Another Sad Good Mornin' To You All:
Once again we have wandered into the killing fields with the loss of one of the all time Great Talents Ever, Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire. I want to start this weeks music off with words sent to me earlier this week, words well measured, words well felt and succinctly shared from my Big Brother Michael out in LA. The floor is yours my Brother.....
"What a talent was Maurice White. He was the principal writer, arranger, vocalist, producer and general all-around visionary for Earth, Wind & Fire. He started out in Chicago as a Chess Records session drummer, playing on recordings with Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and others, then went on to play with Ramsey Lewis before heading off to LA with his idea for what would become EWF, which turned out to be one of the true game-changer bands, one that I don't believe has yet been topped in its arena.
Here is one of my favorite Earth, Wind & Fire recordings from 1975. Like all their other recordings until Maurice became too ill to fully participate, it features him on lead vocals, with Philip Bailey doing those high and falsetto parts, and brother Verdine White trading off the leads. For the record, Larry Dunn plays the keyboards, Al McKay and Johnny Graham are the guitarists.
Odd bit of the band's history: those flashy shows they did throughout the 70s were directed by Doug Henning and his assistant at that time, David Copperfield. At least I think that's odd.
As always, push that volume up. Even better, put on the headphones."
"Well..."
Thanks my Brother.
Here are a few favorites of mine and I hope yours.
This is Shining Star. Damn.
A personal fav of mine, especially the end. Keep Your Head To The Sky.
Love this one too. Fantasy.
Disco balls, polyester shirts, white suits, feathered hair, platform shoes and cocaine. Yeah that about covers it. This is Boogie Wonderland.
It ain't Earth Wind & Fire without this one. September. Good God Almighty! You just gotta smile and dance!
Play on Maurice, sing on Maurice.....