AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

EARTH, WIND & FIRE INDUCTED INTO THE  SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME

June 17. 2010. Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn and Al McKay were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the most innovative and commercially invincible contemporary Pop / R&B music forces of the 20th century. Members Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn and Al McKay are known for their signature sound of fusing Pop, R&B, Rock, Latin, Funk, Jazz and African Music to win numerous awards.
Earth, Wind & Fire has received 20 Grammy nominations; winning six as a group and its founding members, Maurice White and Philip Bailey, winning two awards each. The band was also awarded the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Signature Governor’s Award. Earth, Wind & Fire have earned more than 50 Gold and Platinum albums and have sold over 90 million albums worldwide. They have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2000) and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1995). The music industry and fans have bestowed Lifetime Achievement honors from ASCAP (Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award - 2002), NAACP (Hall of Fame - 1994) and the BET Awards (Life Time Achievement Award 2002).
Two Earth, Wind & Fire classic songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame: “That’s The Way of The World” (2004) and “Shining Star” (2007). Earth, Wind & Fire have 12 American Music Awards nominations and four awards. The band is also known as having been the first African-American performers to sell out Madison Square Garden and to receive the MSG Gold Ticket Award. President Obama invited the band to perform at the White House for the first social event of the new administration.

EARTH, WIND & FIRE INDUCTED INTO THE  ROCKWALK OF FAME

July 7. 2003. Earth Wind & Fire was inducted into the RockWalk of Fame Monday July 7. 2003. The induction was held in front of Guitar Center Hollywood, home to The RockWalk, on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, California.
"Legendary R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire provide an unforgettable magic that has earned them six consecutive double platinum albums and over 40 million album sales just in the U.S. The band's accolades include six Grammy's and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Crisp arrangements, soaring harmonies, impeccable instrumental performances, and the signature vocal interplay between Maurice White's lows and Philip Bailey's highs, established the group as a worldwide phenomenon and the biggest-selling act in Columbia Records' history."

BET AWARDS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

EWF received the 2nd annual BET Awards Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday 25. June 2002. The ceremony was held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, CA. [Read more]

EARTH, WIND & FIRE TO RECEIVE ASCAP RHYTHM & SOUL HERITAGE AWARD

June 17. 2002. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will present the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award to Earth, Wind & Fire, the seminal genre-crossing R&B/pop band, it was announced by Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board. This prestigious award was presented at the 15th Annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Dinner, which took place on June 17, 2002 in Los Angeles, California at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Earth, Wind & Fire were in the vanguard of artists that took R&B and popular music in new directions. Drummer Maurice White, a veteran of the Ramsey Lewis Trio and countless recording sessions at Chess Records, created the group in 1969 with the idea of bridging R&B, jazz, gospel, funk, pop and traditional African music. EWF has recorded numerous signature songs that have been successful on both the Pop and R&B charts, including “Shining Star,” “September,” “Fantasy,” “Getaway,” “Sing A Song,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “Reasons” and “Serpentine Fire.” The group has recorded over 20 albums and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. EWF honors include six Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, an NAACP Hall of Fame Image Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Earth, Wind & Fire fan base extends far beyond the Pop and R&B audience; their music crosses genre, ethnic and geographic boundaries and is embraced internationally.
Commenting on the award, Marilyn Bergman said, “The music of Earth, Wind & Fire is memorable, joyous and endlessly inventive. Their songs evoke romance, spirituality and freedom. Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White and company have created a lasting body of work that transcends category.” Previous recipients of the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award have been Chaka Khan and Peabo Bryson. A previously unreleased collection of live recordings by Earth, Wind & Fire, That’s The Way Of The World: Alive in ’75, has just been released by Sony Legacy.
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the world’s largest performing rights organization with over 135,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP is committed to protecting the rights of its members by licensing and collecting royalties for the public performance of their copyrighted works, and then distributing these fees to the Society’s members based on performances. ASCAP’s repertory spans the entire spectrum of music – from pop to symphonic, rock to gospel, Latin to country, to jazz, rhythm and blues, theater, film and television music. ASCAP’s Board of Directors is made up solely of writers and publishers elected by the membership.

