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WORK TITLE: My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 12/19/1941-2/4/2016
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.lltracks.com/review-maurice-white-autobiography * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_White * http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/maurice-white-earth-wind-fire-singer-and-co-founder-dead-at-74-20160204 *
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born December 19, 1941, in Memphis, TN; died February 4, 2016, in Los Angeles, CA, from complications due to Parkinson’s disease; son of Verdine White, Sr. and Edna Adams; married; wife’s name Marilyn; children: Kahbran, Eden, and Hamia (MiMi).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and arranger. Founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire; served as the band’s co-lead singer, main songwriter, and record producer, c. 1969-1983; previously worked as a studio musician and in other bands. Also worked with numerous recording artists as a producer and arranger; wrote songs for the films Coming to America and Undercover Brother; composed music for the television series Life Is Wild; composed songs for the Broadway play Hot Feed, 2006.
AWARDS:Grammy Award (7 with band Earth, Wind & Fire, one solo award) (20 nominations overall), National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States, awards include Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), 1978, for “Got to Get You into My Life.” Other awards include American Music Awards; BET Lifetime Achievement Award, Black Entertainment Television (BET); ASCAP Rhythm And Soul Award, Pop Music Award, and Rhythm and Soul Heritage Award, all the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; NAACP Image Awards (three), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Cultural Achievement Award Of Excellence. Los Angeles Valley College, 2005; honorary doctorates, including honorary degrees from the Berkley College of Music and Columbia College of Chicago, both 2008; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Earth, Wind & Fire and individually; awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
WRITINGS
Composer of music, songs, and lyrics for the band Earth, Wind & Fire and for individual artists.
SIDELIGHTS
Maurice White was an accomplished composer, musician, and record producer. Born in South Memphis in Tennessee, White was nominated for numerous Grammy awards and won several during the course of his career. He is best known as the founder and leader of the band Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF). White died at the age of seventy-four in 2017 from complications due to Parkinson’s disease. “For several years in the 1970s and ’80s, EWF was one of the leading acts in America, with horn-driven, vocally intricate and often uplifting songs that became the soundtrack of a generation,” wrote Todd Leopold and Emanuella Grinberg in a CNN Wire report on White’s death.
White’s memoir, My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, written with Herb Powell, was published in 2016. Earth, Wind & Fire had several multi-platinum albums and sold more than ninety million albums worldwide. The group won six Grammy awards and White won one individual award as well. The entire band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. “White … helped innovate a lush, eclectic style with Earth, Wind and Fire that drew inspiration from funk, jazz, R&B and Latin music – as well as Sly Stone and James Brown,” wrote Rolling Stone contributor Kory Grow.
In his memoir, White recounts his life, from his poor childhood and early love of music to his later international success with Earth, Wind and Fire and via collaborative efforts with other artists. “In My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, [is] an indelibly thoughtful and penetrating memoir,” wrote Soul Tracks Web site contributor Justin Kantor, pointing out that White wrote the memoir over the last five years of his life and adding: “White conveys with sincerity and depth his journey.” White details his life growing up in the segregated South. He lived with his “grandmother,” Elvira Robinson, who was actually a friend of White’s mother, from the age of four until he graduated from high school. Growing up in the Foote Homes Projects in Memphis, he attended Booker T. Washington High School. White recounts that he was often bullied, largely due to his skin tone. He was also beaten by the police when he was sixteen years old. White recounts that it was Robinson who taught him the value of hard work. White worked a few months each years in the cotton fields and eventually provided for himself and Robinson after Robinson’s health deteriorated.
White’s childhood friends included Booker T. Jones, founder of the band Booker T. & the M.G.’s. Jones went on to becomes a noted songwriter, arranger, and record producer. According to White, he and jones formed a band while they were together in high school. “White describes with fresh enthusiasm the blossoming of his musical prowess alongside another future multifaceted wonder of song, Booker T. Jones, and the affirming place in his life it grew to be as he endured circumstances that could have well sent him in another direction in life,” wrote Soul Tracks Web site contributor Kantor.
White did visit his mother and stepfather, who was a doctor, in Chicago. He ended up attending the Chicago Conservatory of Music and made money by playing drums in nightclubs. He would go on to become a session drummer at Chess Records, playing on many hit songs and albums. After a stint in two bands in the early 1960s, White joined the established Ramsey Lewis Trio. White left the trio in 1969 and began writing songs for commercials along with two friends. Together they formed a group called the Salty Peppers and landed a recording contract with Capitol Records. Early releases garnered little attention and White moved to Los Angeles and the band became Earth, Wind & Fire.
