EARTH WIND & FIRE
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White feels that celebrity interviews will become a thing of the past within five years. "The press thinks that we make all the money and we don't work really hard," said White. "So these guys in the press write things about us that aren't fair. That's why artists don't like to do interviews. "The media is kicking everybody's butt today," he said. "Look at O.J. Simpson. That guy can't get a fair break no matter what."
With Earth, Wind & Fire preparing to begin their first North American tour in six years, White decided to conduct several interviews via telephone with a few select outlets across the country. The current Earth, Wind & Fire lineup consists of Philip Bailey and Maurice White on vocals, White's brother Verdine on bass, Sonny Emory on drums, Morris Pleasure and Michael McKnight on keyboards, Sheldon Reynolds on guitar, and Carl Carlwell on background vocals.
Also in the lineup are the "Horns of Fire" -- Ray Brown, Reginald Young and Scott Mayo.
Q.Why did Earth, Wind & Fire become so popular back in the early '70's?
A.If you notice back then, our kind of music appealed to all kinds of people. People of different races and beliefs all enjoyed what we were doing then. That's an important reason why we did so well.
Q.Was there a vision when you and your brother first formed the group that defined the sound Earth, Wind & Fire would eventually take?
A.You never think about it that far ahead. You'd like to but no one knows what will happen to the music once you're out there for a few years. Back then we knew that we could only do the best that we could possibly do, and hopefully, other people would pick up on our music and take us further. That was the only power we had, what the people who supported us gave us. You know, there were other groups who worked just as hard or even harder than we did and today they're no longer around on the scene.
Q.The group was one of the first acts to break into the pop charts with a sound that featured African, Asian as well as other Latino rhythms.
A.Basically we tapped into the possibilities of the music and we don't let other people's negative reaction come into the picture. We didn't project their negative reality onto our trip. We had to be careful with what other people around the music business at that time were saying about our sound because their advice would limit us to sounding like everybody else who was on the music scene at that time.
Q.After a six-year hiatus from the road, why is Earth, Wind & Fire touring once again?
A.Because we love what we do.
Q.With the entire tour selling out virtually across the country even before the first concert date, it appears that there's been a huge audience waiting for Earth, Wind & Fire to tour for years.
A.It is as if we've never gone away. Obviously the fans haven't gone away either. I can't really speak for them, as to why they're still around.
Obviously, they care about our music too. It's nice to play for an audience like that you know. I mean, they're the people who were backing us in the early days.
Q.I there a goal for Earth, Wind & Fire on this current tour?
A. No, I'm not trying to set goals. I think it would be a waste of time for us to set goals at this point. As far as I'm concerned, the goal has already been achieved. We just want to play hard. It's been too long since we played here. That energy from the crowd is what makes our music what it is.
We're looking forward to reconnecting with our fans. That's when the magic happens.
How do you define,Earth, Wind & Fire's music and work throughout the years?
A.A fusion of different musical styles and a commitment to excellence in performance and production.
End.
COPYRIGHT 2008.
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White feels that celebrity interviews will become a thing of the past within five years. "The press thinks that we make all the money and we don't work really hard," said White. "So these guys in the press write things about us that aren't fair. That's why artists don't like to do interviews. "The media is kicking everybody's butt today," he said. "Look at O.J. Simpson. That guy can't get a fair break no matter what." With Earth, Wind & Fire preparing to begin their first North American tour in six years, White decided to conduct several interviews via telephone with a few select outlets across the country. The current Earth, Wind & Fire lineup consists of Philip Bailey and Maurice White on vocals, White's brother Verdine on bass, Sonny Emory on drums, Morris Pleasure and Michael McKnight on keyboards, Sheldon Reynolds on guitar, and Carl Carlwell on background vocals. Also in the lineup are the "Horns of Fire" -- Ray Brown, Reginald Young and Scott Mayo.
Q.Why did Earth, Wind & Fire become so popular back in the early '70's?
A.If you notice back then, our kind of music appealed to all kinds of people. People of different races and beliefs all enjoyed what we were doing then. That's an important reason why we did so well.
Q.Was there a vision when you and your brother first formed the group that defined the sound Earth, Wind & Fire would eventually take?
A.You never think about it that far ahead. You'd like to but no one knows what will happen to the music once you're out there for a few years. Back then we knew that we could only do the best that we could possibly do, and hopefully, other people would pick up on our music and take us further. That was the only power we had, what the people who supported us gave us. You know, there were other groups who worked just as hard or even harder than we did and today they're no longer around on the scene.
Q.The group was one of the first acts to break into the pop charts with a sound that featured African, Asian as well as other Latino rhythms.
A.Basically we tapped into the possibilities of the music and we don't let other people's negative reaction come into the picture. We didn't project their negative reality onto our trip. We had to be careful with what other people around the music business at that time were saying about our sound because their advice would limit us to sounding like everybody else who was on the music scene at that time.
Q.After a six-year hiatus from the road, why is Earth, Wind & Fire touring once again?
A.Because we love what we do.
Q.With the entire tour selling out virtually across the country even before the first concert date, it appears that there's been a huge audience waiting for Earth, Wind & Fire to tour for years.
A.It is as if we've never gone away. Obviously the fans haven't gone away either. I can't really speak for them, as to why they're still around. Obviously, they care about our music too. It's nice to play for an audience like that you know. I mean, they're the people who were backing us in the early days.
Q.I there a goal for Earth, Wind & Fire on this current tour?
A. No, I'm not trying to set goals. I think it would be a waste of time for us to set goals at this point. As far as I'm concerned, the goal has already been achieved. We just want to play hard. It's been too long since we played here. That energy from the crowd is what makes our music what it is. We're looking forward to reconnecting with our fans. That's when the magic happens.
How do you define,Earth, Wind & Fire's music and work throughout the years?
A.A fusion of different musical styles and a commitment to excellence in performance and production.
End.
COPYRIGHT 2008.