EARTH WIND & FIRE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

March 6th 2000. Earth, Wind & Fire drew from various streams of black music, synthesizing soul, funk, R&B, pop, gospel and African styles into a polished, precision-tooled approach. During the latter half of the Seventies, they issued a string of albums that changed the face of black popular music, linking thrilling music with uplifting messages of racial pride, African consciousness and spiritual unity.  A large and visually resplendent ensemble, its members often wore colorful African robes. The group was known for employing magic tricks (often directed by the late Doug Henning) in their elaborate late-Seventies stage shows. Even so, the anthemic power of "Shining Star," "Serpentine Fire," "Getaway" and numerous other crossover hits proved that Earth, Wind & Fire's music could stand on its own.
The group was founded by Memphis-born Maurice White, a session drummer who joined Chess Records' studio band from 1963 to 1967. Following a stint with the Ramsey Lewis Trio, he formed Earth, Wind & Fire in Los Angeles in 1969. A definitive nine-man lineup coalesced in the early Seventies around a core of White, who sang and played the African kalimba; his bass-playing brother, Verdine White; and vocalist Philip Bailey. The group's tight, punchy horn section became a featured attraction, but the musical currents ran deeply. "Our whole vision," Bailey has commented, "derived from the greats before us: Miles Davis and John Coltrane and all the great singers.... We were jazz musicians at heart playing popular music." Moreover, they were driven by idealism. "The essence of this band is hope," White has said.
Earth, Wind & Fire attracted a then-untapped audience of hip, young urban audience of blacks and whites that reacted to the energetic music and charismatic presentation. Their breakthrough album, That's the Way of the World (1975), yielded "Shining Star," a Grammy Award-winning #1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Earth, Wind & Fire's conquest of the Seventies continued with an unbroken run of multiplatinum albums: Gratitude (1975), Spirit (1976), All 'N All (1977), The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (1978) and I Am (1979).
In addition to overseeing Earth, Wind & Fire's albums and tours, White was fast becoming one of the hottest producers around. He even started his own label, ARC, in 1978. Without question one of the hardest-working bands in show business, Earth, Wind & Fire found themselves physically and creatively exhausted by the early Eighties. They took a four-year hiatus, during which time Maurice White devoted himself to production while Philip Bailey launched a dual solo career, finding success in both the Christian and pop fields. The much -in-demand Earth, Wind & Fire horn players, known as the Phoenix Horns, teamed up with Genesis and its singer/drummer, Phil Collins, on a number of hit recordings. Collins and Bailey collaborated on "Easy Lover," a #2 hit in 1984.
The reunited Earth, Wind & Fire bounced back in 1987 with a strong album (Touch the World) and single ("System of Survival"). They became an active recording and touring entity again, albeit at a less frantic pace. A career-spanning box set, The Eternal Dance, was released in 1992. Maurice White retired from the road in 1996 but remains Earth, Wind & Fire's producer and guiding light. The band's most recent studio recording, In the Name of Love, appeared on the Pyramid/Rhino label in 1997.

