walking upstream…
Earth, Wind & Fire
photo: distributed by columbia records · public domain ↗Earth, Wind & Fire
sourcesWikipedia
Founded in Chicago in 1969 by drummer and bandleader Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire fused funk, soul, jazz, gospel, and Latin rhythms into a lush, horn-driven sound crowned by Philip Bailey's soaring falsetto. Across the 1970s the band scored era-defining hits like 'September,' 'Shining Star,' and 'That's the Way of the World,' pairing tight grooves with elaborate arrangements and a mystical, uplifting lyrical bent. Their ambitious blend of virtuosity and spectacle made them one of the most influential ensembles of their generation.
the sound in question
1978
SeptemberEarth, Wind & Fire
walk the tributaries ↓
Sly and the Family Stone1960s-70s · Funk / Soul / Psychedelic rock / R&B
Maurice White has been described as idolizing Sly Stone — he later recruited Stone to guest on a 1990 Earth, Wind & Fire album — and the integrated, everybody-sings funk of Sly and the Family Stone is a foundation of the band's early sound.
listen: upstream & here
1968
Dance to the MusicSly and the Family Stone
1975
Shining StarEarth, Wind & Fire
listen forPlay Sly and the Family Stone's 'Dance to the Music' and then Earth, Wind & Fire's 'Shining Star' — both stack a full band of trading voices over a punchy, celebratory funk-rock charge.
James Brown1960s–70s · Funk / Soul / R&B
Accounts of the band's roots name James Brown alongside Sly Stone as a wellspring of its funk, and Brown's tight, syncopated horn-and-rhythm attack underpins Earth, Wind & Fire's hardest-driving grooves.
listen: upstream & here
1967
Cold SweatJames Brown
1977
Serpentine FireEarth, Wind & Fire
listen forThrow on James Brown's razor-tight 'Cold Sweat' next to Earth, Wind & Fire's 'Serpentine Fire' — hear the same locked, staccato horn stabs and relentless, one-chord rhythmic drive.
Duke Ellington1930s–40s · Jazz / Big band
Critics have described an 'Ellingtonian fusion of styles' in the band's ambitious live work, and Maurice White's jazz grounding — he came up in Chicago and drummed in the Ramsey Lewis Trio — shows in the group's elaborate, big-band-scaled horn arrangements.
listen: upstream & here
1941
Take the 'A' TrainDuke Ellington
1975
That's the Way of the WorldEarth, Wind & Fire
listen forSet Ellington's swinging 'Take the A Train' beside Earth, Wind & Fire's orchestral 'That's the Way of the World' — both glide on richly voiced horn sections arranged with a composer's sweep.