album titled ''

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

''. This LP was in the emerging

post-disco Post-disco (also called boogie, synth-funk, or electro-funk) is a term to describe an aftermath in popular music history circa 1979–1985, imprecisely beginning with an unprecedented backlash against disco music in the United States, leading to c ...

style and was partly recorded on the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

island of

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

. The album rose to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 10 on both the ''Billboard'' 200 and

UK Albums The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

charts. ''Faces'' was certified US gold. In a 2007 interview, when asked which EWF album was his favorite, Maurice White replied: "Probably ''Faces'' because we were really in tune...and it gave us the opportunity to explore new areas." Soon after its release, rhythm guitarist Al McKay left the band. Dennis Hunt of the ''

'' declared "''Faces'' is the R&B album of the year." Chuck Pratt of the ''

Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' exclaimed "this fine funk soul group puts its best face forward on this ambitious and generous double pocket set of intricately produced, high gloss funk." A song off the LP titled " Let Me Talk" reached No. 8 on the ''Billboard''

R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart and No. 29 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Another single called "

You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

" got to No. 10 on the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart and No. 30 on the ''Billboard''

chart. "

And Love Goes On " And Love Goes On" is a single by the American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire released in January 1981 by ARC/ Columbia Records. The single got to No. 15 on both the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles and UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles charts. ...

" rose to No. 15 on the ''Billboard''

chart.

1981–1996: Electric sound

''Raise!''

White decided that, given the changing musical landscape, the band needed to incorporate into their work more of the

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

sound which was popular at the time. As a result, EWF's eleventh album, ''

Raise! ''Raise!'' is the eleventh studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 14, 1981, by ARC/Columbia Records. The album spent 11 weeks atop the ''Billboard'' Top R&B albums chart and peaked at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' ...

'', was influenced by this new electronic sound and released in the

Autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Sou ...

of 1981. With this album rhythm guitarist

returned to EWF. Bautista went on to give the band's sound a bit of a hard rock feel with his playing. ''Raise!'' rose to No. 1 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 5 on the

chart. Raise was certified US Platinum.

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

described ''Raise!'' as a reflection of "street-gritty black pop".

J.D. Considine J. D. Considine (born 1957) is a music critic who has been writing about music professionally since 1977. Background J. D. Considine's work has been published in numerous newspapers and music magazines, and he has contributed to several books. ...

of ''

'' noted that the album puts "Earth, Wind & Fire back on the

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

road". "

Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as the first single from their eleventh studio album, ''Raise!'' (1981). It is written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White. The song was a commercial succ ...

" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B Songs Hot R&B Songs is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular R&B songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations, digital download sales and streaming data. It was establish ...

chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard''

chart. This song was nominated for a

in the category of

. " I've Had Enough", got to No. 29 on the UK Pop Singles chart. " Wanna Be With You" also rose to No. 15 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. "Wanna Be With You" won a Grammy for

. On October 30, 1981, EWF appeared at ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

s 30th Anniversary Special, where they performed "Let's Groove". In 1981, the

also began collaborations with

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

and his band

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

''Powerlight''

During February 1983, EWF issued a studio album titled ''

Powerlight ''Powerlight'' is the twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1983 by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. ''Powerlight' ...

''. The album rose to No. 4 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 12 on the

chart. ''Powerlight'' was certified US

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

. Connie Johnson of the ''

'' wrote Powerlight "does show why EWF is one of the masters of studio pop." Hugh Wyatt of the

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

found "Earth, Wind & Fire gives new meaning to the word ''classy'', and I like it". " Fall in Love with Me" rose to No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. "Fall in Love with Me" was

-nominated for

. " Side by Side" got to No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Songs chart. EWF went on to appear on the soundtrack of the April 1983 animated feature film ''

Rock & Rule ''Rock & Rule'' (known as ''Ring of Power'' outside North America) is a 1983 Canadian adult animated musical science fantasy film featuring the voices of Don Francks, Greg Salata and Susan Roman. It was produced and directed by Michael Hirsh, Pat ...

'' with the song "Dance, Dance, Dance". Artists such as

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

of Blondie,

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

and

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

also featured on the soundtrack. ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' noted the "standout track" is "Earth, Wind & Fire's funky club jam Dance, Dance, Dance". ''Rock & Rule'' was the first feature film of Nelvana Studios.