White’s memoir follows him through his days after the original Earth, Wind & Fire was disbanded in the early 1980s, detailing his career as a producer working with various artists. In 1985, white had a solo hit with his rendition of the song “Stand by Me.” White also writes extensively about his battle with Parkinson disease, which he developed in the 1990s. He details his initial period of denial and the subsequent acceptance of the debilitating disease. He writes about he continued to work as a music producer and how he eventually had to make major changes to his life, including no longer actively working in music. The memoir also recounts how White was able to transfer his lifelong philosophy concerning his musical career, which involved both hard work and a spiritual and social consciousness, to his own battle with Parkinson’s disease, which lasted for fifteen years from the date of White’s last performance. “The memoir captures a life of determination, positivity, and success tempered by depth and humility,” wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor.
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
White, Maurice, and Herb Powell, My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, Armistad (New York, NY), 2016.
PERIODICALS
CNN Wire, February 9, 2016, “Maurice White, Leader and Founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, dies at 74.”
Publishers Weekly, July 11, 2016, review of My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, p. 59.
USA Today, February 8, 2016, Elysa Gardner,”Maurice White was R&B’s Shining Star,” p. 06D.
ONLINE
North Dallas Gazette Online, http://northdallasgazette.com (January 3, 2017), review of My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire.
Rollings Stone Online, http://www.rollingstone.com/ (February 4, 2016), Kory Grow, “Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire Singer and Co-Founder, Dead at 74.”
Soul Tracks, http://www.soultracks.com (2016), Justin Kantor, review of My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire.*
Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire Singer and Co-Founder, Dead at 74
Singer had been battling Parkinson's disease for more than two decades
Maurice White, founder and co-lead singer of seminal funk-soul group Earth, Wind & Fire, has died at age 74 Ed Perlstein/Getty
By Kory Grow
February 4, 2016
Earth, Wind and Fire vocalist and co-founder Maurice White died in his sleep in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. A rep for the band confirmed his passing to Rolling Stone. He was 74.
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The singer had been battling Parkinson's disease since 1992, according to TMZ. His health had reportedly deteriorated in recent months. Because of the disease, he had not toured with the pioneering soul and R&B group since 1994. He nevertheless remained active on the business side of the group.
"My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," White's brother and bandmate Verdine wrote in a statement. "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."
"The light is he, shining on you and me," the band added on Twitter.
White, who formed the group with Verdine in 1969, helped innovate a lush, eclectic style with Earth, Wind and Fire that drew inspiration from funk, jazz, R&B and Latin music – as well as Sly Stone and James Brown – for a unique sound that set the tone for soul music in the Seventies. The springy, elastic soul-pop of "Shining Star," which White co-wrote, earned them their first Number One, and paved the way for hits like the joyful "Sing a Song," the percussive and brassy "September," their swinging cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life" and the robotic disco of "Let's Groove." Rolling Stone included the group's sweetly smooth 1975 single, "That's the Way of the World," on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Earth, Wind and Fire have sold more than 90 million albums around the world, according to The Associated Press. Several of their albums went multiplatinum, including 1975's That's the Way of the World, the following year's Spirit and 1977's All 'n' All. They won six Grammys over the course of their career. In 2000, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group will be honored with a lifetime achievement award later this month at the Grammys, along with Run-DMC and Herbie Hancock.
Maurice White was born in Memphis on December 19th, 1941, the son of a doctor and grandson of a New Orleans honky-tonk pianist. He moved to Chicago with his family and sang gospel from a young age. He attended the Chicago Conservatory of Music in the mid Sixties and served as a session drummer at Chess Records, where he cut records with Muddy Waters, the Impressions and Billy Stewart. In the late Sixties, he played in the Ramsay Lewis Trio, where he learned kalimba, the African thumb piano which would become a big part of Earth, Wind and Fire's sound.
White formed the first lineup of Earth, Wind and Fire with Verdine – who sang, played bass and performed percussion – in Los Angeles, naming the group after the elements on his astrological chart. Over the years, White would sing and play the kalimba, drums and produce. They signed to Capitol but switched to Warner Bros. within two years and put out two albums, and they didn't garner much attention until he brought younger musicians into the lineup. Things changed with Head to the Sky, their 1973 release. It went gold and began a long streak of hits. That's the Way of the World, the soundtrack to a Harvey Keitel flick that featured the group, contained "Shining Star," which won them a Grammy, and propelled the band into arenas, where they put on elaborate, striking stage shows. By 1978, they were asked to appear in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, where they debuted their hit Beatles cover.
"We had a strong leader," Verdine told The Telegraph in 2013. "We really looked up to Maurice. ... You have to understand that we were 21 years old when we started our journey with Earth, Wind and Fire and Maurice was 31, and so he had done a lot more things than we had. Maurice was interested in establishing a credibility of a different morality about musicians and their lifestyles. So we were into healthy food, meditation, taking vitamins, reading philosophical books, being students of life."
Throughout the Seventies, White also started a career as a producer, working with the Emotions, Ramsey Lewis and Deniece Williams. He released a solo album, Maurice White, in 1985 and made a hit out his cover of "Stand by Me."
"You know how hard it is to present Afrocentric Jazz & spiritual positivity in the face of what we had to deal with in the Seventies?" Questlove wrote on Instagram. "When times were hard sometimes the only release you had was music. & if it wasn't Stevie, you were reaching for your #EarthWindAndFire albums."
