Maurice White

composer; music producer; singer

Personal Information

Born on December 19, 1941, in Chicago, IL;
Education: Chicago Conservatory of Music.

Career

Chess Records, studio drummer, 1962-67; Ramsey Lewis Trio, drummer, 1967-69; formed band, the Salty Peppers, which signed with Capitol Records, 1969; changed name of band to Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) and signed with Warner Bros. label, 1971; revamped EWF lineup and signed with Columbia records, 1974; appeared with EWF in the motion picture Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1978; formed own label, ARC, in conjunction with Columbia Records, late 1970s; formed Kalimba Productions, 1983, produced albums by Ramsey Lewis, Deneice Williams, Valerie Carter, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, El DeBarge, and others; returned to Warner Bros. label with EWF, 1992; withdrew from touring, but remained principal composer and producer of EWF.

Life's Work

The name Maurice White is practically synonymous with the musical term "crossover." During the 1970s, a new brand of pop music was born, one that was steeped in African and African-American styles--particularly jazz and R&B--but appealed to a broader cross-section of the listening public. As founder and leader of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, White not only embraced, but helped bring about this evolution of pop which bridged the gap that has often separated the musical tastes of black and white America.

White was born December 19, 1941, in Chicago. At an early age, his family, which included ten children, moved to Memphis. Here White was immersed in a rich musical culture that spanned the boundaries between jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, and early rock. All of these styles played a role in the development White's musical identity. At age six, White began singing in his church's gospel choir, but soon his interest turned to percussion. He began working gigs as a drummer while still in high school. His first professional performance was with Booker T. Jones, who eventually achieved stardom with Booker T and the MGs.

After graduating high school, White moved back to the Windy City to continue his musical education at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. He continued picking up drumming jobs on the side, which eventually lead to a steady spot as a studio percussionist with the legendary Chicago label, Chess Records. At Chess, White had the privilege of playing with such greats as Etta James, Willie Dixon, and Ramsey Lewis, whose trio he joined in 1967. White spent nearly three years as part of the Ramsey Lewis Trio. "Ramsey helped shape my musical vision beyond just the music," White said in biography provided by Great Scott Productions. "I learned about performance and staging." From Lewis, White also learned about the African thumb piano, or kalimba, an instrument whose sound would become central to much of his work over the years.

In 1969 White moved to Los Angeles to form his own band, initially called the Salty Peppers. That band featured White on vocals, percussion, and kalimba, along with keyboardists/vocalists Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. The Peppers recorded briefly for the Capitol label, but did not manage to reach a large audience. White switched labels in 1971, signing a new contract with Warner Brothers. He simultaneously made what may have been the smartest move of his young career: he changed the band's name to Earth, Wind & Fire, after the three elements in his astrological chart. The new name also captured White's spiritual approach to music--a brand of music that transcended categories and appealed to multiple artistic principals, including composition, musicianship, production, and performance. In addition to White, Flemons, and Whitehead, the original lineup included Michael Beale on guitar, Leslie Drayton, Chester Washington and Alex Thomas on horns, Sherry Scott on vocals, and percussionist Phillard Williams.

Earth, Wind & Fire cranked out three albums for Warner in less than two years: the eponymous Earth, Wind & Fire, The Need of Love, and the soundtrack album Sweet Sweetback's Baadasss Song. The band scored hits with two singles from those albums, "Love is Life" (1971) and "Evil" (1973), but White nevertheless became disillusioned with Warner Brothers, which had signed the group primarily as a jazz act. White, in contrast, was more interested in combining elements of jazz, rock, and soul into an evolving form of fusion, a truly universal sound. This time, he did more than jump labels. In addition to signing a new contract with Columbia, White completely retooled Earth, Wind & Fire's lineup. Flemons and Whitehead left the group, which now featured vocalists Phil Bailey and Jessica Cleaves, guitarist Johnny Graham, guitarist/percussionist Al McKay, and White's younger brother Verdine on bass.