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

called Rock & Rule "the greatest oddball scifi musical ever committed to animation cels". Keith Breese of

Contact Music Contactmusic.com is an online magazine of cultural criticism based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, and ...

described the movie as "a masterpiece of outré animation and wildly ambitious vision and remains a triumph in animated feature film". Rock & Rule has also gone on to become a

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

''Electric Universe''

During November 1983, EWF issued their thirteenth studio album, titled ''

Electric Universe Electric Universe is a psychedelic trance project from Germany formed by Boris Blenn and Michael Dressler in 1991. Their first EP release, ''Solar Energy'', was an instant hit with the underground trance scene and is often credited with putting the ...

''. With the album came a unique fully new wave and

synth pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

sound for EWF. The album got to No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the

chart.

Gary Graff Gary Graff (born 1960) is an American music journalist and author. Biography Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graff attended Taylor Allderdice High School where he wrote for school newspaper ''The Taylor Allderdice Foreword''. He receiv ...

of ''

The Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' exclaimed "Plug in the planets! This is the best disc this outfit has put together in quite some time." Matty Karas of ''

'' described ''Electric Universe'' as full of "sensuous, and at times, rock oriented dance material." "

Magnetic Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particle ...

" rose to No. 10 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 36 on the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. "

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

" got to No. 23 on the ''Billboard''

chart.

Hiatus

Maurice decided the band needed a break, so he put EWF on hiatus in 1984. During the hiatus, Maurice produced

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

's 1984 album ''

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

''. He produced Ramsey Lewis on his 1985 album ''

''. The album reached No. 13 on the '' Cashbox''

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Albums chart. White released a self-titled solo album in 1985 on Columbia. The album rose to number 12 on the ''Billboard''

chart. A cover of

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

's " Stand by Me" got to No. 6 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 11 on the ''Billboard''

chart. Another album cut, "I Need You", rose to No. 20 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 30 on the ''Billboard''

chart. White co-produced

Pieces of a Dream Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess * Pieces (video game), ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game f ...

's 1986 LP '' Joyride''. The album reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard''

Traditional Jazz Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart and No. 18 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Albums chart. He then produced

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

's 1986 album '' Headed for the Future''. White later guested on guitarist

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

's 1986 Grammy-nominated album '' Earth Run'' and produced Ramsey Lewis'1987 album ''

Keys to the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

''. Philip Bailey issued his second solo album, ''Chinese Wall'', in 1984 on Columbia. He recorded

nominated Gospel LP entitled ''

The Wonders of His Love ''The Wonders of His Love'' is the second studio album by Philip Bailey released in 1984 on Myrrh Records. This was his first gospel album peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and No. 17 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums ...

'' in 1984 and appeared upon

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

' 1985 album '' Vox Humana''. In 1986 Bailey released his third studio album being ''Inside Out'' and his second Gospel LP, ''

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

'', which won a Grammy. Bailey later featured on

's 1986 album ''

In Square Circle ''In Square Circle'' is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in 1985. The album features the hit singles " Part-Time Lover" (No. 1), " Go Home" (No. 10), " Overjoyed" (No. 24), and "Land of La La" (No ...

'' and

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters''. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-10 h ...

's 1987 LP ''After Dark''. Ralph Johnson produced

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

on their 1984 album ''

Truly for You ''Truly for You'' is a 1984 in music, 1984 album by American R&B vocal group the Temptations. Released on October 15, 1984 by Motown Records' Gordy label, This is the first full Temptations album to feature Ali-Ollie Woodson (credited simply as ...

''. Verdine White promoted go-go bands such as

Trouble Funk Trouble Funk is an American R&B and funk band from Washington, D.C. The group helped to popularize funk and the subgenre go-go in the Washington metropolitan area. Among the band's well-known songs are the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas". They rele ...

and

E.U. The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

The compilation album '' The Collection'' was released in 1986. It stayed at No. 5 on the UK singles charts for two weeks, and was certified Gold by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

''Touch the World''

