Acclaimed Grammy-winning musician and Oscar-winning filmmaker Questlove does a tremendous job profiling the legendary band, covering both their triumphs and low points. The documentary also features tons of rare or previously unseen archival footage, including visual, audio, and written material. And it contains invaluable concert footage of the band thrilling audiences worldwide with their spectacular concerts and phenomenal musicianship. It also contains revealing interviews with EWF members Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Ralph Johnson, Fred White, Al McCay, and Johnny Graham, as well as interviews with some of Maurice White’s family members, including his sister, Patt Adams, his two sons, Kahbran and Eden White, and his longtime partner, Marilyn White. And the documentary includes several archival interviews that Maurice gave over the years. They provide some insight into what fueled his relentless drive, vision, and boundless creativity. Also, the documentary features priceless behind-the-scenes moments, such as the band working on tracks in the studio, posing for photo shoots, rehearsing, playing chess, getting ready to take the stage, and just hanging out.
The film also features commentary from former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. They discuss how Earth, Wind & Fire’s music moved and inspired them as young people coming up in the 1970s. Some of the music artists who provide commentary include Stevie Wonder, H.E.R., Booker T. Jones, Flea, Jimmy Jam, Lionel Richie, and Anderson .Paak.
The documentary explores how Maurice’s rough childhood in Memphis, Tennessee, shaped him as an individual and sparked his passion for music. He was born in Memphis on December 19, 1941, to John and Edna White. His mother was only 17 at the time of his birth. Her husband, a local nightclub owner and gangster, was fatally shot when Maurice was still a toddler, leaving his young mother to raise him alone. When he was around four, his mother relocated to Chicago to find higher-paying work cleaning houses for white people, leaving him to be raised by a neighborhood Black woman affectionately known as “Big Momma.” Not only did he face poverty, but also virulent racism in the segregated Jim Crow South. He was badly beaten by a white police officer while on his paper route in a white neighborhood. This incident emotionally scarred Maurice and made him withdraw into himself. The documentary shows how music became his salvation and escape. “I was alone, but music saved me,” said Maurice in an archival interview. He was influenced by blues, gospel, and jazz, and taught himself to play the drums at age 12. He joined the local drum and bugle corps in his early teens and later played in various local bands, including one with his childhood friend Booker T. Jones.
After graduating from high school, Maurice moved to Chicago and reunited with his mother, who had started a new family. He learned that he had several half-siblings, including Verdine and Fred White, who would later become members of Earth, Wind & Fire. In Chicago, Maurice maintained his passion for music, studying jazz and classical at the prestigious Chicago Conservatory of Music and playing drums in local nightclubs. He eventually landed a job as a session drummer at the legendary Chess Records, where he played on tracks by prominent artists like Etta James, Fontella Bass (most notably on her hit “Rescue Me”), Muddy Waters, Billy Stewart, Chuck Berry, and Jackie Wilson. While working at Chess, he met jazz pianist and composer Ramsey Lewis, which ultimately led to him playing drums with the Ramsey Lewis Trio. Being in the Ramsey Lewis Trio gave Maurice his first taste of fame and invaluable experience playing before large audiences. After playing with the Ramsey Lewis Trio for three years (1966-1969), Maurice left to start his own band. Many felt he was taking a huge risk by leaving a successful career with the Ramsey Lewis Trio to start his own thing, but he was determined to make it work. In an archival clip featured in the documentary, Maurice explained his motivations behind creating Earth, Wind & Fire:
I think Earth, Wind & Fire came out of a need, a dual need, a need for myself as an individual to realize my total potential, in a sense, speaking. And also in another sense, it came from a part of me wanting to render itself to humanity.”
