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Earth, Wind & Fire was one of the most popular and significant bands of the past century, celebrated alongside Chicago, the Commodores, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, and Sly and the Family Stone. They transcended genres and fused diverse influences, from R&B to pop to jazz and beyond, earning multiple Grammy Awards?and most recently a Lifetime Achievement Award, shortly after the passing of the band's founder, Maurice White.
Although many of White's contemporaries and fans, including Quincy Jones, Questlove, and Diane Warren, felt a kinship with him through his music, he himself was an intensely private man. In this riveting account of his personal life and his massively popular band, he bares his soul.
Raised by a family friend, relentlessly teased by schoolmates, Maurice found refuge in music and in visits from God. By the time he was six, he was singing in a gospel choir. He came of age musically with close childhood friends and future legends Booker T. Jones and songwriter David Porter. Trained at the Chicago Conservatory of music, he later joined Chess Records, where he played drums for Etta James, Sonny Stitt, and countless others. With the Ramsey Lewis Trio he toured the world, honed his showmanship, and learned much about the music business, but after receiving what he believed to be a message from the Divine, he created Earth, Wind & Fire. It was a band like no other?sellout crowds were spellbound by their costumes, energetic movement, dynamic horns, floating pianos, spinning drum kits, and vanishing acts assisted by magician David Copperfield. The band's performances were no less forgettable than their perennial hits: ?Shining Star,? ?Reasons,? ?Got to Get You into My Life,? ?September,? ?Boogie Wonderland,? and ?Let's Groove.? Maurice also produced music for Deniece Williams, the Emotions, Neil Diamond, James Ingram, Barbra Streisand, and Jennifer Holliday.
Maurice White's story illuminates Earth, Wind & Fire's position as a band essential to American culture, and offers an intimate look at his final days, from his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease to his faith, which helped him not only to cope, but also to savor every single moment. He dreamed that his band's music, a reflection of the ideals of the 1970s, would inspire peace and unity across racial lines. This compelling memoir shows how he achieved that and much more.