Creating His Concept

Dwight Brooks: With the Ramsey Lewis trio, I would have a large salary, travel the world, and most of all, play jazz, leaving RB and pop behind for good. I believed that playing jazz, my first love, was my rainbow's end. Greetings. Thanks for tuning in to tracking Earth, Wind, and Fire. I'm your host, Doc Brooks. I want to earn your subscription to my podcast. a subscription costs you nothing. All you have to do is hit that subscribe button, and then you'll get each episode when I publish them each week. Please follow the podcast playlist on Spotify. Again, no costs. You don't have to buy any of the premium. Just have an account on Spotify and you'll hear all the great tunes that we talk about on this show. And finally, send me an email with your suggestions and comments at tracking t-cw-f at gmail.com. I've titled this episode Creating His Concept because although Maurice believed that he had settled in with the Ramsey Lewis trio, and despite saying, as you heard in my tease, that he was leaving RB and Pop behind for good, that would not be the case. Maurice White had already committed his chief aim in life on paper, and he found that it was time to chart his next move. Why? Well, I think one contributing factor was because it was nineteen sixty-eight and America was sick. Cities were on fire, and anti-war protests on college campuses made them like the cities resemble war zones. White was compelled to address the ills of the world, the way of the world, if you will, through his music, and to fully appreciate White's process of the Of creating his concept of Earth, Wind and Fire, we need to understand the context that was influencing him and so many other Americans. So if you're ready, and I know you are, let's dive deep. As I said, the country was sweltering under the duress of what became known as the long hot summer of nineteen sixty-seven. Black Americans engaged in civil disobedience over institutional racism. Lack of economic opportunities, political disenfranchisement, and police brutality. Young white Americans were protesting the Vietnam War, and together they produced an unprecedented militarized presence that led to state-sanctioned murders on the campuses of Jackson State, Kent State, and in cities like Chicago. And what some would call riots. doctor Martin Luther King Jr. branded them the language of the unheard. In April of nineteen sixty eight, Dr. King would be murdered in Maurice White's hometown of Memphis. Bobby Kennedy would meet the same fate in June of that year. And Richard Nixon, his so-called Law and Order campaign shot him to the White House. The war in Vietnam was unrelenting, and we saw the death and destruction it brought every night on our television sets. Maurice White saw another more personal aspect of America's decay: drugs and alcohol. He both witnessed and played alongside alcoholics in Memphis and at Chess Records. He was aware of the heroin addictions that plagued jazz legends, Billy Holliday, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane. And he was reeling over the recent impact of the 1968 heroin overdose. On both the country and the world of music. And for the 27-year-old drummer who believed the most important words for a musician were moderation in all things, drugs were a non-starter that he had zero tolerance for. His attention was on the music that not only he performed, but he heard around him. Maurice White already experienced how the Ramsey Lewis trio brought people together and how Curtis Mayfield's music uplifted black people. And so Maurice White admitted that James Brown's 1968 hit Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud, was a necessary anthem for black people. It told us that being black was nothing to be ashamed of, and that we should stand up, be empowered, and And love ourselves. And because of widespread colorism in black communities, being called black was considered an insult. Brown's cultural appropriation of black also helped dismantle the constructed identities of black people as Negroes or colored. Ultimately, Brown's landmark cultural text served as a challenge to all people against the denigration of blackness. Brown's hit recording was also part of a turning point in black music as it influenced musicians from around the world, from Cameroons Mono Dabongo, who did Soul Makosa, to Mick Jagger, and believe it or not, even Elvis Presley. And although the song Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud cost Brown's crossover audience at that time, he never regretted recording it because he felt and believed. That it was so badly needed at the time. So, racial consciousness and identity were themes not only in the music of Curtis Mayfield, but other artists like The Temptations, and most notably for Maurice White, a newcomer to the music scene, Sly and his family stone. Formed in San Francisco around 1967, Sly in the Family Stone is credited as the first major American popular music group to have a