During 1987, Maurice went about reconvening the band. Verdine, Johnson, Bailey and Woolfolk returned. New members guitarist/vocalist Sheldon Reynolds, keyboardist Vance Taylor and drummer

filled out the lineup. A new horn section dubbed

Earth, Wind & Fire Horns The Earth, Wind & Fire Horns is the main horn section for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. The horn section has also played alongside artists such as Whitney Houston, P Diddy, Queen Latifah and Kelly Clarkson. The horn section should not be confused ...

was created, made up of

Gary Bias Gary Bias is an American saxophonist, flutist and composer. Bias is a longtime member of the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns. Overview He born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Bias began playing the saxophone at the age of 11. He went on to attend ...

on the saxophone,

Raymond Lee Brown Raymond Lee Brown is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. Brown was a longtime member of the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns. Influences Brown was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. While in high school, Brown was friends with Gar ...

on the trumpet, and Reggie Young on flugelhorn and trombone. With this came the studio album '' Touch the World'' which was issued in November 1987. ''Touch the World'' rose to No. 3 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 33 on the

chart. ''Touch the World'' was also certified US Gold. David Emerson of ''

'' called ''Touch the World'' "one of their toughest and most convincing records ever". Pamela Bloom of '' High Fidelity'' proclaimed "the message, as always, is stop, step back, and turn up your light". ''Touch the World'' was also nominated for a

Soul Train Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the ...

in the category of Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year. Skylark penned " System of Survival" for the album. It became a hit single, going to number one on both the ''Billboard'' R&B and Dance charts. "System of Survival" was nominated for a Soul Train Award in the category of Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo. " Thinking of You" got to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

''The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2''

During November 1988, EWF issued a compilation album titled '' The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2''. The album was certified US Gold. " Turn on (The Beat Box)" reached No. 26 on the ''Billboard''

chart. EWF went on to be nominated for an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

in the category of Best Vocal Group.

''Heritage''

During February 1990, EWF issued their fifteenth studio album, entitled ''

Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

''. The album rose to No. 19 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 18 on the UK

Top British Soul Albums chart. ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' magazine described Heritage as an album "with a full dose of energy and creativity". Don Palmer of ''

'' also proclaimed "EWF's newest kicks with some genuine enthusiasm". The

, featuring

The Boys Boys are young male humans. Boys or The Boys may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''The Boys'' (1962 British film), a courtroom drama by Sidney J. Furie * ''The Boys'' (1962 Finnish film), a war drama by Mikko Niskanen * ''Boys'' ( ...

, got to No. 5 on the ''Billboard''

chart. "

For the Love of You "For the Love of You" (sometimes titled "For the Love of You (Part 1 & 2)") is a song recorded by the Isley Brothers, who released the song as the second single off their 1975 album, '' The Heat Is On''. The record showcased the two sides of the ...

", featuring

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...

, rose to No. 19 on the ''Billboard''

chart. The band appeared on the compilation album ''

Music Speaks Louder Than Words ''Music Speaks Louder Than Words'' is an album released by Epic Records in 1990. Overview Artists such as Cyndi Lauper, Atlantic Starr, Roberta Flack, Patti LaBelle, Earth, Wind & Fire, Anne Murray and the Cover Girls featured on the album. ...

'' released in 1990 on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. Artists such as

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "San Francisco Bay Blues", "Poetry Man", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited g ...

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

Animotion Animotion is an American synth-pop band from Los Angeles, California, best known for the songs " Obsession", "Let Him Go", "I Engineer", and " Room to Move". Formed in 1983 from the remnants of a retro science-fiction band called Red Zone, th ...

Atlantic Starr Atlantic Starr is an American band based in White Plains, New York. They are best known for the hits "Always", "Secret Lovers", "Send for Me", "Circles", "Silver Shadow" and " Masterpiece". History Atlantic Starr began in Greenburgh, New York ...

, and

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

featured on the album. Songs were composed by both American and

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

musicians and songwriters. A sum of the proceeds went to the AFS Intercultural Exchanges programme, an international body based in 70 countries which places exchange students with host families.

''The Eternal Dance''

During 1992, EWF issued a compilation album called ''

The Eternal Dance ''The Eternal Dance'' is a compilation album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire issued in September 1992 on Columbia Records. Critical reception J.D. Considine of ''The Baltimore Sun'' declared that "though this set shows off all sides of the ...

