Tag: Earth Wind & Fire

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Fred White Of Earth, Wind And Fire Passes Away At 67

Fred White
Image via Rob Verhorst/Redferns

Fred White of the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire tragically passed away on Sunday. The drummer’s brother Verdine White confirmed the news on Instagram.”Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member, our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White,” he wrote.”But more than that,” Verdine White continued, “at home and beyond he was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous!” Freddie was 67. The cause of his death is still unknown.

Earth, Wind And Fire Release Statment

In honor of White, Earth, Wind and Fire also took to Instagram to post a memorial tribute to White, sharing a clip of a drum solo during the band’s tour at Rockpalast in Essen, Germany in 1979. “In memoriam: Fred White, 1955-2022
Seen here soloing during our performance of Runnin’, during our Tour of the World in 1979, at Rockpalast in Essen, Germany. Rest in love ❤️,” the band captioned the heartfelt post.


The group’s lead singer Phillip Bailey also posted a picture on Instagram of the band. “Ralph Johnson and I, with Fred White in the middle… doing what we love. The best of times. We will miss you, Freddie,” Bailey wrote.

Shortly before joining the band, White played the drums on Donny Hathaway’s Live album at 16 years old.  He then joined the band in 1974, shortly after the band’s fifth album Open In Our Eyes was released. Since joining, the band has won six Grammy Awards. They were also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. White has worked with many musicians, including Diana Ross, Jennifer Holiday, The Emotions and Deniece Williams to name a few.

In his 2016 memoir, White’s half-brother Maurice spoke about him. “Fred was the brick wall,” Maurice wrote. “He provided a rock-solid tempo and a rock-solid feel, priceless qualities in a drummer. He was one of the best things going for us.”

White’s legacy will continue to live on as one of the best-selling groups of all time.

Written By: Roy Lott

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Drops Bars at NYC Homecoming Show

Schumer, NYC Homecoming, bars

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer showed off his ability to rock a mic when he took to the stage at a Hip-Hop concert Tuesday night in Staten Island. The concert is one of many held this week as part of the NYC Homecoming event from Aug. 14 – Aug. 21. The event is to reaffirm that New York City, which was hit hardest early on in the pandemic, has returned, despite going back to a citywide mask mandate.

He’s ‘Got the Bars,’ He’s ‘Got the Plaque…’

After he busted a move with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schumer was called to the stage by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. to grace the audience with some funky fresh Congressional rhymes. Diaz, who himself is not a bad rapper, was a tough act for Schumer to follow, but he did.

Despite what other reports have said, Schumer did the best with what he had and what he was working with, given he’s 70, a Baby Boomer, has no affiliation with anything Hip-Hop whatsoever and was called too freestyle. Does he have bars? No. But he was in the moment and enjoyed it. The crowd didn’t jeer, as the New York Post reports. It kind of just went with it. After all, it is Hip-Hop, and one thing we do not do is disrespect our elders in the game.

Not the Greatest Rapper in History, But There’ve Been Worse

“I got the bars, I got the plaque, we got the music, we got it all, we got the Bronx” will never make it into the Hip-Hop lyrics Hall of Fame, but give the guy a break. I’m sure his grandchildren will school him over the weekend now that this video has surfaced and gone viral.

Tickets are free to most NYC Homecoming events. The main event, We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, will be produced by famed music mogul Clive Davis — known best in Hip-Hop and R&B for his affiliation with Whitney Houston, Diddy and others. We Love NYC will feature Jennifer Hudson, Earth, Wind & Fire and 22 other A-list acts. It will air live on CNN.

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Recap of The Isley Brothers Verzuz Earth Wind and Fire

The Isley Brothers Verzuz Earth Wind & Fire
The Isley Brothers Verzuz Earth Wind & Fire

The Isley Brothers Verzuz Earth Wind & Fire Took Us on a ‘Voyage to Atlantis,’ and We Experienced a ‘Fantasy’

Folks are to be forgiven if they are exhausted today after the Easter Sunday Verzuz. That’s because the match-up between two legendary groups Earth Wind & Fire and the Isley Brothers, lasted almost four hours. But boy, was it worth it. With decades worth of hits, they kept viewers jamming with their old skool hits.

It was a “Boogie Wonderland” put together, especially “For The Love Of You.” Actor and comedian Steve Harvey hosted it and jumped right in explaining why that was so.

“I belong here,” Harvey said. “This music made me. It shaped me.”

There was a generation’s worth of hits to choose from, and the rounds included The Isley Brothers’ “(At Your Best) You Are Love” up against Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Reasons” as well as Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Devotion” vs. The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing.”
Social media lit up with memes and people’s opinions about who won “the battle,” which was really more of a celebration of the two iconic groups. The Verzuz Livestream created by producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland became enormously popular on Instagram during the pandemic as it brought musical artists together to “face-off” with their catalogs.
In March, the pair announced they had sold the Verzuz platform to the Triller Network.
Check out The Isley Brothers New Video Below:
Lavasia Lawton | @Viva_La_Vasia