Maurice White 74 leader of Earth, Wind & Fire Dies

[Dianna]

We've lost another great artist RIP


www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-maurice-white-earth-wind-fire-dies-20160204-story.html

[erik]

Man, has this turned out to be a really rough year for the music business.

Earth, Wind, and Fire were one of the really great groups of a time, the 1970s, where there were so many, and they had such a great batch of hits, including "That's The Way Of The World", "Get Away", "Fantasy", "After The Love Has Gone", and tons more.

I really cannot believe how many great people are falling away from us in 2016--David Bowie; Glenn Frey; Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane); and now Maurice White. It is absolutely scary (IMHO).

[jhar26]

Feb 4, 2016 18:28:10 GMT -5 erik said:

Man, has this turned out to be a really rough year for the music business.

Earth, Wind, and Fire were one of the really great groups of a time, the 1970s, where there were so many, and they had such a great batch of hits, including "That's The Way Of The World", "Get Away", "Fantasy", "After The Love Has Gone", and tons more.

I really cannot believe how many great people are falling away from us in 2016--David Bowie; Glenn Frey; Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane); and now Maurice White. It is absolutely scary (IMHO).

To say the least. And than there was also that Signe Anderson lady from the Jefferson Airplane and that drummer of Mott The Hoople. And Natalie Cole.

[erik]

I shudder to think about who might be next, to be very honest.

[moe]

Spent the last thirty minutes composing a thoughtful dissertation of all the deaths and the fucking computer ate it all-I give up!  In a nutshell what I wanted to say that I think the passing of these individuals means more to people of our generation because they spoke to us.  Some by virtue of their words and some like Linda went straight for the heart and soul with the words of others. I think we may be the first generation that musicians provided at least part of the basis for our religion, philosophy and politics. Simply said they meant something to us so their departure was more than just the death of a celebrity but more like the loss of a friend and companion.  Take that Bill Gates!!!  

[Dianna]

All true Moe, Jhar and Erik. It did say he suffered from Parkinson's Disease beginning in the 1990's as well. It's been a crazy messed up beginning of 2016.

[cescpa]

Born in 1961 and a child of the 70's in my "formative years" ... Earth Wind & Fire and CHICAGO were my favorite
bands to listen to - and they were the reason that I fell in love with "horn bands" ... while most young "rock" fans might prefer to play
air guitar or do an air drum solo in the privacy of their car or alone in their bedroom or office ... I always preferred to
do "air trumpet' finger moves along to the horn players' charts because bands like this







I went on to admire bands such as the EAGLES & LYNYRD SKYNRYD & STEELY DAN along the way too ... but at the heart of it, the "horn bands"
were my first love ...

copied from Billboard


"My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," Earth, Wind & Fire co-founder Verdine White said in a statement released to the press. "While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life-changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes."

A musical visionary and savvy showman, White brought his multi-talents as a singer/songwriter/producer/musician/arranger to bear on what ultimately became one of music's most influential, iconic and longest-running bands. The six-time Grammy Award-winning Earth, Wind & Fire -- whose moniker was chosen from the elements in White's astrological sign, Sagitatarius -- eschewed categorization with its game-changing fusion of R&B/soul, pop, jazz, funk, disco, rock, Latin and African rhythms. Further heightening the band's eclectic mix: White's nimble playing of the kalimba, an African thumb piano, and a tight, riveting horn section.

Scoring its first top five R&B single in 1974 with "Mighty Mighty," the band nabbed its first R&B/pop crossover hit a year later with "Shining Star," No. 1 on both charts. Embracing the themes of empowerment, unity, spirituality and love, White guided the band through a host of R&B and pop hits that have since become classics, among them: "That's the Way of the World," "Sing a Song," "Serpentine Fire," "September" and "After the Love Has Gone." Beyond the music, Earth, Wind & Fire concerts became can't-miss spectacles during which the brilliantly garbed band members mesmerized audiences with disappearing acts and other magic tricks.

Earth, Wind & Fire's Biggest Billboard Hits

Born in Memphis in 1941, White moved to Chicago in the early '60s and was hired as a session drummer for Chess Records. Reading like a who's who, the artists he played for included Etta James, Ramsey Lewis (with whom EWF collaborated with for the 1975's "Sun Goddess"), Muddy Waters and the Impressions. Following a post-Chess stint as a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, White became a member of the Capitol-signed band Salty Peppers with friends Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead.

Relocating to Los Angeles, White established the nine-member first incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire in 1971 with himself, Flemons, Whitehead and White's bass-playing brother Verdine among its members. Under contract to Warner Bros., the band released two albums. By 1973, a remodeled Earth, Wind & Fire -- including the White siblings, vocalists Philip Bailey and Jessica Cleaves (Friends of Distinction), drummer Ralph Johnson and keyboardist Larry Dunn -- was signed to Columbia Records. From that period through the early '80s, the band was a permanent fixture on both the R&B and pop charts.

[sliderocker]

Just like Erik, I shudder to think who might be next. To have lost so many musical artists so early into the new year is just unbelievable. The most obvious possibilities of artists we could lose are the ones dealing with the most serious illnesses or the ones who are dealing with multiple illnesses.

I don't want to suggest any of or the artists we have listened to or even artists we don't like. There's always someone who likes them, but again, the sad truth of the matter is, many of our favorite artists and even some or many of us are at an age where death is a possibility.

And another sad truth is, that even though we don't know them, a little bit of us dies with them. We are strangers to them and strangers to each other for most of us, but we're all part of the same human family. That gives us a bond to each other but with each passing, we should be more appreciative of the ones who are still here for the moment. We touch each other in ways we don't even know until it is to too late to say thank you to others. And then our world grows a little lonelier as we mourn another who leaves the world. We are part of them just as they are part of us, and so part of us dies with them. I'm hoping this is the end for a while, but I am afraid it's only the beginning.

[erik]

Here's another of EWF's big hits in tribute to Maurice--1976's "Getaway":

[Richard W]

Also admired White's work with Valerie Carter on her debut, especially the stomping horn arrangement of "City Lights."