The newly reformulated group's first album, 1974's Open Your Eyes, reached number 15 on the pop charts. From there it only got better. The following year, their song "Shining Star," from the soundtrack album from the film That's the Way of the World (in which the band appeared), captured a Grammy award. The album itself cracked the year's Top Ten. Another movie appearance, in the 1978 picture Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, stoked the bands growing fame further yet, providing another Top Ten hit in their cover version of the Beatles's "Got to Get You into My Life." But it was a cultural movement quite different from any associated with the Beatles that really pushed Earth, Wind & Fire over the threshold into superstardom: disco. The band rode that dance club craze to new heights, scoring one smash single after another, and a string of platinum and double platinum albums.

Their live performances were stellar as well. Sellout crowds were spellbound by the band's bombastic performances, which blasted a cosmic wave of peace, love, and other happy vibrations at audiences using a combination of lights, pyrotechnics, and plain old good music. Sometimes they even threw in magic illusions. Earth, Wind & Fire's message was one of universal harmony, in both musical and cultural senses. "We live in a negative society," White told Newsweek. "Most people can't see beauty and love. I see our music as medicine."

In 1983, burnt out from a decade of nonstop touring and recording, Earth, Wind & Fire entered a period of self-imposed inactivity. White used the break to launch his own company, Kalimba Productions. Kalimba produced albums over the next several years by the likes of the Emotions, Ramsey Lewis, Deneice Williams, Valerie Carter, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, El DeBarge, and Jennifer Holliday. White also made a solo album of his own, which included his Top Ten cover of the Ben E. King classic "Stand By Me." White also increased his involvement in motion picture soundtrack work. The group got back together in 1986, releasing the album Touch the World and embarking on a corresponding nine-month world tour. All told, Earth, Wind & Fire had 38 hits on the R&B charts between 1971 and 1988, 32 of them making the pop charts as well.

After touring in support of Touch the World, the band members again dispersed, only to regroup in 1990 to record the album Heritage. Two years later, Earth, Wind & Fire released The Eternal Dance, a 55-track boxed set retrospective of the band's entire history. The appearance of such a project after a prolonged period of relative inactivity signaled to many listeners that the band was calling it quits, but that did not turn out to be case. In 1992 a new version of the band backed by a new horn section and featuring core members Maurice and Verdine White and Phil Bailey, returned to the studio--and to White's old label, Warner Brothers. The resulting album was entitled Millennium.

By the mid-1990s, Earth, Wind & Fire was back in the swing, but without Maurice White as part of the touring group. He remained the band's heart and soul from behind the scenes, as composer and producer. White's withdrawal from touring gave him more time to focus on his production efforts for other artists. While some observers speculated that it was health considerations that prompted White's decision to give up touring, White insisted it was not the case. However, in March of 2000, just before his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, White revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years earlier, and had in fact been experiencing symptoms since the late 1980s. But White's battle with Parkinson's was not enough to stop him from launching his own record label, Kalimba Records, and continuing to operate the production company of the same name. "Parkinson's doesn't affect my work at all," White told Jet. "There's nothing I could do before the diagnosis that I can't do now." As the 21st century began, White remained a vital and productive artist. He was no longer touring with Earth, Wind & Fire; but he had merely "crossed over" into the next phase of his stellar musical career.

Awards

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2000; with EWF: six Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Works

Selected discography

• (with Earth, Wind & Fire)
• Earth, Wind and Fire, Warner Bros., 1971.
• The Need of Love, Warner Bros., 1972.
• Last Days and Time, Columbia, 1972.
• Head to the Sky, Columbia, 1973.
• Another Time, Warner Bros., 1974.
• Open Our Eyes, Columbia, 1974.
• That's the Way of the World, Columbia, 1975.
• Gratitude, Columbia, 1975.
• Spirit, Columbia, 1976.
• All 'n' All, Columbia, 1977.
• I Am, Columbia, 1979.
• Face, Columbia, 1981.
• Raise, Columbia, 1981.
• Powerlight, Columbia, 1983.
• Touch the World, Columbia, 1987.
• Heritage, Columbia, 1990.
• The Eternal Dance, Columbia, 1992.
• Millennium, Warner Bros., 1993.

Further Reading

Periodicals

• Jet, April 16, 1981; November 21, 1994; March 20, 2000.
• Newsweek, March 6, 1978.
• USA Today, April 10, 2000.

Other

• Additional material was provided by Great Scott Productions.

