Getty Maurice White
During the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors, which will be hosted by LL Cool J, the annual event will be celebrating the following honorees: actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt, the children’s TV show Sesame Street, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, and the band Earth, Wind, & Fire.
Earth, Wind, & Fire, the first African-American group to receive a Kennedy Center Honor, will unfortunately only have three of their original members on hand to receive their honorary award. While Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, and Verdine White, will be attendance, the band’s founder and Verdine’s brother, Maurice White, passed away on February 6, 2016. He was 74.
Johnson told Billboard that White will still be with them in spirit. “You can’t play any Earth Wind & Fire songs without Maurice’s DNA being on it, so he’s always here and we’re always celebrating him and his vision… People are still coming together and having fun.”
White first founded the group with Verdine in 1969. He co-wrote the band’s hit “Shining Star,” which earned EWF their first No. 1 hit, among many others, including the ever-popular, “September.” White was individually inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. Along with his band members, White was nominated for 21 Grammys, and won a total of seven.
1. White Was Fighting A Longtime Battle With Parkinson’s Disease When He Died
Stevie Wonder (R) and Maurice White of the band Earth, Wind and Fire.
The American singer and songwriter died in his sleep while at his home in Los Angeles. White was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1992, and because of this disease, was forced to stop touring with the R&B group he helped create in 1994. For years, White kept his diagnosis a secret from the public.
While White could no longer perform, he remained an active member for the band on the business side of things. In 2000, Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. EWF has sold more that 90 million albums worldwide.
2. White Lived Clean & Wanted All His Bandmates To Stay Away From Drugs & Alcohol
Monday on @CBSThisMorning: The members of @EarthWindFire talk about embarking on a spiritual journey with the band’s founder, Maurice White.
@CBSMMiller caught up with the ’70s supergroup while on tour during their favorite month of the year: September. 🎶
In a 2013 interview with The Telegraph Verdine said of his big brother, “We had a strong leader. We really looked up to Maurice. You have to understand that we were 21 years old when we started our journey with Earth, Wind and Fire. Maurice was 31, and so he had done a lot more things than we had. Maurice was interested in establishing a credibility of a different morality about musicians and their lifestyles. So we were into healthy food, meditation, taking vitamins, reading philosophical books, being students of life.”
While not all of his bandmates were able to stay to the strait and narrow all the time, White encouraged his bandmates to stay stay away from drugs, weed, and alcohol.
3. Earth, Wind & Fire’s Band Leader’s Health Took A Turn For The Worse in 2016
White’s health started to deteriorate quickly in 2016, according to TMZ, and Verdine shared the following statement after his brother passed away.
“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.”
Outside of EWF, White produced and composed with numerous illustrious artists including Cher, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, and Barry Manilow.
4. White Started Out His Musical Career As A Drummer
Born on December 19, 1941, White grew up in Memphis, Tennessee before moving to Chicago as a teen. He started out doing session work as a drummer for Chess records. His beats can be found on the records of artists such as Muddy Waters, Etta James, the Impressions, and Buddy Guy. White later joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio as the band’s drummer, and he played on nine of jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis’s albums.
Before moving to Los Angeles and creating Earth Wind & Fire, White formed a songwriting trio with two other Chicago-based composers, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. They called themselves the Salty Trio, and their biggest hit was with their single, “La La Time.”
5. Earth, Wife & Fire Will Be Be Honored With Tribute Performances By John Legend, The Jonas Brothers & More
Honorees (L-R) Verdine White, Ralph Johnson and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire
Prior to the 42nd annual awards ceremony, Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a statement, “The Kennedy Center Honors celebrates icons who, through their artistry, have left an indelible stamp on our collective cultural consciousness. Earth, Wind & Fire’s hooks and grooves are the foundation of a seminal style that continues to shape our musical landscape.”
During the show, what was originally taped in Washington on December 8, the Earth, Wide & Fire tribute segment kicks off with an introduction by “After the Love is Gone” co-writer David Foster. The performers on hand to sing some of the band’s biggest hits include Cynthia Erivo, John Legend, the Jonas Brothers and Ne-Yo, which culminate in an ensemble finale of “September.”
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Maurice White’s Cause of Death: How Did Earth, Wind & Fire’s Leader Die?