The documentary shows how Maurice worked tirelessly to achieve his vision for Earth, Wind & Fire. The band's concept sprang from several different sources: the Black positivity movement, mysticism, Afrocentricity, universal spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, spiritual philosophy, and the writings of self-help author Napoleon Hill on the power of positive thinking. In another archival clip featured in the documentary, Maurice said his vision for Earth, Wind & Fire was “to reach a universal audience, evolve consciousness through the music, and to change the world.” The band’s initial sound was experimental jazz-fusion, soul, and funk. However, there were a few snags along the way in Earth, Wind & Fire’s evolution, including the firing of most of the original members in 1972. At that point, EWF had already released the albums Earth, Wind & Fire (1971), The Need of Love (1971), and the soundtrack for Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song (1971), which is widely considered the first Blaxploitation film. The only original member Maurice kept on was his younger brother Verdine, who was already a highly skilled bassist. The original members were all great players, but they lacked that special magic Maurice was looking for, and he knew he couldn’t achieve the universal appeal that he sought for the band with this lineup. So he completely overhauled the band to align with his vision. For the new incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire, he recruited a group of talented young musicians who were hungry for the chance to help him achieve his artistic dream. They included Larry Dunn (keyboards), Ralph Johnson (drums, percussion), Philip Bailey (vocals, percussion), Johnny Graham (guitar), Ronnie Laws (saxophone), Roland Bautista (guitar), Jessica Cleaves (vocals), and Andrew Woolfolk (saxophone, flute). The new lineup brought a whole new sound and energy to Earth, Wind & Fire, and Maurice knew right away that this was the lineup that would help him reach the lofty heights he had always envisioned for the band.
The film gives viewers a detailed and compelling look at how Maurice and his young crew gradually built Earth, Wind & Fire into one of the baddest, most innovative, and exciting bands the music world has ever seen. It shows how he flawlessly incorporated mystical and spirtual elements into the band’s sound and performances. The documentary also examines how the band achieved its incredible musical synergy, which was always apparent in their recordings and live performances.
Additionally, the documentary covers pivotal moments in the band’s career, such as winning over a hostile audience at Philadelphia’s historic Uptown Theater in 1972. They stood out from the other acts on the bill that night, who were clean-shaven doo-wop vocal groups sporting matching suits, the usual attire worn by artists who performed at the venue. In stark contrast, EWF wore dashikis, afros, and some members even shirtless. And their sound wasn’t straightforward R&B and doo-wop like the other acts; it was an earthy mix of funk, African, jazz, and soul. The fact that they won over the audience and received such an enthusiastic reception was clear confirmation that Maurice’s vision for Earth, Wind & Fire could succeed, motivating him to push even harder.
The documentary also covers some of the band’s career stumbles, such as the time when Parliament-Funkadelic blew them clean off the stage at the famous 1972 concert at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., when the two acts shared the bill. They got seriously outfunked by the P-Funk crew. That’s when Maurice realized that Earth, Wind & Fire needed to infuse much more funk into their sound and do it ASAP. Enter ace rhythm guitarist Al McKay, whom Maurice brought in to make them funkier. A short time later, he brought in drummer Fred White (Maurice and Verdine’s brother) to solidify the rhythm section. With these two new additions, the band got tighter and funkier. When Earth, Wind & Fire dropped “Mighty Mighty” in 1974, it was clear that they now possessed the essential funk ingredients that had been previously missing in their sound. This explosive groove was the band’s first top-10 hit on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, peaking at #4, and their first top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #29. Jessica Cleaves left Earth, Wind & Fire in 1973 and joined the P-Funk collective in the mid-1970s.
As the band’s fame increased, so did its personnel. Maruice added the Phenix Horns in 1975 to beef up their sound. The new horn section included Don Myrick (saxophone), Louis Satterfield (trombone), Rahmlee Michael Davis (trumpet), and Michael Harris (trumpet). Also, Earth, Wind & Fire’s shows became more and more elaborate. They hit the stage decked out in bright, colorful costumes, looking like Afrofuturist soul warriors, and their stage sets featured magic, pyrotechnics, and other eye-popping visuals. Their live performances were more than just a show; they were spiritual, transcendent experiences for audience members. Earth, Wind & Fire’s concerts were a major influence on iconic artists/performers like Michael Jackson and Prince, who frequently attended their shows. However, one of the major drawbacks of such elaborate concerts was the huge cost. Between the concert costs, personnel, costumes, and Maurice's massive entertainment complex (featuring recording studios, sound stages, and rehearsal spaces) and various other expenses, everything operated at a deficit, according to Herb Powell, co-author of Maurice White's 2016 autobiography My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire. "Maurice told me that from '77 on, he came off the road at the minimum of half a million in debt for every major tour that did," said Powell. "He had a huge cash flow problem."
The documentary also featured some surprising, rather unflattering revelations about Maurice White. It showed that the bigger Earth, Wind & Fire got, the more distant he became from the other members. He began to isolate himself more and more from them. He also began excluding them from important developments, new business ventures, production decisions, meetings, and events related to the Earth, Wind & Fire brand. The roles of the band members were increasingly diminished to the point where Maurice treated them as nothing more than session players, according to Philip Baily. “I felt underappreciated and betrayed,” he said. They were also being sorely underpaid. Philip said band members were only getting paid $2,500 a week, and this was during the peak of Earth, Wind & Fire’s popularity and success.
