Earth, Wind & Fire Day was technically over the weekend, but we’re singing “September” all month long.
Clark Atlanta University professor Trenton Bailey, the author of “Do You Remember: Celebrating Fifty Years of Earth Wind and Fire,” joined the City Cast Chicago podcast to talk about the band’s Chicago roots and global legacy.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Earth, Wind & Fire founder and frontman Maurice White is from Memphis but moved to Chicago. How’d these cities shape his musical background?
“[White] started out playing drums in junior high school. He's in the marching band. After he graduated from high school, he moved to Chicago with his mother, stepdad, and all of his siblings. And for a while, he was going to be a doctor. But he shifted into music — that was his passion. He went to the Chicago Conservatory of Music for a while. He was a session drummer at Chess Records.”
White later moved to LA. Can Chicago really claim Earth, Wind & Fire?
“A lot of people do know that [White] started his band in Chicago, even though it wasn't called Earth, Wind & Fire then. But people do recognize that that's where he got his big musical start. You all can make that claim. I give it to you.”
What would you say Earth, Wind & Fire's impact is on not just Chicago music, but American music?
“Earth, Wind & Fire is a national treasure — even a global treasure. They have been sampled by so many artists. It's just a unique sound. Everyone loves the horns, and it was a gift to the world. I mean, I can't explain it. People just love it.”