"In my junior high school, the white kids loved Zeppelin, the black kids loved [Parliament Funkadelic], the freaky kids loved Bowie, but everyone loved Earth, Wind & Fire," added Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. "They were just undeniable."
"Being joyful and positive was the whole objective of our group," White once said, according to SongwriterUniverse. "Our goal was to reach all the people and to keep a universal atmosphere – to create positive energy. All of our songs had that positive energy. To create uplifting music was the objective."
Maurice White
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maurice White
Maurice White 1982.jpg
White performing with Earth, Wind, and Fire at the Ahoy Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1982.
Background information
Also known as Reece, Moe
Born December 19, 1941
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Origin Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died February 4, 2016 (aged 74)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Soul funk R&B jazz
Occupation(s)
Musician singer-songwriter record producer arranger
Instruments
Vocals kalimba drums percussion piano
Years active 1961–2014
Labels
Columbia Kalimba
Associated acts
Earth, Wind & Fire Ramsey Lewis The Emotions Deniece Williams Natalie Cole Billy Stewart
Website mauricewhite.com
Maurice "Moe" White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger and bandleader. He was the founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. He was also the older brother of current Earth, Wind & Fire member Verdine White, and former member Fred White. He served as the band's main songwriter and record producer, and was co-lead singer along with Philip Bailey.[1]
He won seven Grammys,[2] and was nominated for a total of twenty Grammys.[3][4] White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire,[4] and was also inducted individually into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[3]
Also known by his nickname "Reece", he worked with several famous recording artists, including Deniece Williams, the Emotions, Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. White was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the late 1980s, which led him eventually to stop touring with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1994. He retained executive control of the band, and remained active in the music business.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early career
1.2 Earth, Wind & Fire
1.3 Deniece Williams
1.4 The Emotions
1.5 Work with other artists
1.6 Solo work
1.7 Screen and stage
2 Personal life
3 Death
4 See also
5 Awards and honors
5.1 Grammy Awards
5.2 Other awards
6 References
7 External links
Biography[edit]
Early career[edit]
White was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941.[5] He grew up in South Memphis, where he lived with his grandmother in the Foote Homes Projects and was a childhood friend of Booker T Jones, with whom he formed a "cookin' little band" while attending Booker T. Washington High School.[6] He made frequent trips to Chicago to visit his mother, Edna, and stepfather, Verdine Adams, who was a doctor and occasional saxophonist.[5][6][7] In his teenage years, he moved to Chicago and studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, and played drums in local nightclubs.[6] By the mid-1960s he found work as a session drummer for Chess Records. While at Chess, he played on the records of artists such as Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Sonny Stitt, Muddy Waters, the Impressions, the Dells, Betty Everett, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Buddy Guy.[1] White also played the drums on Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me" and Billy Stewart's "Summertime".[8] In 1962, along with other studio musicians at Chess, he was a member of the Jazzmen, who later became the Pharaohs.[9]
By 1966, he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio, replacing Isaac "Red" Holt as the drummer.[6] Holt and bassist Eldee Young left and formed Young-Holt Unlimited with pianist Hysear Don Walker.[10] Young was replaced by Cleveland Eaton.[11] As a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Maurice played on nine of the group's albums, including Wade in the Water (1966), from which the track "Hold It Right There" won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental in 1966.[12] White featured on other Ramsey Lewis albums including: The Movie Album (1966), Goin' Latin (1967), Dancing in the Street (1967), Up Pops Ramsey Lewis (1967) and The Piano Player (1969). While in the Trio he was introduced in a Chicago drum store to the African thumb piano or kalimba and on the Trio's 1969 album Another Voyage's track "Uhuru" was featured the first recording of White playing the kalimba.[13][14]
In 1969, White left the Trio and joined his two friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, to form a songwriting team who wrote songs for commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol Records and called themselves the Salty Peppers. They had a moderate hit in the Midwest area with their single "La La Time",[15] but their second single, "Uh Huh Yeah", was not as successful. White then moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, and altered the name of the band to Earth, Wind & Fire, the band's new name reflecting the elements in his astrological chart.[15]
Earth, Wind & Fire[edit]
Main article: Earth, Wind & Fire
With Maurice as the bandleader and producer of most of the band's albums, EWF earned legendary status winning six Grammy Awards out of a staggering 14 nominations,[16] a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, and four American Music Awards.[3] The group's albums have sold over 90 million copies worldwide.[1][3] Other honors bestowed upon Maurice as a member of the band included inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame and The NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.[17][18]
Maurice White in Munich, Germany in 1975
White brought the kalimba into mainstream use by incorporating its sound into the music of Earth, Wind & Fire.[14] He was also responsible for expanding the group to include a full horn section – the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns, later known as the Phenix Horns.[19] White began showing signs of the Parkinson’s disease in 1987, and was finally forced to retire from Earth Wind & Fire in 1994.[6] He retained executive control of the band and was still very active in the music business, producing and recording with the band and other artists. Messages of encouragement from celebrities including: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine were published for White.[20]