Maurice's infidelities were also touched on in the documentary. He frequently hooked up with women while on the road. In fact, he got a woman he met on the road pregnant, and his longtime partner, Marilyn, didn’t find out about it until a few years after the baby was born; the baby was Maurice's only daughter, Mimi. In the documentary interviews, friends and family said that Maurice was closed off emotionally and that he had trouble opening up even to those closest to him. They believe his trust issues stemmed from childhood trauma and feelings of abandonment due to the absence of his parents during a good portion of his formative years, compounded by poverty and his terrible experiences with violent anti-black racism in Memphis during the 1940s and ‘50s. His youngest son, Eden, said the only moments his father truly opened up were when he was doing music.
The documentary also explores Earth, Wind & Fire's efforts to adapt their sound to trends in ‘80s music, where new technology had drastically altered the sonic landscape, with drum machines and synthesizers becoming prominent features. They scored one last major crossover hit that decade, the irresistible, upbeat “Let’s Groove,” which topped Billboard’s R&B singles chart and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 1981 release was also an international smash, landing in the top ten in many countries. But after that, things started looking pretty bleak for the band. The members were unhappy and disgruntled with Johnny Graham, Al McKay, and the Phenix Horns jumping ship. Subsequent recordings by the band weren’t up to their usual excellent standards. The magic the band once had was missing. Maurice held an impromptu meeting in 1983, announcing that he was putting the band on the back burner indefinitely, leaving the remaining members suddenly unemployed and in a highly precarious position. Philip was forced to sell his property and move his family to Denver, Colorado, and Ralph ended up working in construction and at a stereo shop. “I’m sure it was devastating for some of them,” said Maurice in an archival interview, but I had to let it go at that point. I needed a break, and I took the break.”
Maurice released his self-titled solo debut album in 1985. It performed well on Billboard’s R&B album charts, peaking at #12, but only reached #61 on the Billboard 200. And it rose to #35 on the Dutch album chart and #49 on the album chart in New Zealand. His cover of Ben E. King's classic "Stand By Me" peaked at #6 on Billboard's R&B singles chart, #11 on Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs, and #5 on the RPM Canadian Adult Contemporary Songs chart. The collection was Maurice’s only solo album release. Philip Bailey’s solo career got a huge boost with the global smash “Easy Lover,” his 1984 duet with Phil Collins. It’s the second single from Philip’s Gold-certified third album. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
In the late ‘80s, Maurice had a sit-down with Philip about possibly getting Earth, Wind & Fire back together; they cleared the air with a long emotional talk that also involved some crying. Then Maurice had a similar sitdown with Verdine; the two hadn’t been on speaking terms for a while but had a very productive and healing conversation. Maurice admitted to both that he could have handled things better. So they were all set to get the band back together. However, Philip had one condition for Maurice, and that was, “He would work with him, not for him.” Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, and Andrew Woolfolk soon returned to the fold.
Earth, Wind & Fire enjoyed a big resurgence in popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. Their music was featured on blockbuster film soundtracks, commercials, and popular television shows. There was suddenly a renewed appreciation for the band. Additionally, their music reached a whole new young audience through sampling. Earth, Wind & Fire’s music has been sampled on 1076 songs, making them one of the most sampled music acts of all time. They were back to playing big venues, and the magic had returned. They had found the joy again of performing together. Unfortunately, Maurice was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1992, which eventually forced him to stop touring in ‘94. This provided Maurice the opportunity to self-reflect and form a real connection with his children that he hadn’t been able to do before, as well as mend past relationships with friends and associates that might have ended badly. He passed away on February 4, 2016, from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. He was 74. Earth, Wind & Fire still tours. In fact, they’re co-headlining a huge North American tour this summer with Lionel Richie. It’s titled “Sing A Song All Night Long Tour.” It’s set to kick off on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at the Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, MN.
This superb documentary illustrates why Earth, Wind & Fire is so important to music and popular culture, and why their legacy will remain strong for years to come. There will never be another band like the mighty Earth, Wind & Fire. Their music continues to uplift, inspire, and heal. Questlove never misses with his comprehensive, well-researched music documentaries. Seriously looking forward to his next one. Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial Vs. The Weight of The World) has been receiving high praise from critics and viewers alike. It currently has a perfect 100% perfect fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It’s currently streaming on HBO Max.
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