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Maurice White December 19, 1941 – February 3, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger and bandleader. He was the founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. He was also the older brother of current Earth, Wind & Fire member Verdine White, and former member Fred White. Maurice served as the band's main songwriter and record producer, and was co-lead singer (along with Philip Bailey). White won seven Grammys, and was nominated for 21 Grammys in total.White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire, and was also individually inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also known by his nickname Reese, he worked with several famous recording artists including; Deniece Williams, The Emotions, Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond.White was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the late 1980s, which led him to eventually stop touring with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1994. However, White retained executive control of the band, and remained active in the music business.
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BiographyEarly careerMaurice White was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941 to a father who was a doctor and occasional saxophonist. He grew up in South Memphis, where he lived with his family in the Foote Homes Projects and was a childhood friend of Booker T Jones. In his teenage years, he moved to Chicago and found work as a session drummer for Chess Records. While at Chess, he played on the records of artists such as Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Sonny Stitt, Muddy Waters, The Impressions, The Dells, Betty Everett, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Buddy Guy. White also played the drums on Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me" and Billy Stewart's "Summertime".[5] In 1962, along with other studio musicians at Chess, he was a member of the Jazzmen which later became The Pharaohs.By 1966, he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio, replacing Isaac "Red" Holt as the drummer. Holt would go on to be a part of the Young-Holt Unlimited and bassist Eldee Young was also replaced by Cleveland Eaton. As a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Maurice played on nine of the group's albums, including Wade in the Water ;(1966), from which the track "Hold It Right There" won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental in 1966.Other albums by Lewis that featured White included The Movie Album ;(1966), Goin' Latin ;(1967), Dancing in the Street ;(1967), Up Pops Ramsey Lewis ;(1967) and The Piano Player ;(1969). While in the Trio he was introduced in a Chicago drum store to the African thumb piano or kalimba and on the Trio's 1969 album Another Voyage's track "Uhuru" was featured the first recording of Maurice playing the kalimba.In 1969, Maurice left the Trio and joined his two friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, to form a songwriting team who wrote songs for commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol Records and called themselves The Salty Peppers. They had a moderate hit in the Midwest area with their single "La La Time", but their second single, "Uh Huh Yeah", was not as successful. Maurice then migrated from Chicago to Los Angeles, and altered the name of the band to Earth, Wind & Fire, the band's new name reflecting the elements in White's astrological chart.Earth, Wind & FireMain article: Earth, Wind & FireWith Maurice as the bandleader and producer of most of the band's albums, EWF earned legendary status winning six Grammy Awards out of a staggering 14 nominations, an NAACP Hall of Fame Award, a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame[ and fourAmerican Music Awards, and selling over 90 million albums worldwide. As a member of the band, Maurice was bestowed with such honors of being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame andThe NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
Maurice White in Munich, Germany in 1975White was responsible for incorporating the sound of the kalimba ;(also known as the African thumb piano) and of a horn section – namely the Phenix Horns and Earth, Wind & Fire Horns – into the music of Earth, Wind & Fire.Due to his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease in the late 1980s, White stopped touring with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1994. However, he retained executive control of the band and was still very active in the music business, producing and recording with EWF and other artists. Messages of encouragement from celebrities including Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello ofRage Against the Machine were published for White.From time to time he appeared on stage with Earth, Wind & Fire since his retirement from the road, for instance at the 2004 Grammy Awards Tribute to Funk, and alongside Alicia Keys at Clive Davis' 2004 pre-Grammy awards party where they performed the band's 1978 hit "September".
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BiographyEarly careerMaurice White was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941 to a father who was a doctor and occasional saxophonist. He grew up in South Memphis, where he lived with his family in the Foote Homes Projects and was a childhood friend of Booker T Jones. In his teenage years, he moved to Chicago and found work as a session drummer for Chess Records. While at Chess, he played on the records of artists such as Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Sonny Stitt, Muddy Waters, The Impressions, The Dells, Betty Everett, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Buddy Guy. White also played the drums on Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me" and Billy Stewart's "Summertime".[5] In 1962, along with other studio musicians at Chess, he was a member of the Jazzmen which later became The Pharaohs.By 1966, he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio, replacing Isaac "Red" Holt as the drummer. Holt would go on to be a part of the Young-Holt Unlimited and bassist Eldee Young was also replaced by Cleveland Eaton. As a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Maurice played on nine of the group's albums, including Wade in the Water ;(1966), from which the track "Hold It Right There" won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental in 1966.Other albums by Lewis that featured White included The Movie Album ;(1966), Goin' Latin ;(1967), Dancing in the Street ;(1967), Up Pops Ramsey Lewis ;(1967) and The Piano Player ;(1969). While in the Trio he was introduced in a Chicago drum store to the African thumb piano or kalimba and on the Trio's 1969 album Another Voyage's track "Uhuru" was featured the first recording of Maurice playing the kalimba.In 1969, Maurice left the Trio and joined his two friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, to form a songwriting team who wrote songs for commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol Records and called themselves The Salty Peppers. They had a moderate hit in the Midwest area with their single "La La Time", but their second single, "Uh Huh Yeah", was not as successful. Maurice then migrated from Chicago to Los Angeles, and altered the name of the band to Earth, Wind & Fire, the band's new name reflecting the elements in White's astrological chart.Earth, Wind & FireMain article: Earth, Wind & FireWith Maurice as the bandleader and producer of most of the band's albums, EWF earned legendary status winning six Grammy Awards out of a staggering 14 nominations, an NAACP Hall of Fame Award, a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame[ and fourAmerican Music Awards, and selling over 90 million albums worldwide. As a member of the band, Maurice was bestowed with such honors of being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame andThe NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
Maurice White in Munich, Germany in 1975White was responsible for incorporating the sound of the kalimba ;(also known as the African thumb piano) and of a horn section – namely the Phenix Horns and Earth, Wind & Fire Horns – into the music of Earth, Wind & Fire.Due to his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease in the late 1980s, White stopped touring with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1994. However, he retained executive control of the band and was still very active in the music business, producing and recording with EWF and other artists. Messages of encouragement from celebrities including Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello ofRage Against the Machine were published for White.From time to time he appeared on stage with Earth, Wind & Fire since his retirement from the road, for instance at the 2004 Grammy Awards Tribute to Funk, and alongside Alicia Keys at Clive Davis' 2004 pre-Grammy awards party where they performed the band's 1978 hit "September".