Earth, Wind & Fire

Funk legends and purveyors of some the smoothest, disco pop of the 1970s, Earth, Wind & Fire's hits still light up a dance floor and bring out a "dad dance" in the slickest of movers. Created in 1969 by band leader and drummer Maurice White, the group's mix of soul, jazz, Motown, and Afro-beat produced the classic albums That's The Way Of The World (1975) - which topped the US chart - Spirit (1976), All 'n All (1977) and I Am (1979). The band was so popular that even their 1975 live album Gratitude reached Number 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. These albums and more helped to make Earth, Wind & Fire one of the best-selling groups of all time with record sales of over 90 million. The group’s sound prominently featured a dynamic horn section and the distinctive falsetto vocals of Philip Bailey. The glitter ball glory of singles “Boogie Wonderland,” “Let's Groove,” “After The Love Has Gone,” “September,” and American chart-topper “Shining Star” became huge anthems of the disco era. As trends turned, their popularity waned towards the mid-1980s, especially after the 1984 departure of Phillip Baily and Maurice White (although both returned to the band in 1987). Although the chart hits dried up, they still performed together and played at the Super Bowl XXXIX pre-game show in 2008 and at the White House during President Barack O'Bama's first formal Governors' Dinner in 2009. Outkast, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and Wyclef Jean all cite the band as a key influence on them. Founding member and leader Maurice White died on February 4, 2016, at the age of 74. Drummer Fred White, who was Maurice’s half-brother, died on January 1, 2023, at the age of 67.

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