''. The LP was the band's first ever

boxset A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

. ''

'' placed ''The Eternal Dance'' on their lists of the top ten recordings of both 1992 and 1993. On July 30, 1993, former Phenix Horns saxophonist

was fatally shot by a Santa Monica Police Department officer.

''Millenium''

During September 1993, came the release of the band's 16th studio album, ''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

'' issued on

. Artists such as Ronnie Laws and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

appeared on the LP. The album also rose to No. 8 on the Billboard

chart and No. 39 on the

chart. Millennium was certified Gold in Japan by the

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

. Tom Sinclair of

proclaimed that EWF "demonstrate they still have the knack for constructing mellifluous R&B on the visionary/romantic tip." Renee Graham of

noted that Millennium "returns the band to its funk/r&b roots" with a "tasty bit of Minneapolis funk". Millennium was nominated for a

Soul Train Music Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

in the category of Best R&B/Soul Album - Group, Band or Duo. " Sunday Morning" got to No. 10 on the US

Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

chart, No. 20 on the US

chart, No. 35 on the US

chart, and No. 33 on the

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

Top Canadian Singles chart. It was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. "Spend the Night" rose to No. 36 on the ''Billboard''

chart. On October 13 of that year, former lead vocalist

died from cancer in

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...

Earth Wind and Fire Walk of Fame 4-20-06

In November 1993, EWF performed at the

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

20th anniversary special. During 1994, EWF was inducted into the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame. On September 14 of the following year, the band received another tribute in the form of a star on the

. Maurice, Sonny Emory, Sheldon Reynolds, Bailey, Johnson, Woolfolk and Verdine all attended the inauguration ceremony.

1996–present: Neo period

During 1996, Maurice launched a new label titled Kalimba Records based in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. At the label also came a recording studio known as Magnet Vision.

''In the Name of Love''

EWF's follow-up studio album, ''

In the Name of Love IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

'', was released in 1997 on

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

. The album went on to be noted as one with a digitised

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

sound and style. Phyl Garland of

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review''. ...

wrote "with this set of skillfully shaped songs, White has positioned Earth, Wind & Fire to move into the next century". Dan Glaister of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described ''In the Name of Love'' as "a scorching album". The LP reached No. 19 on the UK R&B Albums chart. From the album, a track titled " When Love Goes Wrong" got to No. 33 on the ''Billboard''

chart. Another song called " Change Your Mind" was issued as a single in 2006 by Kalimba. "Change Your Mind" rose to No. 26 on the ''Billboard''

chart. During the previous year, Maurice stopped regularly touring, but still appeared on stage occasionally. He explained that he wanted rest from the rigors of the road. Bailey took the role of on stage leader. Maurice maintained executive control. The band appeared on

Wu Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

offshoot

Sunz of Man Sunz of Man is a New York-based Wu-Tang Clan affiliated group that currently consists of Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest, Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin. The group's first incarnation also included Shabazz the Disciple, 7th Ambassador and pr ...

's 1998 debut album '' The Last Shall Be First''. EWF gave an encore performance at the 1997 and 1998

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

s. During Spring 1999, EWF appeared on the

of the animated sitcom ''

The PJs ''The PJs'' is an American adult animated stop-motion black sitcom created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Cabrini–Green housing projects in Chicago. Th ...

''.

''The Ultimate Collection''

The band issued a compilation album titled The Ultimate Collection on Columbia. The album reached No. 34 upon the UK Pop Albums Chart. A remix by UK dance duo Phats and Small called " September '99" got to No. 1 on the

Canadian Dance Songs Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

chart and No. 25 on the UK Pop Singles chart. In 1999, the group performed on the

A&E Network A&E is an American basic cable network, the flagship television property of A&E Networks. The network was originally founded in 1984 as the Arts & Entertainment Network, initially focusing on fine arts, documentaries, television drama, dramas, and ...

show ''

Live by Request ''Live by Request'' is a television show on the A&E Network from 1996 to 2004. On it, notable artists hold concerts where the set list would be determined by viewer phone calls. The show was created based on an idea by Tony Bennett. Bennett star ...