From time to time, after his retirement, he appeared on stage with Earth, Wind & Fire at events such as the 2004 Grammy Awards Tribute to Funk, and alongside Alicia Keys at Clive Davis' 2004 pre-Grammy awards party where they performed the band's 1978 hit "September".[21][22]
Deniece Williams[edit]
Main article: Deniece Williams
In 1976, White, with Charles Stepney co-produced Deniece Williams' – a former backup vocalist for Stevie Wonder – debut album, This Is Niecy, which was released on Columbia Records. The album was the first project for the newly formed production company Kalimba Productions which was formed by Maurice White and Charles Stepney in the same year.[23] This Is Niecy rose to number 3 on the R&B charts and contained the single Free which reached number 25 on the pop charts, number 5 on the R&B charts and number 1 on the UK singles charts. This is Niecy has been certified gold in the United States by the RIAA. With the death of Charles Stepney a few months after the release of This Is Niecy White solely produced Williams second album Song Bird, released in 1977. The single "Baby, Baby My Love's All For You" reached number 13 and number 32 on the black and UK singles chart respectively.[24][25] Williams later released four more albums on Columbia Records for Kalimba Productions which were 1978's That's What Friends Are For, 1979's When Love Comes Calling, My Melody released in 1981 and 1982's Niecy respectively.[26] In a 2007 interview Deniece says: "I loved working with Maurice White ... he taught me the business of music, and planning and executing a plan and executing a show."[23]
The Emotions[edit]
Main article: The Emotions
After Stax Records became embroiled in financial problems, the girl group the Emotions looked for a new contract and found one with Columbia Records which released their album Flowers in 1976. With Charles Stepney co-producing their album with White, Flowers was their first charting album since 1969. It rose to number 5 on the R&B and number 45 on the Pop charts, and has been certified gold in the US.[27] The singles "Flowers" and "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" from this album reached, respectively, number 16 and number 13 on the R&B charts (number 87 and number 51 on the Pop charts).[27][28]
Following Charles Stepney's death in 1976,[23] White took over producing the Emotions, and the album Rejoice was released in 1977. Rejoice peaked at number 7 and number 1 on the Pop and R&B charts respectively, and spawned the singles "Best of My Love" and "Don't Ask My Neighbors", which reached number 1 on the Pop and R&B charts and top ten on the R&B charts respectively.[29] "Best of My Love" won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals, and an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single. "Best Of My Love" was also the third biggest pop single of 1977, and has been certified platinum. Rejoice was the third biggest R&B album of 1977 and has been certified platinum.[citation needed]
In 1978, The Emotions released their third Columbia album, Sunbeam. It reached number 12 on the top R&B album charts and spawned the number 6 R&B single "Smile". Sunbeam has been certified gold by the RIAA. In 1979 Earth, Wind & Fire collaborated with the Emotions on the single "Boogie Wonderland" which reached number 6 and number 2 on the Pop and R&B charts and has been certified gold for sales of over a million copies.[30][31] The Emotions also received an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group in 1979.[32] White produced two more albums for the Emotions, on his own Columbia-distributed label, ARC Records; they subsequently went on to record an album with the Chicago-based Red Label Records, and then one with Motown.[27][33]
Work with other artists[edit]
In addition to his work with the Emotions and Deniece Williams, White collaborated with several other famous recording artists. For example, he played the drums on Minnie Riperton's debut 1970 album, Come to My Garden, and contributed vocals to Weather Report's 1978 album Mr. Gone. White also produced Ramsey Lewis' albums: Sun Goddess (1974), Salongo (1976), and Sky Islands (1993), Jennifer Holliday on her 1983 release Feel My Soul, Barbra Streisand on her 1984 platinum album Emotion, Atlantic Starr on their platinum 1986 album All in the Name of Love and Neil Diamond on his 1986 gold album Headed for the Future. During 1980, White sang on a live album with Walter Hawkins and the Family (a popular gospel group) in which he sang a solo along with Walter's brother Edwin on a song called Eternal Life. In addition he co-wrote the song "Only In Chicago" with Barry Manilow which was included on his 1980 platinum album Barry, the track "Tip of My Tongue" for the rock band the Tubes which appeared on their album Outside Inside, and contributed vocals to Cher's 1987 self-titled platinum album.[34]
White produced two albums by the jazz group the Urban Knights, released in 1995 and 1997. Urban Knights I featured Ramsey Lewis, Brazilian percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, and American jazz saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. and it went to number 3 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums charts. The group's second album Urban Knights II featured appearances by Ramsey Lewis, Paulinho Da Costa, EW&F's bassist Verdine White, singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler and jazz saxophonist Najee. It reached number 5 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums charts.[citation needed] White also produced on James Ingram's 1993 Thom Bell inspired album Always You, notably the track "Too Much For This Heart". White arranged for the British girl group Cleopatra on their 1998 album Comin' Atcha!, which peaked at number 20 on the UK albums chart.[35]
In 2000 White was the executive producer of the group Xpression's album Power with San Francisco Bay area producer/vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and educator, Maestro Curtis, whom White dubbed his protege and nicknamed him "the genius".[36] Their debut album, Power, was released the same year.[37] On March 27, 2006 White was featured on the French jazz band Nojazz's 2006 album Have Fun on the tracks "Nobody Else" and "Kool". "Kool" marked the first time White collaborated with his friend Stevie Wonder.[38]