racially integrated, mixed gender lineup. The Sextet's first three recordings were not commercial successes. And after moving to New York City, their first album on CBS Records epic label, A Whole New Thing, was hailed by critics and considered a musician's album. But it was not pop like CBS wanted, so in response, Dance to the Music, the Funk Laden single from the 1968 album of the same name, became a hit. This was followed by Sly and Family Stones' first number one hit song, Everyday People, from the 1968 Life album. Everyday People was a pop protest song against prejudice of all kinds. Sly only changed music, but he also changed Maurice White. At first glance, White's claim that Sly emancipated him from adhering to the status quo of musical expression might appear problematic given Sly's decision to abandon his initial style for a more popular brand of music. On the other hand, White appreciated Sly Stone's audacity in one tune from Dance to the Music, Don't Burn Baby. Because it condemned black people for burning their own neighborhoods during civil unrest. White's memoir says that Sly gave him the courage to express his own ideas with a sense of boldness. Sly's big sound, his off-beat nature, and simple yet uplifting messages made White believe that his own plan for becoming a great musician was incomplete. White respected what he called Sly's concept, a message of self-empowerment, not only for African Americans, but for everybody. His integrationist stance had obvious appeal to CBS Records and their executives, and they were actually closer to Dr. King than, say, the Black Panthers or the Nation of Islam. White is correct in pointing out that it took black people a little time to get used to Sly and his band. Especially their psychedelic imagery. On that note, the same can be said for Earth, Wind, and Fire. But what will always leave me wondering a bit is how White felt about Sly's well-documented drug use. Nevertheless, feeling more empowered by Sly and the Family Stone, Maurice White sought the advice of a well-known Chicago astrologer he referred to simply as Mr. Black. However, James Black was a pioneering Southside Chicago astrologer recognized as one of the first famous black astrologers in the early 1970s. James Black studied Egyptian astronomy in the early 20th century from an older African man in Alabama, where he grew up. During his first and only meeting with Mr. Black, White learned that his chart had fire, air, and earth signs. But lacked water. that meant he had a pronounced lack of emotion, but he cautioned Maurice White be aware that these natural tendencies are only tendencies. It's what he does with those tendencies that will ultimately determine his life. Therefore, White realized that he had been trying to compensate for a lack of emotion. Through a relationship with music. He thanked Mr. Black, took his chart, and returned to the road with the Ramsay Lewis trio. Yet he continued to study astrology and found out how it was at the core of all, if not most, ancient religions. And so it was later in 1968 when Maurice White recruited 10 musicians to join him at Chicago's Audio Finisher Studio. The group not only included old colleagues like bassist Lewis Satterfield, saxophonist Don Meyrick, trumpeter Chuck Handy, and guitarist Pete Cosey but also keyboardist and vocalist Wade Flemons who wrote for the Dells at Chess Record. Also, keyboardist Don Whitehead, and two musicians from the Pharaohs and the artistic heritage ensemble, Derf Recklaw who played percussion and flute, and percussionist Yackov Ben Israel. White also brought in an up-and-coming keyboardist and a ranger named Donnie Hathaway. White even had his younger brother Freddy play tambourine during these recording sessions. And as many of you know, a couple of years later, Freddie White would be the drummer for Donnie Hathaway before joining brothers Maurice and Verdine in Earth Wind and Fire around 1974. If one were to judge the recordings that resulted from that recording session, it might be described as one of the most inconsequential recording sessions for such a distinguished gathering of musicians. However, it helped formulate Maurice White's next step in his musical journey. White was able to get two of the instrumentals released by Capitol Records, La La Time and Uh Huh Yeah under a band named The Salty Peppers. Now, that Capitol Records release probably resulted from Phil Wright's generosity. Phil Wright was Maurice White's former colleague at Chess Records, who left the label for Capitol Records in Los Angeles. La La Time received limited airplay in Chicago and in a few cities in the Midwest. The B side, huh, did even worse. So here's a complete list of the nine recordings from that session. La La Time Part One, La La Time Part Two. Uhhuh Yeah, the flip side of La La Time Part One. Your love is life, and I'll talk about that in just a second. Open your heart. Tug and Tears, Time O Time, Someone Waits, and the last recording, Tagalong. In