''. Website Startalk.org was set up in 1999 in Maurice's honor. Maurice later spoke of a mild affliction with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. Artists such as

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine posted messages on the site for White. Maurice, however, had the disease under control, so much so that he occasionally made appearances at EWF performances, and continued to write, record, produce and develop new recordings. On March 6, 2000, EWF was inducted into the

by hip hop artist Lil' Kim to a standing ovation during the 15th annual ceremony held at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Maurice, Bailey, Verdine, and Johnson, as well as former EWF members Al McKay, Larry Dunn, Woolfolk, Fred White and Johnny Graham attended the ceremony. At the gala they performed "Shining Star" and "That's the Way of the World". EWF was a specially-invited music guest at the June 20, 2000 White House state dinner hosted by President Bill Clinton on the South Lawn (White House), South Lawn of the White House, in honor of His Majesty Mohammed VI of Morocco, Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, and Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem. So impressed was the king by the band's performance that he made a personal request for EWF to perform in Morocco for his 37th birthday celebration on August 21, 2000. EWF collaborated with Wyclef Jean on his second studio album, ''The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book'', which was issued in August 2000. In 2001, a biographical documentary of the band titled ''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 Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach, Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, the band's first concert following those events. February 24, 2002 saw EWF performing at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah. On June 17, 2002, EWF was bestowed with the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The award was presented by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman,

, and Jimmy Jam. On June 25, 2002, EWF was bestowed with a Black Entertainment Television, BET BET Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award.

''The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire''

Within July 2002 a compilation album titled The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire was issued by Columbia. The album was certified US Gold. A sampler that featured remixes of "Can't Hide Love" and "Let's Groove" came off the LP. The remix sampler got to No. 4 on the UK Dance Singles Chart. A live album of the band's 1980 performance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, titled ''Live in Rio (Earth, Wind & Fire album), Live In Rio'', was released in November 2002.

''The Promise''

During May 2003, EWF issued ''The Promise (Earth, Wind & Fire album), The Promise''. The album peaked at No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Top Independent Albums chart. ''

'' magazine described ''The Promise'' as a "musically rich 17-track set (including five trademark instrumental interludes) that blows away most of today's R&B." Steve Jones of ''USA Today'' wrote "with horn-kissed ballads and infectious jazz funk grooves, the band seems to have regained its spark". Artists such as Angie Stone, The Emotions and Gerald Albright featured on the album. "All in the Way", featuring The Emotions, got to No. 13 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 25

chart. "Hold Me (Earth, Wind & Fire song), Hold Me" reached No. 28 on the ''Billboard''

chart. "Hold Me" was Grammy-nominated in the category of Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. On July 7, 2003, the band was inducted into Hollywood's Rockwalk. In September 2003, EWF were inducted into the

. On February 8, 2004, EWF performed in a tribute to Funk music, funk at the 46th Grammy Awards, 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 "Unclassified (album), 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)". EWF also covered Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" on the May 2004 tribute album ''Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix''. On June 8, 2004, EWF were bestowed with the NARAS Signature Governors Award at Los Angeles's Beverly Hills Hotel. On September 27, 2004, former Phenix Horns trombonist

died, aged 67. On December 11, 2004, EWF was honored at the first annual Grammy Jam held at Los Angeles's Wiltern Theater. At the Grammy Jam artists such as Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, India Arie, George Benson, Sheila E., Kanye West, George Duke, Usher (musician), Usher and Jill Scott (singer), Jill Scott paid tribute to the band via their performances. EWF performed on ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' on December 31, 2004. 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". In 2004, EWF and Chicago (band), Chicago embarked upon a joint national tour. It yielded a DVD of a concert that took place at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre (Los Angeles), Greek Theater titled ''Chicago & Earth, Wind & Fire – Live at the Greek Theatre''. This DVD was released on June 28, 2005, and was music recording sales certification, certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA. Chicago and EWF later 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 (Chicago album), Love Songs''. At the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards held on September 18, 2005, at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, the band performed as the opening act with The Black Eyed Peas.