White served as the executive producer of an Earth, Wind & Fire tribute album entitled Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire which was released in March 2007. Featured on the album were renowned artists including; Chaka Khan, Kirk Franklin and Angie Stone. From that album Dwele's remake of "That's The Way Of The World" and Meshell Ndegeocello's cover of "Fantasy" were both nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance Grammy award.[39]
White was executive producer for jazz musician Brian Culbertson's album Bringing Back The Funk which was released in 2008. The album features, among others, White, former EW&F member Larry Dunn, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Ledisi, Musiq Soulchild, Maceo Parker and Gerald Albright. Bringing Back The Funk went to No. 1 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Charts and stayed there for two weeks. Culbertson revealed in an interview that he is "...still in disbelief. I have learned so much from (Maurice) and he actually said that he learned a lot from me. It was incredible to work with him."[40]
Solo work[edit]
In 1985, White released a solo album entitled Maurice White that included a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me," featuring a guest appearance by jazz saxophonist Gerald Albright and the moderate hit "I Need You." White's version of "Stand by Me" reached number 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number 11 on the Adult Contemporary charts.[41]
In 2008, Filipino singer Gary Valenciano covered Maurice White's "Stand By Me into his album "Rebirth".
Screen and stage[edit]
White wrote songs for the movies Coming to America and Undercover Brother. He composed music for the television series Life Is Wild [42] and worked in 2006 with Gregory Hines' brother, Maurice, on the Broadway play Hot Feet for which White and Allee Willis wrote several new songs.[43]
In the movie BAADASSSSS!, the actor Khalil Kain portrayed a young Maurice White leading the early incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire.[44] Released at the Sundance Film Festival,[45] the film was based on Melvin Van Peebles' struggles to film and distribute the movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. His son, Mario Van Peebles both directed the film and portrayed his father in the lead role.[46] The TV sitcom Hearts Afire used "That's The Way Of The World" as one of its theme songs and White won an ASCAP Award as one of the song's writers.[47][48]
Personal life[edit]
Maurice's younger brother, Verdine, an original member of Earth, Wind & Fire, still tours with the band as its bassist and a backing vocalist.[49] Additionally, their brother Fred joined the band in 1974, when the band recorded "Devotion". Maurice was a married father of three (2 sons and 1 daughter) and owned two homes in California; one in Carmel Valley, and the other, a four-level condominium in Los Angeles.[50][51] As recorded in his obituary, His parents, Dr. and Mrs. Verdine White, Sr., MD, had a total of 10 children and Maurice White was the oldest. He was affectionately called Reese by many of his brothers and sisters according to his obituary which was distributed at his Memorial Service held at Agape International Spiritual Center March 22, 2016 in California.
Death[edit]
White died in his sleep from the effects of Parkinson's disease at his home in Los Angeles, California, on the morning of February 4, 2016, at the age of 74.[52][53][54] He was survived by his wife, Marilyn White, sons Kahbran and Eden, daughter Hamia (nicknamed MiMi on his obituary) and brothers Verdine and Fred. As written in his obituary, he was the eldest of nine siblings.[55] His brother Verdine posted the following on Facebook:
My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. 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.
Yours Truly,
Verdine White[56]
See also[edit]
Albums produced by Maurice White
Awards and honors[edit]
Grammy Awards[edit]
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. In all, White received seven awards from 20 nominations; he won once and was nominated four times as an individual performer.[2][4]
Year Nominee/work Award Result
1976 "Earth, Wind & Fire" Best Instrumental Composition Nominated
1978 "Got to Get You into My Life" Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) Won
"Fantasy" Best R&B Song Nominated
1979 "Maurice White" Producer of the Year Nominated
Other awards[edit]
Four American Music Awards.[4]
The BET Lifetime Achievement Award
An ASCAP Rhythm And Soul Award
An ASCAP Pop Music Award
Three NAACP Image Awards
An ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Heritage Award
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
A Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame[57]
On May 16, 2005, Maurice was honored by Los Angeles Valley College as the first recipient of their Cultural Achievement Award Of Excellence.[58]
On May 10, 2008, Maurice White and Philip Bailey received honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music.[59]
On May 20, 2008, Maurice, Phillip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White received honorary doctorates from Columbia College of Chicago.[60]
My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
Publishers Weekly. 263.28 (July 11, 2016): p59.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
Maurice White, with Herb Powell. Amistad, $27.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-06-232915-8
In this powerful and substantial memoir, White (who died in February 2016), the creative force behind Earth, Wind & Fire, shares the belief--in God, in himself, in the power of music--that helped him overcome an underprivileged childhood and institutional racism to create phenomenal, self-driven success. White keeps his personal life closely guarded, but he addresses his failures with self-deprecating honesty. The book is more than a chronological tale of a career; it's a quest for meaning. White does stray into some repetitive territory during the second half, but this reflects his dogged, focused personality. It is only through pushing himself to work hard in the face of disappointment and to remain positive and avoid the pitfalls of drugs that White can steer Earth, Wind & Fire to become the musical force it remains to this day. White's life and music orbit themes of social justice, spirituality, and self-reliance. White writes strongly about the nature of black masculinity during and after the civil rights movement, and what it means to be a good man. Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the 1990s, White showed dramatic grace in his acceptance of decline and loss. The memoir captures a life of determination, positivity, and success tempered by depth and humility. Agent: Faith Childs, Faith Childs Literary. (Sept.)
