Earth, Wind & Fire ‘Promise’ to Keep Rocking [INTERVIEW]
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to be more universal in both our music and what we projected to people. I think we accomplished that pretty good.”

At the height of the EWF’s success, White formed the production company Kalimba Productions. Signing and producing hits for Denise Williams (“Free”), the Emotions (“Best of My Love”) and Pockets (“Come Go with Me”), Kalimba was on the verge of becoming the then-new Motown. But while Maurice handled the production chores of the first two acts, Verdine was saddled with the Baltimore-based Pockets.

“Their debut album Come Go with Us was the first I ever produced,” Verdine reveals. “Their bass player Gary Grainger was great, and their first album went gold. We took them, as well as Denise Williams and the Emotions, on the road with us during that 1977 tour.”

Although Verdine has lived in Los Angeles since the 1970s, he still returns home to Chicago periodically, and is more than aware of the out-of-control shoot ’em up scenarios that have claimed hundreds of bloody bodies. “This is something we need to get a grip on,” he says sadly. “This unruly use of firearms is something we all need to work on with the young people in Chicago.”

In an attempt to raise money for various programs combating Chicago’s street violence, White has recorded a “We Are the World”-style song with keyboardist/musical director Michael Bearden to help raise the necessary funds. “Right now we’re just trying to get other stars interested in singing on the record.”

Sampled by hundreds of hip-hop artists like Jay Z (“Reach the Top”), DJ Shadow (“In/Flux”) and Talib Kweli (“Ghetto Show”), the sound of Earth, Wind and Fire still thrills the ears of young America. “The other night, I went to the LA Coliseum to see Jay Z and Justin Timberlake,” Verdine says. “But when DJ Cassidy played our old song ‘September,’ the kids went crazy… 110,000 were partying a song we recorded 35 years ago. I have to say, that felt great.”

Cultural critic Michael A. Gonzales has written cover stories for Vibe, Uptown, Essence, XXL, Wax Poetics and elsewhere. He’s also written for New York and The Village Voice. Read him at Blackadelic Pop and follow him on Twitter @gonzomike.