''Illumination''

During September 2005, ''Illumination (Earth, Wind & Fire album), Illumination'', EWF's 19th studio album, was issued on Sanctuary Records. On this album EWF collaborated with artists such as will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Outkast's Big Boi, Floetry and Brian McKnight. ''Illumination'' reached No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 32 on the

chart. Raymond Fiore of ''Entertainment Weekly'' described the LP as a mix of "modern beats and retro, horn-lined soul". Steve Jones of ''USA Today'' noted that on the album EWF are as "vibrant as ever". ''Illumination'' received a

nomination for Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Album and a ''

'' nomination in the category of Best R&B-Soul Album. EWF received a

nomination for Outstanding Duo or Group. A song from the album, called "Pure Gold (song), Pure Gold", reached No. 23 on the ''Billboard''

chart. EWF also covered Outkast's "The Way You Move" featuring saxophonist Kenny G. The single got to No. 12 on the ''Billboard''

chart. Another single titled "Show Me The Way (Earth, Wind & Fire song), Show Me The Way", featuring

singer Raphael Saadiq got to No. 16 on the ''Billboard''

chart. Show Me The Way was also

nominated in the category of

. In 2006, Maurice worked with Maurice Hines, brother of famed entertainer Gregory Hines, to release the Broadway play ''Hot Feet''. This was a jukebox musical with the theme of the music of Earth, Wind & Fire. Maurice co-wrote with Allee Willis several new songs for the play. On February 11, 2007, EWF performed "Runaway Love (Ludacris song), Runaway Love" alongside Mary J. Blige and Ludacris at the 49th Grammy Awards held at Los Angeles's Staples Center. Earth, Wind & Fire at 2008 US Open

''Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire'', an album featuring cover versions of EWF's material, was released in March 2007 on Stax Records. Executively produced by Maurice, the LP featured artists such as Chaka Khan, Kirk Franklin, Lalah Hathaway, Mint Condition, Dwele, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Angie Stone. The album rose to no. 28 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Kirk Franklin's cover of

reached No. 17 on the ''Billboard''

chart and No. 26 on the ''Billboard'' Billboard charts#Gospel Songs, Hot Gospel Songs chart. Dwele's rendition of "That's the Way of the World" and Meshell Ndegeocello's cover of "Fantasy" were each nominated for Grammies in the category of Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, Best Urban/Alternative Performance. On April 25, 2007, EWF performed as the opening act at a special edition of ''American Idol'' entitled "American Idol gives back, Idol Gives Back". At the gala the band performed a medley of "Boogie Wonderland", "Shining Star" and "September". At the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2007, EWF performed "Fantasy" and "September". The concert was broadcast to over 100 countries. Artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, and Kylie Minogue also performed at the concert. During February 2008, EWF performed on the opening night of one of the oldest and largest musical festivals in Latin America, Chile's Viña del Mar International Song Festival, Viña del Mar Festival. The audience at the gala was so impressed by EWF's performance that the band was bestowed with the ''Gaviota de Plata'' (The Silver Seagull), the festival's highest performance award. EWF's song "In the Stone" has been used for several years as the introductory theme for festival broadcasts. EarthWindAndFire München

On March 10, 2008, the band was inducted into the Olympiapark (Munich), Munich Olympic Walk Of Stars. During May 2008 EWF performed at the Apollo Theater's fourth annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Maurice and Verdine, Johnson, and Bailey each received an honorary degree from the Arts and Media College at Columbia College Chicago's 2008 commencement exercises. During the ceremony Verdine and Johnson both gave acceptance speeches before the four gave an impromptu performance of "Shining Star". EWF performed at the opening ceremony of the 2008 US Open (tennis), 2008 US Open, which was hosted by Forest Whitaker and served to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of tennis' Open Era with a parade of more than 25 former US Open singles champions. EWF performed at the White House on February 22, 2009, for the Governors' Dinner; they were the first musical artists to perform there after Barack Obama took office. During April 2009 former EWF keyboardist

died from a heart attack, at the age of 46. On April 26, 2009, EWF appeared at the 39th New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The band aligned with Chicago once again for a joint tour. In September 2009 EWF were bestowed with the Daniel L. Stephenson award for lifetime achievement in music at the Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival. During February 2010 the band participated in the recording of the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" single. Within that year Maurice, Verdine, and Bailey together with former EWF members McKay and Dunn were inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. In November 2011, the band received the Legend Award at the Soul Train Awards at Atlanta, Georgia's Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia), Fox Theatre. 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. On February 29, 2012, former EWF rhythm guitarist

died, at the age of 60. EWF, along with former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton and Charlie Wilson (singer), Charlie Wilson, guested on the LL Cool J track "Something About You". The song appeared on his 2013 album ''Authentic (LL Cool J album), Authentic''.