my opinion, the strongest song from the session, Your Love is Life, was re-recorded in 1970 as Love is Life by Earth, Wind and Fire for their debut album. Another song Open Your Heart was also re recorded as beauty for their second album, The Need of Love. And you can hear these recordings on YouTube. And I will put all of those Salty Pepper releases on this episode's Spotify playlist. One final note La La Time Part 1 also appears under the title La La La on Maurice White's. Hummit label. And if you're watching on YouTube, you can see photographs of these discs as well as some of the images that I've been able to find of the members of the Salty Peppers. At this time, White described his state of mind as restless. He reflected upon the successful black band leaders he had known, such as Billy Davis, Ben Branch, Booker T. Jones, Ramsey Lewis. And even Squash Campbell. All of those planted the seed in his spirit. He yearned for a musical situation that he could call his own, just as they had. He wanted a band that could express how he felt about life, God, identity, and love. And with each dream came more clarity, and that clarity became his vision. And that vision became an obsession. And it dictated everything Maurice White did in his life social, spiritual, professional, and even financial. His vision saw him as a leader of a band where his music was actually secondary to the universal truths they espoused. He captured his vision in sketches and notes of a band that uplifted humanity through encouragement and peace. And he understood. That it would be a challenge to find these musicians. It would take time, prayer, and God's grace. His Bible, the Law of Success, Napoleon Hill, told him that his own positivity would be essential to achieving this vision. And his positive mental attitude also allowed him to tell others with a sense of confidence and conviction. And so, as he told people about his vision, Most thought he was crazy. Pete Cosey called him a GD fool. You may recall Ramsey Lewis's response from our launch episode, that Lewis felt that he was under the weather and needed to get some rest. And longtime Memphis friend David Porter tried hard to wrap his head around Maurice's concept. The two met in Los Angeles during White's last gig with the Ramsey Lewis trio. And when White asked him what he thought of the name Earth, Wind, and Fire, Porter responded, Well, that's different, but it's fresh too. So as White rambled and told Porter more about his concept, theatrical shows, different kinds of music and magic, he realized himself that he sounded irrational. Nevertheless, Beyond Porter's affirming head nods, the only words the young Stax Records writer and producer could tell White was I know you can do it. And from White's perspective, not telling him he was foolish amounted to validation of his vision. The one non musician that he told was probably the most important person in his life was Mother Dear was supportive, and for the first time Maurice felt like she was the mother that he had never known. Her words, "Go on Sandy, it's gonna be alright", meant the world to him. So after saying goodbye to Ramsay Lewis in Los Angeles, the flight back to Chicago gave him time to reflect on his journey from Memphis nine years ago. His confidence in his decision to take his dream to Los Angeles reaffirmed what he believed was the most important part of his vision. True self-love. A theme that we'll get into in later episodes. White's autobiography expresses his concept in the following words. My concept of Earth, Wind, and Fire was that its music. Would render itself to humanity by encouraging an investment in the inner life. My self-love would project holistic and clean living through diet and no drugs. My plan was to exemplify a new brand of black masculinity rooted not in a super black power thing, but in dignity. So before I close, back in 2021 when I was Researching and writing my book on That's the Way of the World, I had the honor of conversing with Verdine White over Zoom. And I asked the down-to-earth musician what he thought about his brother's concept when he joined the band in 1970 as an 18-year-old bass guitarist. And here's Verdine's response. For Maurice White, the hard part would now begin. He had to refine and implement his concept of what would become Earth, wind, and fire. Thanks for tuning in to Tracking Earth, Wind and Fire. I'd love to get your comments about this episode, so feel free to send me an email at tracking T-R-A-C-K-I-N-G-E-W-F at gmail.com. And be sure to check out this episode's playlist to hear songs from such great artists such as Sly and the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Billy Holliday, and The Temptations. And Several tunes by the Salty Peppers, and one of my personal favorite recordings, Soul Makosa by Manu DeBongo. And you don't want to miss next episode's deep dive into the musicians and music of the Salty Peppers. Until then, keep your head to the sky.