Maurice White, leader and founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, dies at 74
CNN Wire. (Feb. 9, 2016):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 CNN Newsource Sales, Inc.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/tag/the-cnn-wire/
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Byline: Todd Leopold and Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
(CNN) -- Maurice White, the Earth, Wind & Fire leader and singer who co-wrote such hits as "Shining Star," "Sing a Song" and "September," has died, according to his brother, EWF bassist Verdine White.
He was 74.
"My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," Verdine White said in a Facebook post. "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."
For several years in the 1970s and '80s, EWF was one of the leading acts in America, with horn-driven, vocally intricate and often uplifting songs that became the soundtrack of a generation.
White, who founded the group in 1969, was the guiding force behind its sound.
"I always envisioned a band which was self-contained, which could play many styles of music, and which could still create its own sound," he told Songwriter Universe in 2007. "It was also great to feature a big horn section in the band."
Noted Allmusic.com, "The band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.'s or improvise like a jazz fusion outfit."
But the horns were only part of the equation. White shared vocals with longtime member Philip Bailey, whose wide vocal range and gorgeous falsetto were a signature of the group.
Then there were the stage shows, as colorful and sometimes mystical as the group's often unusual album covers.
It was all part of a joyful noise, White told Songwriter Universe.
"Being joyful and positive was the whole objective of our group. Our goal was to reach all the people and to keep a universal atmosphere -- to create positive energy," he said. "All of our songs had that positive energy. To create uplifting music was the objective."
A string of hits
White was born in 1941 in Memphis and moved to Chicago as a teenager. As a session drummer for Chess Records, he played on records by such notables as Etta James and Fontella Bass. He later joined the popular jazz group the Ramsey Lewis Trio where he was introduced to the kalimba, an African thumb piano he would use extensively in future projects, according to Billboard.
He left Lewis' group in 1969 to join forces with keyboardist Don Whitehead and singer Wade Flemons, who became founding members of EWF, named for the three elements in White's astrological charts. His brother joined the lineup in 1970, and the band signed with Warner Bros. (Another key member: co-producer Charles Stepney, a mentor to White.)
Critics were impressed, and they began to amass a cult following. It would take a few personnel changes, mainly, the addition of Bailey, before the band hit their stride.
EWF scored its first top 10 hit on the R&B charts with "Mighty Mighty" off "Open Our Eyes," which eventually went gold. Their next album, the film soundtrack "That's the Way of the World," shot to the top of the R&B and pop charts, overshadowing the movie of the same name thanks in part to "Shining Star." The single also was a crossover hit, bringing the band mainstream success.
White used the profits to develop EWF's live show into a lavish, effects-filled extravaganza. He brought on magician Doug Henning to design stunts and the Phenix Horns to provide a regular horn section, headed by saxophonist Don Myrick. The concert experience was chronicled on the double-LP "Gratitude" in 1975, which became their second straight No. 1 album and featured hits "Sing a Song" and the ballad "Can't Hide Love."
The next decade brought a string of top 10 albums and singles, including "Fantasy" and "Serpentine Fire" off the 1977 album "All n' All"; a cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life" off the film version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band;" and The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1's "September."
White stayed otherwise occupied in the 1970s by starting his own label, ARC, and producing other acts, including Deniece Williams and the Emotions, who topped the pop charts with the White-helmed hit, "Best of My Love." EWF's 1979 album, "I Am," its sixth straight multiplatinum album, featured the Emotions on "Boogie Wonderland."
Honored by Rock Hall, songwriters
The group's momentum began to wane after "I Am," and White disbanded the group after the release of "Electric Universe" in 1983. Bailey reunited with the White brothers for four albums between 1987 and 1997, producing the Grammy-nominated hit "Sunday Morning."
EWF's contributions to music and pop culture were acknowledged in their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In the week leading up to the induction ceremony, White revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which contributed to his withdrawal from the stage.
