Chart entered : 7 November 1987
Chart peak : 54
After a ten year run of hits it was time for another great dance act to leave the stage.
Earth Wind and Fire hit their commercial peak in 1979 with three successive Top 5 hits in the UK. The following year guitarist Al McKay left the band and was replaced by a returning Roland Bautista from their early days. In 1981 they integrated electronics into their sound with the album "Raise " spawning the number 3 hit "Let's Groove". The next two albums were not so well received and the hits became much smaller. Band leader Maurice White decided the band needed a break in 1984. Co-vocalist Philip Bailey had a huge transatlantic hit with Phil Collins on Easy Lover and it was Collins who led the way in making the brass section, The Phoenix Horns, much sought after session players. By contrast Maurice's eponymous solo album was only moderately successful and when a compilation album hit number 5 in the UK in 1986, CBS were able to persuade Maurice and Philip to re-launch the band. Also joining up again were drummer Ralph Johnson, saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk and Maurice's bassist brother Verdine. Maurice's other brother Fred didn't re-join nor did the rest of The Phoenix Horns ( Rahmlee Davis, Michael Harris , Don Myrick, Louis Satterfield ) . Also missing from the line up were Roland, keyboard player Larry Dunn and guitarist Johnny Graham. The gaps were filled by Sonny Emory (drums ) , Sheldon Reynolds ( guitar ) , Dick Smith ( guitar ) Vance Taylor ( keyboards ) , Gary Bias ( saxophone ), Reggie Young ( trombone ) and Raymond Brown ( trumpet ). We've met Sheldon before as a latter day member of The Commodores.
"System of Survival" was their comeback single heralding their new album "Touch The World". It was written by enigmatic songwriter Skylark who later joined The Doobie Brothers as their bass player. Maurice produced and showed his usual adeptness in picking up on contemporary trends in black music . This could easily be a Jam and Lewis production with its sledgehammer beat and nervy synth lines. He and Philip share the vocal duties on this tale of urban living. It's more than competent but perhaps a perception of them as being "old school " held it back. It reached number 60 in the US.
The follow-up "You And I " sounded more like their old selves despite being written by outsiders Mark Mueller and Robbie C'Est La Vie Nevil but it's instantly forgettable and didn't make the US charts either. The third single "Thinking Of You " was written by Maurice with Wayne and Wanda Vaughan and has a more contemporary sound but there's too much going on apart from any real hooks. It made number 67 in the US . "Evil Roy" is a reasonably impressive R & B track about a drug dealer which should have been released earlier in the schedule. The fifth single , the title track is a pop gospel song ( later covered by Whitney Houston ) written by a church minister and sounds like fifth choice. The album , on which most of the members barely featured as much of the instrumentation was handled by outsiders, improved slightly on its predecessor in reaching 33 in the US but it didn't chart in the UK.
The following year they released a second compilation album covering their material since 1978. The first one had peaked at number 6 in the US , this one scraped to number 190 , starkly illustrating how far their star had diminished. A track they had recorded for the Caddyshack II soundtrack , "Turn Up ( The Beat Box ) " a modern dance pop outing of which Philip's trademark falsetto is the only distinctive feature was released as a single but didn't trouble the charts.
The band came back at the start of 1990 with the album "Heritage" which featured guest spots from Sly Stone and rapper of the moment MC Hammer. Both tracks featuring the latter were released as singles. " For The Love Of You " is flat-footed and tuneless and "Wanna Be The Man" sounds equally uncomfortable. In both cases Hammer's presence wasn't enough to restore them to the charts. The third single "Heritage" featured junior rappers The Boys and is an awkward mix of cheesy sentiment, kiddie vocals and Cameo-style minimalist funk. Failing to get past number 70, the album was their lowest charting since 1972 and Columbia decided it was time to cut them loose.
Dick quit the band while they were label-shopping in 1991. The following year another compilation on Telstar Records reached number 40 in the UK. The band returned to their first label Warner Brothers ( actually their subsidiary Reprise ) and released the lengthy "Millennium" in 1993. The lead single "Sunday Morning" , a mid-tempo modern soul number restored them to the US chart, peaking at number 53 and securing a Grammy nomination for Best R & B Vocal Performance By a Group. Generally the band sound more comfortable with the less harsh sound of nineties R & B but there's a prevailing blandness and subsequent singles "Spend The Night" and "Two Hearts " failed to chart. The album did slightly better than its predecessor reaching number 59 but that was not the sort of return Warner Brothers were looking for and they were let go.
Vance threw in the towel at that point and Andrew went off to rejoin his old mates in the Phoenix Horns. The following year Maurice announced his retirement from the road which he later confirmed was due to the onset of Parkinson's Disease which had been diagnosed in the late eighties.
In 1996 another Telstar compilation hit number 29 in the UK.
A new album "In The Name Of Love " followed on Rhino Records in 1997. It was originally released in Japan only with a slightly different track listing as "Avatar". It's another undistinguished collection of R & B songs. The single "Revolution" tries to channel some of The Temptations' politicised soul of the early seventies but chugs rather than grooves before being sunk completely a supper club sax solo. The album became their first studio LP not to chart.
In 1999 another compilation LP got to 34 in the UK. It contained a Phats and Small re-mix of "September" which reached number 25 as a single, their last appearance in the UK. singles chart. That was also the year Sonny left the band. Sheldon also left the band before the next album.
