February 5, 2016, - 5:17 pm
Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire Founder & Musical Genius, RIP
Can’t let the day go by without noting the passing of one of my favorite singers and the founder of one of my absolute favorite groups: Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, who died yesterday at 74. He’s the singer (and writer–in the case of “Let’s Groove”) of several of my favorite songs–songs which I consider part of the soundtrack of my life.
Those songs–“September,” “Let’s Groove,” and “After the Love Is Gone”–are part of my workouts, part of the music I play when I clean my apartment, and I’ve been singing and dancing to them since I was a kid. Again, they are part of the soundtrack of my life–from the bar and bat mitzvah parties I attended as a kid, to the parties I went to in high school and college (and after) with friends, and so on. I grew up and lived life listening to and enjoying Earth, Wind & Fire. Even the group’s sad songs are fun. And although EW&F is known for the falsetto leads of Philip Bailey (who is also great), the songs I liked the most were the ones starring White.
My Fave Earth Wind & Fire Songs (on All of Which Maurice White is the Lead Singer) . . .
September . . .
Let’s Groove . . .
After the Love Has Gone . . .
My late father taught me a love for Jazz and R&B, taking me to concerts and jazz festivals and playing me his records. And that appreciation for jazz translated into a love of EW&F, which melded Jazz, funk, disco, R&B, soul, and incredible horn sections on its mostly cheerful hits (which my dad enjoyed as well). Songs like “September” are still mainstays of parties and themes in movies to date because they are so well done and have such catchy, rhythmic, happy melodies and lyrics. It’s a unique sound that Maurice White dreamed up, and it changed pop (and even some rock) music forever. EW&F songs, though romantic, were relatively wholesome and hopeful, not the bitches and hos garbage that’s the lingua franca of today’s hip-hop crap (with apologies to the term lingua franca for using it in conjunction with hip-hop).
EW&F probably wouldn’t be successful today. Its sound would be “out” because cheerful melodies and jazz are “out” (except in hotel lobbies and restaurants–and don’t forget elevators and supermarkets!) and ranting and raving to loud beats is in. Real talent is out, pretentious BS-ing, a la Kanye, is in.
I’m sad I never got to see EW&F in person. My dad and I were going to see them back in the day, but we never got to it. As you can see from the videos of my favorite EW&F songs above, it looks like we missed a hell of a show. These guys were (and the surviving members still are) showmen extraordinaire with their glitzy space-age and African-inspired costumes and the props and backdrops. But the elements of show were one thing. The music stood on its own.
And trite but true, Maurice White’s music lives on with his many fans. To date, the VEVO September video on YouTube has been played more than 41 million times, and the group sold more than 90 million albums. Back in the days before DVDs and downloads and iPods, I wore out three cassette tapes of Earth Wind & Fire’s Greatest Hits on my Sony Walkman tape player while working out and jogging. Those songs energized me, and they still do.
White didn’t just create a terrific sound, but also produced other hit artists, including Cher and Barbra Streisand and the Emotions’ “Best of My Love” (which he wrote). He also wrote songs for the movies “Coming to America” and “Undercover Brother.”
First, David Bowie. Now, Maurice White. Both men who created tremendous music I listened to when I was growing up and which I continue to enjoy listening to, today. Both men who had tremendous influence and created unique sounds that changed everything . . . for the better. It’s hard to see so many talented guys leaving us. And leaving us wanting more we’ll never get.
Maurice White, Who Gave Me a Lot of Happy Times With His Great Songs, Rest In Peace.
Tags: Earth Wind & Fire, Earth Wind and Fire, Maurice White, Maurice White Earth Wind & Fire
You have excellent taste in music, Debbie.
Alfredo from Puerto Rico on February 5, 2016 at 11:29 pm