Earth, Wind and Fire

"Do you remember..." the first time you heard Earth, Wind & Fire? Was it in 1975 with their breakthrough film score That's the Way of the World which introduced the now-classic hits "Shining Star" and "Reasons?" Or perhaps your first memory of Earth, Wind & Fire was in concert – actually being there or via their 2-Lp live set Gratitude that made you feel like you were there. Do you remember the masterful musicianship and otherworldly theatrics? Do you remember the spiritual aura that elevated your mood and expanded your consciousness?

After earning eight Grammy Awards (plus nominations for their most recent 2005 album Illumination and its Raphael Saadiq-produced single, "Show Me the Way"), four American Music Awards, eight double platinum/Top 10 Pop albums, eight #1 R&B singles, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a year 2000 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement honors from the NAACP, ASCAP and BET - Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) and their music remains as inspirational and influential as ever. Their relevance to the landscape of pop music remains evident from their recent electrifying performance at the Super Bowl, three consecutive outdoor summer performances on 'The Today Show,' a knockout team-up with hip hop giants OutKast on the 2004 Grammy telecast and two back-to-back SRO concert tours with their pop-rock peer band Chicago (the latter brilliantly documented on Image Entertainment's sprawling double DVD set, Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire Live at The Greek Theatre).

Reflecting on all the years of music-making, history-making and memory-making, co-founding band member and bassist Verdine White concludes, "Philip, Ralph and I are like brothers now. It's one thing to be able to hang out and talk, but it's another level when you play music together. It's definitely an out of body experience…all about accessing the spirit. Being together this long, we've had a chance to do that and then some, let alone the contributions we've had the opportunity to make to the music scene in general."