About Earth, Wind & Fire
"Music is always a creative process that comes from the heart. It's a feeling, a vibration, that we ride on." — Maurice White
- Members: Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, Maurice White (died Feb. 4, 2016), Verdine White
- Formed 1970 in Chicago, Illinois.
- Earth, Wind & Fire broke through in 1975 with their first No. 1 hit, "Shining Star," from their chart-topping album, That's The Way Of The World. This was followed by 1975's live album, Gratitude, which also reached No. 1 and spawned the No. 5 song, "Sing A Song."
- The group earned their first career GRAMMY win for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus for 1975 for "Shining Star." The group made their GRAMMY stage debut at the 46th GRAMMY Awards in 2004 when they performed "Shining Star" as part of a funk music tribute segment.
- Before Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White founded a band called the Salty Peppers, which formed the kernel of what became the famous funk band.
- Earth, Wind & Fire received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
- As recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Earth, Wind & Fire performed on the 2016 PBS special dedicated to the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards recipients.
- In 2015 Earth, Wind & Fire played at the Houston Children's Charity gala to benefit "underprivileged, abused and disabled children who have been otherwise left behind."
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