The band played some prestigious gigs a the turn of the millennium but didn't release any new material until 2003 with "The Promise" coming out on Maurice's Kalimba Records. It saw the band narrowing its approach to smooth soul , ditching any attempt to sound "urban". One or two songs are lightly funky, like the single "All In The Way" which reunited them with The Emotions, but otherwise it's pretty much all ballads. The album saw a modest revival in their fortunes by peaking at number 89 in the US. Raymond retired from the music business in 2004.
The next album "|Illumination" started out as a Philip solo album before he changed his mind and made it a group project. That said, the input of the others counted for much less than the impressive list of guest stars ( Raphael Saddiq, Jam and Lewis, Kelly Rowland, will.i.am among others ). Despite appearing on the cover, Ralph only contributes a little percussion to one track. Most of the tracks have a featuring credit and it sounds more like tuning into an R & B station for an hour than a coherent group album. It was released by Sanctuary , the label owned by Matthew "Father of Beyonce" Knowles, and maintained their commercial recovery by reaching number 32 in the US.
Another compilation album reached number 9 in the UK in 2010.
As Maurice's condition deteriorated, the band didn't return to the studio until 2013 for "Now Then and Forever" their first album without any musical contribution from him although he did write some liner notes. As some compensation, Larry was part of the production team and played keyboards on several tracks. The album was a conscious attempt to get back to their old sound although "Dance Floor " is obviously trying ( far too hard ) to be a contemporary club track. It has its moments, the instrumental break on "Guiding Lights" is very good and the final couple of tracks are worth another listen. The public agreed and the album reached number 11 in the US and number 25 here, their first studio album to chart since 1983's "Powerlight".
Perhaps over-eager to capitalise on this renaissance, the band released a Christmas album "Holiday" the following year. Ralph did not contribute to it although there's been no other indication he's left the band. It became the second EW&F album not to chart.
Maurice died in February this year aged 75. Phil, Verdine and Ralph are continuing the band and have a tour lined up in spring next year.
So, deep breath, let's tackle the diaspora. Al pursued a solo career as a session guitarist , video instructor and producer for The Temptations and A Taste of Honey. In 2001 Al McKay's L.A. All Stars as a sort of opposing version of the band. Johnny, Fred, Rahmlee, Michael and Andrew have all been involved at some point. They play a show called The Earth Wind And Fire Experience and have released several CDs in Japan.
Fred never re-joined his brothers in EWF . He did a little session work before joining Al's version of the band.
The original Phoenix Horns were basically uprooted by Phil Collins and formed part of his recording and touring band for the rest of the decade although Michael left in 1986 to be replaced by Harry Kim. In 1990 after completing a world tour with Collins , Don, who was struggling with drugs left and was replaced by Andrew. Collins didn't use them for 1993's Both Sides and by 1996's Dance Into The Light they had dissolved. Kim retained Andrew and reconfigured them as the Vine Street Horns. Collins later sued Rahmlee and Louis for overpayment of royalties on the Serious Hits...Live album. He won the case but they were not required to pay back what they'd already received.
Rahmlee has a solo career as a jazz trumpeter and has released four albums ( the first while still in the band ) of smooth jazz with the occasional foray into vocal R & B such as "I'm Wrapped" from 2006's "You Can't Stop This ". He also does session work and can be found on recordings by Tupac Shakur, Macy Gray and Beatchuggers.
Don's drug problems continued and in 1993 he was shot dead on his doorstep during a narcotics investigation , by a police officer who apparently mistook his butane lighter for a weapon.
Louis did a bit of session work and went out on the road with Cash McCall, both as a bassist, but told the court in the royalties case he was living on state benefits. He died in 2004 aged 67.
Michael went on to session work for Michael Jackson amongst others and an instructional video on playing trumpet before hooking up with Al and leading the horn section in his outfit.
Roland went back to session work with Morris Day, DeBarge, and Wilton Felder in the late eighties but after that he fell off the radar with even close friends wondering where he'd gone. He died of natural causes in 2012.
Johnny now lives in Japan where he has performed with a number of local bands including Soul Sauce.
Larry became primarily a record producer as the co-owner of Source Productions with wife Luisa though he released a listenable electro-disco single "Groove Patrol" in 1986 and in the early nineties put out a jazz-funk album "Lover's Silhouette" in Japan under the name "Larry Dunn Orchestra". As well as helping out both the original band and Al's outfit he has opened up a third outlet for E W & F music with Sheldon in a tribute band called Devoted Spirits.
Dick returned to his work as a session guitarist. He has toured with Kenny Loggins, Air Supply and Donny Osmond. He has also garnered Emmy's for TV soundtrack work. He also had a few acting roles recently e.g. in Ray.
Vance has also been busy either recording or touring with a wide range of artists including Will Downing, Elton John, Aretha Franklin and CeCe Williams. He was musical director for a Toni Braxton tour. He currently plays in Maze featuring Frankie Beverley. He put out a jazz-funk instrumental album "Long Overdue" and plays in churches in the Atlanta area.
Andrew played with the Vine Street Horns on Collins's Dance Into The Light in 1996 and in the subsequent Phil Collins Big Band project. before hooking up with Al.
Sonny is much in demand as a session and touring drummer. In recent years he's worked with Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Hornsby, , Bette Midler and Lee Ritenour. He also gives private lessons. He put out a jazz-funk solo LP "Rock Hard Cachet" in 2013.
Besides working with Larry, Sheldon is also part of Experience Hendrix, Having once been married to Jimi's adopted half-sister Janie.
Gary continues to play with Earth Wind & Fire but has put out a solo LP on his own label.
Reggie also continues to work with Earth Wind and Fire but has also played on recent records by Andrea Bocelli and MIchael Buble.
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