— Robert R. Jacobson

See Maurice White Lyrics

• Born: December 19, 1941, Memphis, TN
• Active: '70s, '80s, '90s
• Genres: Rhythm & Blues
• Instrument: Vocals, Drums, Songwriter Representative Album: "Maurice White"

Biography

Singer/drummer/songwriter/producer Maurice White founded the '70s supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire. White, a former session drummer for legendary Chicago-based labels OKeh Records and Chess Records (Etta James, Fontella Bass, Billy Stewart, Ramsey Lewis, Sonny Stitt's 1966 LP Soul in the Night, the Radiants, among others), aspired to form a band like no other pop music had ever known. It certainly was successful, as EWF combined high-caliber musicianship, a wide-ranging musical genre eclecticism, and '70s multicultural spiritualism that included Biblical references.

The Chicago-born band had 46 charting R&B singles and 33 charting pop singles (including eight gold singles), won six Grammys and four American Music Awards, and earned more than 50 gold and platinum albums. Charles Stepney, a former Chess arranger, producer, session musician, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, was White's main collaborator on his EWF projects and sides created through his Kalimba Productions and released on ARC, White's Columbia-distributed label. Though EWF is White's best-known band, earlier he had formed the Salty Peppers with his brother, EWF bassist Verdine White, who recorded "Uh Hun Yeah" b/w "Your Love Is Life" for Capitol Records.

Born December 19, 1941, in Memphis, TN, White got the concept of EWF from a drum and bugle corps band from his hometown. He formed the band after having touring stints with Santana, Weather Report, and Uriah Heep. One night after an EWF concert in Denver, CO, White briefly met singer Philip Bailey. It was an encounter that was to prove vital to Bailey's future and to the history of American pop music. Bailey left college a year later and decided to pursue a musical career in Los Angeles. Once he arrived on the West Coast, he hooked up again with Earth, Wind & Fire. Maurice White had arrived in L.A. only the year before with visions of creating a truly universal music group, one that was spiritually charged and ambitious in scope, defying boundaries of color, culture, and categorization. Those ideas appealed to Bailey as well and he joined the group in 1972. Bailey's shimmering falsetto blended perfectly with White's charismatic tenor.

First recording for Warner Bros. (the ballad "I Think About Lovin' You" featured vocals by Jessica Cleaves and hit number 44 R&B in early 1972), then Columbia Records (debuting with the 1972 LP Last Days and Time), the group slowly began to build a reputation for innovative recordings and exciting live shows, complete with feats of magic (floating pianos, disappearing acts) engineered by Doug Henning. Their first gold LP, Head to the Sky, peaked at number 27 pop in summer 1973, yielding a smooth tangy cover of "Evil" and the title track single. The first platinum EWF LP, Open Our Eyes, whose title track was a remake of the classic originally recorded by Savoy Records group the Gospel Clefs, included "Mighty Mighty" (number four R&B) and "Kalimba Story" (number six R&B).

White once again shared a label roster with Ramsey Lewis, whose Columbia debut, Sun Goddess, was issued in December 1974. The radio-aired title track, released as a single under the name Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind & Fire, went to number 20 R&B in early 1975. A smoking cover of Stevie Wonder's 1973 number one R&B hit "Living for the City" got massive airplay. The Sun Goddess album went gold, hitting number 12 pop in early 1975. White had also played on Lewis' other high-charting LP, Wade in the Water; the title track single peaked at number three R&B in summer 1966.

The inspiration for one of EWF's most beloved singles, "Shining Star," was gleamed from thoughts White had during a walk under the star-filled skies that surrounded the mountains around Caribou Ranch, CO, a popular recording site and retreat during the '70s. The track was originally included in the That's the Way of the World movie that starred Harvey Keitel and was produced by Sig Shore (Superfly). The film is said to be the most accurate music business-themed movie ever made. "Shining Star" glittered at number one R&B for two weeks and hit number one pop in early 1975. It was included on their 1975 double-platinum LP That's the Way of the World, which held the number one pop spot for three weeks in spring 1975. The title track single made it to number five R&B in summer 1975. It also yielded the classic ballad "Reasons," an extremely popular radio-aired LP track. "Shining Star" was immortalized in a hilarious segment of TV's Seinfeld when Julia-Louis Dreyfus unleashed a dance that became known as "the Elaine."

