Maurice White
Maurice White | |
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kalimba | |
Years active | 1962–2016 |
Labels | |
Website | mauricewhite |
Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.[1][2]
Described as a "visionary" by
Biography
Early career
Maurice White was born in
In June 1966, he left Chess and the Pharaohs to join the
In 1969, White left the Trio and joined his two friends,
Earth, Wind & Fire
With Maurice as the bandleader, co lead singer and producer of most of the band's albums, EWF became an acclaimed as well as illustrious group, being bestowed with six Grammy Awards out of 17 nominations,
White immersed a sense of eclecticism to the band's recordings, conceptualizing their stage portrayals whilst crafting the vocal interplay between his tenor and Philip Bailey's falsetto. As a musician he aided the
A website entitled www.Startalk.org was also set up in 1999 in honour of Maurice. Maurice later spoke of an ongoing affliction with Parkinson's disease. Artists such as Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine posted messages upon the site for White.[24]
With EWF he continued to appear at some auspicious occasions such as the
Deniece Williams
White was co-producing with
Maurice went on to produce Williams' sophomore album
Williams later issued 1978's That's What Friends Are For on Columbia records for Kalimba Productions. She then released 1979's When Love Comes Calling on ARC Records, Maurice's subsidiary label on Columbia. Maurice featured as a guest artist on the LP,[40] which peaked at No. 27 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.[41] The single, "I've Got the Next Dance", also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.[42]
Williams thereafter issued two studio albums, being 1981's My Melody and 1982's Niecy on ARC Records.[43][44] Deniece later revealed in a 2007 interview that she "loved working with Maurice White ... he taught me the business of music, and planning and executing a plan and executing a show."[27]
The Emotions
After
The album's title track got to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart.[48] Another single being "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" got to Nos. 4 & 13 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs and Hot Soul Songs charts respectively.[49][50]
Following Charles Stepney's death in 1976,
With the LP came the single "
In 1978 The Emotions released their third Columbia album,
During 1979 Earth, Wind & Fire collaborated with the Emotions on the single "
The Emotions went on to guest upon Earth, Wind & Fire's 2003 single "
Work with other artists
White also worked with several other famous recording artists. As such he played the drums on former Rotary Connection lead singer
White composed on
White went on to collaborate with Ramsey Lewis on his 1980 LP
White later produced Jennifer Holliday's Grammy nominated 1983 LP Feel My Soul.[85][86]White produced
White also produced
White collaborated with the Japanese band Dreams Come True on two songs: "Wherever You Are" from their 1994 album Delicious, and "Eternity", which appeared on the soundtrack for the 1994 animated film The Swan Princess.
As well he produced Ramsey Lewis's 1993 album
During 1996 White established his own record label entitled
White was the executive producer of saxophonist
White served as the executive producer of an EWF
White executively produced jazz musician
Solo albums
During 1985, White released a
Another song from the album called "I Need You" rose to No. 20 on the Billboard
In 2019, an album of previously unreleased recordings, titled Manifestation, was released. This album consists of selected tracks worked on by White and songwriter/producer Preston Glass over a period of nearly 30 years.[148]
Screen and stage
White wrote and produced songs for the feature films
In the movie
Personal life
White was a married father of three children: one daughter, Hemeya, and two sons, Kahbran and Eden. He owned two homes in California, one in Carmel Valley and the other a four-level condominium in Los Angeles. He was a fan of basketball and tennis. He went by the nickname of "Reese".[10][155][156] His younger half-brother, Verdine White, an original member of Earth, Wind & Fire, still tours with the band as its bassist and a backing vocalist.[157] Additionally, their brother Fred joined the band in 1974, when the band recorded "Devotion".
Death
On the morning of February 4, 2016, White died in his sleep at his Los Angeles home from the effects of Parkinson's disease, at the age of 74.[158][159][160] His brother Verdine said, "My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life-changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes."[161]
Legacy
Along with EW&F, Maurice White was posthumously bestowed with a
Artists such as Stokley Williams, Richard Marx, Raphael Saadiq, Larry Blackmon, and Nate Dogg have also named White as an influence.[163][164][165][166][167]
Awards and honors
Grammy Awards
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Earth, Wind & Fire | Best Instrumental Composition
|
Nominated |
Best of My Love | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Nominated | |
1978 | Got to Get You into My Life | Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
|
Won |
Fantasy | Best R&B Song
|
Nominated | |
1979 | Maurice White | Producer of the Year
|
Nominated |
Other awards
- Four American Music Awards.
- The BET Lifetime Achievement Award
- An ASCAP Rhythm And Soul Award
- An ASCAP Pop Music Award
- Three NAACP Image Awards[168]
- An ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Heritage Award[169]
- Honoured by the Jazz Foundation of America.[170][171]
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[168]
- Inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame[2]
- A Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame[168]
- On May 16, 2005, Maurice was honored by Los Angeles Valley College as the first recipient of their Cultural Achievement Award Of Excellence.[172]
- On May 10, 2008, Maurice White and Philip Bailey received honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music.[173][174]
- On May 20, 2008, Maurice, Phillip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White received honorary doctorates from Columbia College of Chicago.[175]
Autobiography
On September 13, 2016, White's autobiography, Maurice White: My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire, by Maurice White and Herb Powell, was released, including a foreword by Steve Harvey and an afterword by David Foster.
See also
References
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