''Now, Then & Forever''

''Now, Then & Forever'', the group's first album in eight years, was released on September 10, 2013, by Legacy Recordings/Sony Music. Artists such as Siedah Garrett, former bandmate

and Terrence Blanchard made guest appearances upon the LP. The album was also the first without musical input from founder

, although he contributed to the it's liner notes. The album reached No. 25 on the UK Pop Album Charts, No. 11 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 6 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Now, Then & Forever was also certified Silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry, BPI. Emerys Baird of ''

'' gave a nine out of ten rating, calling the album a "glorious return to form. EW&F have produced an incredibly well balanced body of work, a set full of contrast and colour, sublime stuff." Elias Leight of ''Popmatters'' also wrote "Now, Then & Forever has all the old colors and grooves, an impeccable rhythm section, prominent guitars, and indomitable horns that trace and re-trace motifs, dancing rings around everything." A song from the album called "Guiding Lights" was released as a single and rose to No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Smooth Jazz Songs chart and No. 30 on the ''Billboard''

chart. Another single, "My Promise", reached No. 28 on the ''Billboard'' Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 30 on the ''Billboard''

chart. Singles Never and Why? (Earth, Wind & Fire song), Why?, from ''The Promise'', were later issued in 2014. "Never" rose to No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' Smooth Jazz Songs chart. "Why?" got to No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Smooth Jazz Songs chart.

''Holiday''

On January 13, 2014, former percussionist Beloyd Taylor, who co-wrote the band's 1976 hit "Getaway", died. During February 2014 EWF performed alongside Pharrell Williams, Pharrell, Janelle Monae at the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. On May 2, former lead vocalist

died at age 65. On September 13, 2014, EWF performed at Proms in the Park at Hyde Park with the BBC Concert Orchestra. On October 21, 2014, EWF released their first ever holiday album, titled ''Holiday (Earth, Wind & Fire album), Holiday''. That album rose to No. 26 on the ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart. On December 8, 2014, EWF performed at the Kennedy Center Honors, honoring Al Green. On December 14, 2014, the band performed at the Christmas in Washington event. Maurice White died on February 4, 2016. He was survived by his wife, his two sons, daughter and his brothers Verdine and Fred. Along with EWF, Maurice was posthumously bestowed with a

at the annual Grammy Awards ceremony on February 15, 2016. At the ceremony

and Pentatonix performed a rendition of " That's the Way of the World" in tribute to White. During December 4 of that year, the band were also honoured with a Ebony Magazine, Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ebony Power 100 Gala held in the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. On June 6, 2017, EWF performed in downtown Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music Television, CMT concert series program, CMT Crossroads, with artists such as Dan + Shay, Martina McBride, Rascall Flatts, Lady Antebellum, Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Sara Evans. A performance of "September" with Antebellum on the show was nominated for a CMT Music Award in the category of Performance of the Year. During Summer 2017 the band went on a North American tour entitled, 2054-The Tour, with Chic (band), Chic. EWF went on to perform on the forum float at the 2018 Rose Parade held in Pasadena, California. On May 2, 2018, the band started a Concert residency, Las Vegas Residency at the Venetian Theatre, Las Vegas, Nevada. On September 10, 2019, The Los Angeles City Council declared that September 21 would be dedicated Earth, Wind & Fire Day. On November 22 of that year the band received the Portrait of a Nation Prize at the Smithsonian's American Portrait Gala. EWF were one of the inductees at the 42nd

that took place on December 7, 2019. EWF became the first Black group to be inducted into Kennedy Honors. The band later guested on Meghan Trainor's October 2020 "Christmas music, Christmas Album A Very Trainor Christmas". During September 2021, EWF reached the top 10 of Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay chart for the first time in 28 years with their new single “You Want My Love,” featuring Lucky Daye. On 24 April 2022, former saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk passed away at the age of 71. The band later embarked on a joint summer tour with Carlos Santana and made a guest appearance on the Isley Brothers' September 2022 album Make Me Say It Again, Girl.