The two-record half-live/half-studio two-million-selling set Gratitude held the number one pop LP spot for three weeks in late 1975. On the album was "Sing a Song" (gold, number one R&B for two weeks, number five pop), the Skip Scarborough ballad "Can't Hide Love" (number 11 R&B), and the popular radio-aired LP tracks "Celebrate," "Gratitude," and the live version of "Reasons." In 1976, White decided he want to record a spiritual album. The double-platinum LP Spirit parked at number two pop for two weeks in fall 1976 and boasted the gold number one R&B single "Getaway" and "Saturday Nite." Spirit is remembered as one of EWF's best albums and sadly for also being the last project of Charles Stepney, who died May 17, 1976, in Chicago, IL, at the age of 43.

The All 'N All LP went triple platinum, peaked at number three pop in late 1977, won three Grammys, was co-produced by Joe Wissert, and had arrangements by Chicago soul mainstay Tom-Tom Washington and Eumir Deodato. The singles were "Serpentine Fire" (number one R&B for seven weeks) and "Fantasy." The platinum greatest-hits set The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 included a cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You into My Life," which went to number one R&B and number nine pop in summer 1978 (the flip side, the gentle acoustic guitar ballad "I'll Write a Song for You" with lead vocals by Bailey, received massive R&B radio play). The group performed the song in the 1978 Bee Gees/Peter Frampton movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Another single, "September," made it to number one R&B, number eight pop in early 1978. On the flip side was the enchanting popular radio-aired LP track "Love's Holiday" from All 'N All.

Around this time, Philip Bailey used members of Earth, Wind & Fire on an album that he produced for the singing group Free Life, signed to Columbia's Epic imprint. Their single, the Bailey-written ballad "Wish You Were Here," charted number 91 R&B in early 1979. That and the other singles, "Stomp and Shout" and a non-LP single "Dance Fantasy" b/w "There's Something Better," as well as the album Free Life, had EWF influences. "Wish You Were Here" became a post-release collectible among soft soul music lovers and was included on various compilations. The two-million-selling I Am hit number three pop in summer 1979 on the strength of the million-selling single "Boogie Wonderland" with the Emotions (number two R&B for four weeks, number six pop) and the phenomenal gold ballad "After the Love Is Gone," written by David Foster and Allee Willis, which stayed at number two R&B/pop for two weeks. Their Faces LP peaked at number ten pop in late 1980 and was boosted to gold by the singles "Let Me Talk" (number eight R&B), "You" (number ten R&B), and "And Love Goes On." The million-selling funked-up "Let's Groove," co-written by the Emotions' Wanda Vaughn and her husband, Wayne Vaughn, was the track that re-energized EWF's career, parking at number one R&B for eight weeks and number three pop, causing their Raise LP to go platinum, hitting number five pop in late 1981. Their next gold album, Powerlight, made it to number 12 pop in spring 1983 and included the Top Ten R&B single "Magnetic." Their Electric Universe LP stalled at number 40 pop in early 1974, breaking the band's string of gold and platinum albums.

White decided he and the band needed a hiatus. He signed a solo deal with Columbia that resulted in a sweet cover of Ben E. King's 1961 hit "Stand by Me" (number six R&B). Maurice White, issued in fall 1985, also included the chimey, island-flavored "Switch on Your Radio" and the airy ballad "I Need You," a radio-aired LP track. White sang backing vocals on fellow Columbia artist Neil Diamond's 1986 "Headed for the Future" and can be heard on Diamond's 1996 best-of Sony CD In My Lifetime. Reuniting with EWF in 1987, the group scored yet another number one R&B single, "System of Survival." The smash was included on the gold Touch the World album. EWF's last charting pop LP was Millennium in fall 1993.

Earth, Wind & Fire (sans White) appeared on A&E's live concert/call-in show Live by Request in July 1999. That same year, White began a new Navarre-distributed label, Kalimba Records, whose roster included Freddie Ravel and the band Sixth Sense. Kalimba Productions scored hits with Deniece Williams, the Emotions, and DJ Rogers' "Love Brought Me Back." ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide

Maurice White [Bonus Track] Buy this CD

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