He continued picking up drumming jobs on the side, which eventually lead to a steady spot as a studio percussionist with the legendary Chicago label, Chess Records. Jones, who eventually achieved stardom as Booker T and the MGs.After graduating high school, Maurice moved to the Windy City to continue his musical education at the prestigious Chicago Conservatory Of Music. His first professional performance was with Booker T. He began working gigs as a drummer while still in high school. At age six, he began singing in his church’s gospel choir but soon his interest turned to percussion. All of these styles played a role in the development of Maurice’s musical identity. He was immersed in a rich musical culture that spanned the boundaries between jazz, gospel, R&B, blues and early rock. I wanted our music to convey messages of universal love and harmony without force-feeding listeners’ spiritual content.”Maurice was born December 19, 1941, in Memphis, TN. We were coming out of a decade of experimentation, mind expansion and cosmic awareness. “Although we were basically jazz musicians, we played soul, funk, gospel, blues, jazz, rock and dance music…which somehow ended up becoming pop. “I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before,” Maurice explains. It certainly was successful, as EWF combined high-caliber musicianship, wide-ranging musical genre eclecticism, and ’70s multicultural spiritualism. As founder and leader of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White not only embraced but also helped bring about this evolution of pop, which bridged the gap that has often separated the musical tastes of black and white America. So if you are a fan of EWF or American funk music in general, be sure to see and hear the Al McKay's Earth, Wind & Fire Experience on its worldwide tour.During the 1970s, a new brand of pop music was born – one that was steeped in African and African-American styles – particularly jazz and R&B but appealed to a broader cross-section of the listening public. Performing their show around the world, "Earth, Wind &Fire Experience by Al McKay" is the closest thing you can get to what EWF sounded like in its heyday during the late 1970's and early 80's.Īmong musicians and fans alike, the group is considered the top funk band on the planet today. Over the years, the LA Allstars - and later the Al McKay Allstars - have featured a who's who of the most influential musicians in R&B and Funk. Then in 1990, the EWF icon, Al McKay - who was the "groove director" of the original band, who produced " Boogie Wonderland", co-wrote "September" and was world-renown for his rhythm guitar chops - decided to put a band together from the spirit of the original group. All that was left was the legacy of the music that had sustained and nurtured a generation. The band that had defined the modern sound of R&B music was done. After Al McKay left the group, Earth, Wind & Fire was on its last legs. McKay's group, the Al McKay Allstars, offers a stunning demonstration of the power of living, vital performance, upholding the high standard of live excellence that established the original Earth, Wind & Fire sound.įor fans around the world, the question often is: "where did this band come from?" It was 1982. Built around legendary Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay, the aptly-named “Earth, Wind & Fire Experience by Al McKay" reincarnates the spirit of the original - powerfully delivering hit after hit of the supergroup's songs - in the original keys and with the original feel.
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