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Earth, Wind & Fire
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Earth, Wind & Fire began in 1969 in Chicago. Maurice White, who had worked as a session drummer at Chess Records and played in Ramsey Lewis's trio, wrote songs and advertising music there with two friends. As The Salty Peppers they had a minor hit with La La Time. White moved to Los Angeles, brought in his younger brother Verdine as bassist and gave the group a new name, taken from the elements in his horoscope. The first albums appeared in 1971, and the band also played on the soundtrack of the film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.
Music and breakthrough
In 1972 White put together a new, younger line-up, with, among others, the singer Philip Bailey and the keyboardist Larry Dunn, and the group moved to Columbia. With Head to the Sky (1973) and Open Our Eyes (1974) their success grew. The album That's the Way of the World (1975) reached number 1, as did the single Shining Star. With that Earth, Wind & Fire became the first Black act to top the American album and singles charts at the same time. The live album Gratitude (1975) followed, and the group stayed at the top for years.
Influence
The music blends funk and soul with jazz, disco, Latin American rhythms and African influences. Its hallmarks are the powerful horn section, the kalimba, an African thumb piano, and the contrast between Maurice White's tenor voice and Philip Bailey's falsetto. On stage the band gave exuberant shows. Rolling Stone wrote that Earth, Wind & Fire changed the sound of Black popular music. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Listening
September · Earth, Wind & Fire, 1978Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 1971Earth, Wind & Fire
- 1971Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (soundtrack)
- 1971The Need of Love
- 1972Last Days and Time
- 1973Head to the Sky
- 1974Open Our Eyes
- 1975That’s the Way of the World (soundtrack)
- 1976Spirit
- 1977All ’n All
- 1979I Am
- 1980Faces
- 1981Raise!
- 1983Electric Universe
- 1983Powerlight
- 1987Touch the World
- 1990Heritage
- 1993Millennium
- 1996Avatar
- 1997In the Name of Love
- 2003The Promise
- 2005Illumination
- 2013Now, Then & Forever
- 2014Holiday
- 2015The Classic Christmas Album
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 6: Fear of a Black PlanetNL Reader
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Funk Genre
George Clinton with P-Funk, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire built on it.
- Blaxploitation: soul and funk Genre
Melvin Van Peebles made Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) and wrote the music himself; it was played by the then still unknown Earth, Wind & Fire.