And yet he continued recording and performing with the band throughout the 2000s. The White brothers and Bailey were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010 along with EWF bandmates Larry Dunn and Al McKay.
White's influence was evident in tributes from a wide range of entertainers, from Quincy Jones to Questlove.
"Thoughts and prayers with the family of our dear brother Maurice White," Jones said on Twitter. "Your contributions to music will be kept in our hearts and souls forever."
Todd Leopold and Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
Maurice White was R&B's shining star
Elysa Gardner
Born: December 19, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Died: February 04, 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer
USA Today. (Feb. 8, 2016): Lifestyle: p06D.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 USA Today
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Byline: Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
For any fan of R&B music -- any fan of music, period, really -- it is impossible to think of the 1970s and early '80s without recalling the shiny, groovy, exuberant sounds of Earth, Wind & Fire. And no man played a greater role in carving out that band's gems than founding member Maurice White, who died Thursday at 74.
Shining Star, That's The Way of the World, September, Sing A Song, Fantasy, Reasons: White helped write all of these hits. The onetime sessions drummer, who played with Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio in the '60s, also was principal producer of EWF's music -- steeped in jazz and funk as well as Latin influences but as luxuriantly pop-savvy as any AM radio classics of the time. His guidance let the band segue seamlessly into the disco era and eventually embrace electronic textures.
The group incorporated the flashy visuals associated with the latter movements -- along with hallmarks of old-school showmanship, like coordinated dance moves -- into its performances, dazzling audiences with lighting, sartorial glitz and other effects, some nodding to the band's astrologically inspired name.
That flamboyance was, of course, grounded in a soulful virtuosity no one could deny. EWF's bright, horns-infused arrangements, infectious melodies, ebullient grooves and distinctive vocals -- White shared leads with Philip Bailey, whose hearty falsetto was another key element -- appealed to pop and R&B fans equally and made the group favorites among club crowds and the dance-phobic alike, bridging racial and cultural gaps in the process.
Inclusiveness and harmony were not just musical ideals for White and his colleagues. In a quote featured in the history portion of the band's official site, he said: "We were coming out of a decade of experimentation, mind expansion and cosmic awareness. I wanted our music to convey messages of universal love and harmony without force-feeding listeners' spiritual content."
White, who released a solo album in the '80s, worked with numerous other artists as a producer, among them Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Holliday and Deniece Williams, and collaborated with acts ranging from Cher to Weather Report. Though a battle with Parkinson's disease forced him to stop touring in the '90s, White, whose many honors have included induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (with EWF) and Songwriters Hall of Fame, remained a creative force in the years ahead and guarded the band's legacy devotedly.
"Expanding awareness and uplifting spirits is so important in this day," he is quoted as saying on EWF's site. White did that and much more, giving us music that joyfully defied all boundaries and will continue to do so.
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Maurice White - My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire (2016)
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Earth, Wind & Fire’s impact on the evolution of R&B music during the 1970s—extending far beyond that most revolutionary decade—is one of striking magnitude. The band’s consciousness-raising lyrics, multicultural instrumental influences, dynamic vocal performances, and expansive melodic and harmonic qualities are but the tip of the iceberg. The mind-blowing experience of their live shows was an unprecedented experience. On so many levels, the across-the-board appeal of EW&F’s songs, recordings, and concerts blazed new trails for African-Americans striving to break out of age-old stereotypes perpetuated by closed-minded industry types. The international, multi-ethnic reach which Maurice White and his musical partners achieved over 20-some years was a power so inherent that it often is taken for granted in an era in which different styles and genres are more freely explored by independent artists not constrained by the mandates of major labels.
In My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, an indelibly thoughtful and penetrating memoir written over the last five years of his time on this plane, White conveys with sincerity and depth his journey from a financially strained childhood in the segregated south to a professional career in the music business which ultimately allowed him to overcome his innate shyness, fight against racial injustices, and write, produce, and deliver some of the most seminal popular songs of the 20th century alongside both his musical heroes and prodigious contemporaries. Bullied on the regular by schoolmates for his yellow-hued skin tone, the future bandleader and visionary picked up on the transformative qualities of spirituality early on in his Memphis youth, while gleaning firsthand the value of determination and hard work from Elvira Robinson, a friend of his birth mother’s who singlehandedly raised White from the age of four until his high school graduation.
White describes with fresh enthusiasm the blossoming of his musical prowess alongside another future multifaceted wonder of song, Booker T. Jones, and the affirming place in his life it grew to be as he endured circumstances that could have well sent him in another direction in life: working on cotton fields several months out of the year from an early age; being randomly and mercilessly beaten by white cops when he was 16; and becoming provider for himself and his adopted mother when a deterioration in her health prevented her from working. He relates with unfiltered honesty the emotional and practical crossroads he faced when eventually deciding to move to Chicago to live with his birth mother and her husband (his birth father passed years earlier), shortly thereafter entering college to study medicine before realizing the great desire to create music that he was supressing in the process.