Legacy

Earth, Wind & Fire's songs have been covered by artists including Whitney Houston, D'Angelo, Donny Osmond,

, Taylor Swift, Olly Murs, Kirk Franklin, Wynonna Judd, Maxine Nightingale, Yolanda Adams, Ledisi, Miki Howard, Chicago (band), Chicago, Chaka Khan and 112 (band), 112. EWF has been sampled by artists such as Drake (musician), Drake, A Tribe Called Quest, Missy Elliott, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, the Fugees, LL Cool J, Kid Ink, Salt-N-Pepa and Basement Jaxx. The band has also been sampled by the likes of Björk, Sean Combs, Diddy, The Roots, Will Smith, Nas, TLC (group), TLC, Common (rapper), Common, Lupe Fiasco, Big Sean, Tupac Shakur and MC Lyte. EWF has influenced artists such as Beyoncé, Usher (musician), Usher, will.i.am, Janelle Monáe, Mary J. Blige,

, Pharrell Williams, India Arie, Jon Secada, and Wyclef Jean. They have also been influential to artists like Angie Stone, Patrice Rushen, The All-American Rejects, Nelly Teena Marie, Musiq Soulchild, Solange Knowles, Babyface (musician), Babyface, Taylor Dayne, Will Gregory of Goldfrapp, Outkast, and Gloria Estefan. Artists such as Jamiroquai, Melissa Etheridge, Pitbull (rapper), Pitbull, Lenny Kravitz,Vanessa Williams, Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, Justice (band), Justice Omarion, Rob Bourdon of Linkin Park, Jill Scott (singer), Jill Scott, and Justin Timberlake have also been influenced by EWF. The band has influenced artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Lalah Hathaway, Amy Winehouse, and Meghan Trainor. Miles Davis described EWF as his "all time favorite band", saying, "they have everything (horns, electric guitar, singers and more) in one band". Quincy Jones proclaimed himself to be the "biggest fan of Earth, Wind & Fire since day one." Alicia Keys proclaimed EWF as being "the best band ever". Dionne Warwick named Earth, Wind & Fire her favorite group of all time. Mark Ronson proclaimed that he loves "anything by Earth, Wind & Fire". In the movie ''Baadasssss!'', the actor Khalil Kain portrayed a young Maurice White leading the early incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire. Released at the Sundance Film Festival, the film was based on Melvin Van Peebles' struggle to film and distribute the movie ''

'' and was directed by his son Mario Van Peebles.

Members

– lead vocals, conga, percussion, kalimba (1972–1984; 1987–present) *

– bass guitar, backing vocals (1970–1984; 1987–present) * Ralph Johnson – percussion, backing vocals (1972–1984; 1987–present); drums (1972–1984) with * 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 (album), Earth, Wind & Fire'' (1971) * ''

'' (1971) * '' Last Days and Time'' (1972) * ''

'' (1973) * '' Open Our Eyes'' (1974) * '' That's the Way of the World'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1977) * ''

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1980) * ''

'' (1981) * ''

'' (1983) * ''

'' (1983) * '' Touch the World'' (1987) * ''

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1997) * ''The Promise (Earth, Wind & Fire album), The Promise'' (2003) * ''Illumination (Earth, Wind & Fire album), Illumination'' (2005) * ''Now, Then & Forever'' (2013) * ''Holiday (Earth, Wind & Fire album), Holiday'' (2014) * ''The Classic Christmas Album (Earth, Wind & Fire album), The Classic Christmas Album'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire, 1970 establishments in Illinois American funk musical groups American soul musical groups Columbia Records artists Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups from Chicago Warner Records artists

History

1969–1970: Beginnings

1970–1974: Formation and early years

Earth, Wind & Fire

''Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song''

''The Need of Love''

''Last Days and Time''

''Head to the Sky''

''Open Our Eyes''

''Another Time''

1975–1980: Ornate sound

''That's the Way of the World''

''Gratitude''

''Spirit''

''All'n All''

''The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1''

''I Am''

''Faces''

1981–1996: Electric sound

''Raise!''

''Powerlight''

''Electric Universe''

Hiatus

''Touch the World''

''The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2''

''Heritage''

''The Eternal Dance''

''Millenium''

1996–present: Neo period

''In the Name of Love''

''The Ultimate Collection''

''The Essential Earth, Wind & Fire''

''The Promise''

''Illumination''

''Now, Then & Forever''

''Holiday''

Legacy

Members

Awards and nominations

Discography

See also

References

Further reading

External links