My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire by Maurice White Herb Powell(2014-04-22) Hardcover

“To me, the ideal was just sitting out there in the ether, waiting to be picked up by someone with the courage to take it on. If another spirit had accepted the Creator’s invitation, EW&F would have been different. But I believe it would have existed.” (Maurice White)Like so many others, I am glad Maurice White took this ideal and grew it. There will never be another. This intensely shy and private man gifted the world with a body of work that will eternally enlighten and uplift people of all ages, races and spiritual backgrounds. The legacy he created will live forever.Reading this book was a joy to my heart. I learned so much about Maurice White. His childhood memories of being raised by the loving and caring Miss Robinson, who he called Mama, after being left in her care by his biological Mother at the age of four are vivid and at times painful, but all so real. Maurice takes us through his early years living in Memphis and being raised in poor conditions but richly blessed with the guidance of “Mama” who would prophetically tell him he would “get the world’s attention” and to “keep moving forward”. Music became his love from a young age and Maurice nurtured and grew his talents from singing in church, joining the drum and bugle corps and forming life-long friendships with musical peers such as David Porter and Booker T. Jones.Through his formative years, Maurice endured unrelenting teasing due to his fair complexion, but his growing talents and exposure to playing in bands and later playing as a session musician with Chess Records propelled him forward and he was soon sought after for his playing. He used those years at Chess Records as well as the formal training he received to mold his musicianship. Maurice was candid about his life experiences and shared so much in this book. From all the bands he was part of, to his years with the legendary Ramsey Lewis, to his ultimate creating of the baddest band in the land, Earth Wind & Fire, Maurice shared his hopes and dreams, trials and triumphs. His journey is filled with countless life lessons and guided by positive influences – physical, spiritual and musical.There are many meaningful quotes and stories about the making of songs and albums through the years and Maurice’s commitment to being the ultimate bandleader. He detailed the growth of Earth Wind & Fire from a band playing at college campus, to sold-out performances at venues like Madison Square Garden and all over the world. Maurice talked about incorporating magic into the shows and the elaborate stage setup. He was a pioneer in how R &B could crossover to other genres of music. Earth Wind & Fire broke so many barriers under his leadership and as a collective unit of amazing musicians.There are so many background stories! We learn about his production work with The Emotions, Deniece Williams and other artists. His solo album. His contributions to movie soundtracks, with and without EW&F. We learn about the onset of his Parkinson’s and how he continued to produce, and perform through it until he made the decision to stop touring. Today the torch is being carried by brother Verdine, Ralph Johnson and Phillip Bailey who are forever loved and supported. To the family of Mr. White, thanks for sharing him with us. What a positive, motivating force. A true “Shining Star”. Rest in power, Maurice.

Most of us, as human beings, think in images and words. We use these things to communicate the thoughts that have gone through our minds. So, for me as an individual, I am in awe of the geniuses who think in sounds, both in particles and in comprehensive wholes. Welcome to this autobiography by Maurice White, leader of my favorite group of all-time, Earth, Wind & Fire. I think that one of the things that lay behind the group's success was the fact that Maurice thought out what he was trying to accomplish with the band, long before he put it together. He wanted certain principles emphasized, such as faith, positive thinking, spirituality, love, and tenacity. On top of that, he was a man that was able to hear a symbolic symphony in his head, where he seemed to hear what eventually came out as great songs inside of his head before he could spit them forth. He had a keen understanding of nearly every instrument in the band, and just knew what worked musically. All of this he learned by hard knocks, by coming up with no favors and learning as he went, keen on observing and recording all that he experienced. What one gets with this book is a man who is not just a musical genius, but who took the time to both observe and learn all that he could about life, in general, and this just happens to come out in his music. I was quite surprised to learn that Maurice WAS NOT born and raised in Chicago, though the city is a significant part of who he was. I learned that he really grew up in Memphis, TN, being born there, and raised by an older, non-relative lady whom he called “Mama.” This woman raised him from the time he was left by his biological mother at the age of 4, until he was 18 years old. He called his biological mother “Mother Dear.” At 18, he finally moved to join his biological mother in Chicago, leaving behind his Mama, who died only 6 months after his departure. This book works as an excellent autobiography, in part, because it takes a person behind the scenes, to see how things evolved to their greatness. Though they came from different angles, I was taken by the fact of how, in a musical sense, Maurice's mind seemed to work in a similar fashion to George Clinton's. I have read Clinton's excellent autobiography and in its own way, it is just as powerful as is this one. I absolutely love this book and thank Maurice White for giving this book to the World, as he appropriately said to his as-told-to author, as his “final album.” I am so thankful that he had the foresight and wisdom to leave a printed-form document for us who loved him, and his music, as a final tribute and dedication. This is a most outstanding book!