The bulk of My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire, however, offers an in-depth narrative of the two decades over which White elevated the band from a struggling act vying for just promotional treatment at Warner Bros. Records to a multi-million-selling supergroup at Columbia breaking through unchartered crossover territory on the charts and building remarkably integrated audiences in arenas throughout the world. The resonating theme amidst each album, each tour, and each business consideration detailed in the volume’s 360 pages is one of clear-eyed leadership and mental, physical and emotional balance allowing for the electrifying stage shows and unfailingly consistent studio albums that EW&F gifted to fans year after year. White was unwavering in eschewing preconceived notions of black men in society and black groups in mainstream music. His embracing of ancient philosophies and open explorations of multiple faiths formed the nucleus of the timeless lyrics so prevalent on staple albums like Open Our Eyes, Gratitude, and I Am.
White’s discussion of band tensions that frequently entered the picture over his colorblind philosophy when it came to supporting musicians, producers, and magicians is especially revelatory. As he chronicles both the backlash that he encountered from fellow African-Americans and the indifference the band experienced from the big white suits, what stands out is his constant vision of the whole picture—an awareness of fighting the good fight and not backing down, without becoming immersed in bitterness or self-victimization. Similarly, his frank conversation about his leadership style and personal priorities in the midst of massive popularity is sobering and compelling. Just as candid in tone are his revelations about the shortcomings he exhibited with women and children in his life as a result of an all-encompassing commitment to his art and work.
Most of the post-EW&F era White covers in the book centers on his coming to terms with the realities of Parkinson’s disease: the initial denial; a subsequent period of continuing to produce music and enjoy leisurely activities in spite of the disease’s physical effects; and the eventual major life changes he had to make resulting from devastating limitations which prevented him from continuing to be active in music. While he doesn’t go into a flurry of day-to-day details (as he states several times within, he was at heart a very private man who preferred to deal with individual challenges out of the public eye), he and co-author Herb Powell effectively paint a picture of a man who was amazingly able to apply his longstanding philosophy for his musical career to his own struggles in the 15 years following his final performance.
While it is ultimately quite tragic that he couldn’t enjoy the bulk of his well-earned retirement without the disabling and invalidating forces of Parkinson’s, it is unmistakably awe-inspiring and uplifting just how far he took himself—and others—in life personally, professionally, and creatively by utilizing the fundamental lessons instilled in him from an early age and the steadfast devotion to principles in which he so firmly believed. My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire is a uniquely equitable and richly insightful read which adds fruitfully to White’s powerful legacy. Highly recommended.
by Justin Kantor
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Book Review: “My Life with Earth Wind & Fire”
JANUARY 3, 2017 NO COMMENTS
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by Maurice White with Herb Powell
Your needs are very simple.
Food, shelter, water. Those are the essentials, but then there are the things you need for yourself: family, good friends, a warm bed, a good book, and a place of welcome. You wouldn’t die without them, but those things spice your life. And if you were Maurice White, author of “My Life with Earth, Wind& Fire” (with Herb Powell), you’d add one more: music.
Born in Memphis at a time when Jim Crow ruled the south, Maurice White was four years old when his mother told him that she needed to go to Chicago to find a job. She left him with a friend who became White’s “Mama,” and who raised him with strength and wisdom.
He was a quiet boy, a born introvert, but Mama taught him by example to love God, Mahalia, and Ray Charles, though he was in junior high when he fell “deep under the spell of music.” White and his best friend pulled together a band then, and one of the members encouraged White to find his spiritual core and think in different ways.
At eighteen, not long before his Mama died of cancer, White headed for Chicago to live with his “Mother Dear,” his birth mother, who’d remarried and was raising six children. She offered him a place to stay, but he wanted to be his own man; he also wanted to emulate his stepfather and attend medical school, but music had such an allure that he told “Dad” that he’d been called to a different vocation. White became “a sponge” to soak up all he could learn about the music business.
By early 1970, he knew what kind of music he wanted to play. He’d been a bandleader before, and he was eager to do it again. An astrologer had even handed him a “piece to my puzzle,” an astrological chart was filled with “‘only fire, air, and earth signs’.”
Which brings us to page 77, almost the quarter-point of this memoir. That means “My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire” is one very wordy book.
That’s not to say it’s bad – at least not the first half of it, anyhow. The late author Maurice White (with Herb Powell) tells of Jim Crow from the point of view of a child, of the Civil Rights movement, and what it was like in the early days of Motown, Chess Records, and a new kind of rock & roll. Because White and Powell are so casual in their storytelling, those memories feel like a conversation with readers.
At roughly the part where White switches gears musically, so does the book. There’s where we get a lot of detail about the band, players, gigs, and such – valuable info if you can follow along. Musical mud, if you can’t.
Therefore, the audience for this book, I think, is with a professional musician or a die-hard EW&F fan. Pass on it, if you’re not – but if you are, “My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire” could be elemental.