1969
Maurice White co-founds the Salty Peppers in Chicago. They release two singles on Capitol Records.
May 15, 1971
Earth, Wind & Fire's self-titled debut album enters the Billboard album chart, peaking at #172.
April 27, 1974
"Mighty Mighty" becomes the group's first single to crack the pop Top Forty. They'd first entered the R&B Top Forty in July 1973 with "Evil."
May 24, 1975
Shining Star, from That's the Way of the World, reaches #1 on Billboard's singles chart. It earns the first of many Grammys for the group, winning Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group.
January 1, 1976
The double-album Gratitude, a mix of studio and live recordings, tops the charts for three weeks. The group's concerts, full of magic and pyrotechnics, help make them most popular R&B band of the mid-Seventies.
March 16, 1978
Group wins three Grammys: Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group (for All 'N All), Best R&B Instrumental Performance ("Runnin'") and Best Arrangement for Accompanying Vocals ("Got to Get You Into My Life.")
January 27, 1979
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 peaks at #6 while the single "September" is on its way to #8. In February, Maurice White launches the American Recording Corporation (ARC), a CBS-distributed label whose artist roster included the Emotions and Deniece Williams.
December 1, 1983
Electric Universe, Earth, Wind & Fire's 16th album, is released. When it sells disappointingly, an exhausted Maurice White disbands the group. 
November 1, 1987
Reunited after four years, Earth, Wind & Fire unveils Touch the World. Its lead single, "System of Survival," hits #1 on the R&B chart. 
October 29, 1992
The Eternal Dance, a 55-track, three-CD box set spanning the group's entire career, is released.
March 6, 2000
Earth, Wind & Fire is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the fifteenth annual induction dinner.

Maurice White, Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Andrew Woolfolk, and
 Johnny Graham pose after accepting their award during the 15th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Dinner,  March 6, 2000, at New York's Waldorf-Astoria. 
 

HOLLYWOOD'S WALK OF FAME

September 15th, 1995, EWF was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. All the original members of the group showed up -- including the group's founder Maurice White. He attributed EWF's success to the support of their fans. "It's been quite a trip for us to stay together for over 20 years," White told the crowd of well-wishers that included Sinbad and radio DJ Tom Joyner. "When we first started on this scene we didn't know if we were going to make it. But I want to thank you all for sharing the dream with us." For those of you that wanna see it for yourself, the star is located exactly at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard (South) corner La Brea Av.

GOLD & PLATINUM DISCOGRAPHY

Double Platinum Albums: That's The Way Of The World 1975, Gratitude (Double LP) 1975, Spirit 1976, All'n All 1977, Best Of EWF, Vol.1 1978, I Am 1979, Touch The World - 1987.
Platinum Albums: Head to the Sky 1973, Open Our Eyes 1974, Raise! 1981.
Gold Albums: Faces (Double LP) 1980, Powerlight 1983.
Gold Singles: Shining Star 1975, Can't Hide Love 1975, Getaway 1976, Serpentine Fire 1977, September 1978, Got To Get You Into My Life 1978, Boogie Wonderland 1979, After The Love Has Gone 1979, Let's Groove 1981
Platinum DVDs:  EWF & Chicago: Live at the Greek Theatre 2004 (rel. 2005)

1975: Best R&B vocal performance by a group (Winner): Shining Star
Best arrangement accompanying vocals (Nomination): Can't Hide Love
1976: Best R&B vocal performance by a group (Nomination): Gratitude
Best Instrumental Song (Nomination): Earth, Wind & Fire - Maurice White
1978: Best pop vocal performance by a group (Nomination): Got to Get You Into My Life
Best Arrangement for Accompanying Vocals (Nomination): Maurice White - Got To Get You In My Life
Best R&B instrumental performance (Winner): Runnin'
Best R&B vocal performance by a group (Winner): All'n All
Best R&B Song (Nomination): Fantasy
1979: Best disco recording (Nomination): Boogie Wonderland
Best R&B instrumental performance (Winner): Boogie Wonderland instr.
Best R&B vocal performance by a group (Winner): After the Love Has Gone
Record of the year: After the Love Has Gone
1981: Best R&B performance by a group: Let's Groove
1982: Best R&B performance by a group (Winner): Wanna Be With You
1983: Best R&B performance by a group (Nomination: Fall In Love With Me
1993: Best R&B vocal performance by a group (Nomination): Sunday Morning
2003: Best Traditional R&B vocal performance (Nomination): Hold Me
2004: Best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals (Nomination): Show Me the Way feat. Raphael Saadiq
2005: Best R&B Album (Nomination): Illumination