Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire

by Bailey, Philip

  The Concept of EWF has been placed in my keeping. So far we’ve had almost two decades of renewed prosperity, which never would have happened had I fought over a share of the ARC money. In the long run, and by the grace of God, I have benefited instead by braving the elements of Earth, Wind & Fire.

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  AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

  If you can even survive this crazy music business, then you qualify for awards. In March 2000, after seven years on the nominee list, we were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (The Los Angeles Times figured we wouldn’t get in because we were a disco act and an R&B band—a strange assumption, since we were always anti-disco!) EWF was introduced at the sixteenth annual induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City by Sir Paul McCartney, which was a high honor. Other acts inducted into the hall that year were Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, The Moonglows and The Lovin’ Spoonful. As is usually the case with such reunions, it had been a long time since the original EWF lineup stood together on one stage. Actually, we hadn’t all been in the same room since Maurice delivered his fateful “back burner” speech at the Complex seventeen years earlier. The original nine—Maurice, Verdine, Andrew, Larry, Freddie, Johnny, Al, Ralph, and I—were rehearsed and ready to hit the stage for a brief set. The vibe went well, and we performed a short medley of songs, including “September” and “Shining Star.”

  To my dismay, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum display honoring us ended up featuring a small picture of the band and an outfit of Maurice’s that none of us remembered him ever wearing. It wasn’t a definitive portrait of EWF. Still, I was very honored to be included.

  With age comes respectability, and also with age come the accolades. In 2000 we were invited to perform at the White House for President Bill Clinton. We played at a state dinner honoring King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco. In July 2003 we were given a space on the Hollywood RockWalk. In September 2003 we were named to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In June 2004 the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the people who dispense the Grammys, gave us the Signature Governors Award. In 2005 we received a BET Lifetime Award, and that same year we performed as part of the Super Bowl XXXIX pregame show and played in Russia for the first time. Many band members received honorary college degrees.

  In June 2010 we were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with our friend David Foster, which was way cool because Phil Collins was also on hand to receive his Lifetime Achievement Award. Phil chose to sing “Easy Lover” at the presentation, which we performed together for the first time since we recorded it in the studio. The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an especially prestigious industry award, because the people selected are veteran writers with an impressive catalog of work. For us to be honored that year alongside writers like Leonard Cohen, Jackie DeShannon, and Johnny Mandel was stellar.

  Over the past three decades I’ve released ten solo albums, which include the three on the Columbia label, three gospel CDs on Word Records, a few independent-label releases, and two recorded in 1999 and 2002 for the jazz label Heads Up. Today I’m actively touring as a solo artist and constantly on the road appearing as a guest on other projects with my musician friends.

  Not everything that’s happened in the new millennium has been joyful—especially on the domestic front. In 2001 Janet and I split up. We were married for thirty-two years and separated for five before we finally divorced. Fortunately our breakup proved to be positive for her, because through intense therapy and a Christian spiritual rebirth she was able to discover who she truly was. Afterward I began dating a young lady named Krystal Johnson who was half my age. We fell in love, and in 2002 we married. We had two wonderful sons, Jaleel Mikale Bailey, who was born in May 2004, and Jaylen Christopher Bailey, who was born in March 2006.

  Sadly, my second marriage didn’t work out. After having been married to Janet for thirty-two years, I saw my union with Krystal as a second chance to enter into a faithful partnership. I went into it with high hopes, coupling her innocence with my experience and the love that we had for each other. I looked at it as an opportunity to make things work the second time around. I relished the opportunity to start anew with Krystal.

  Krystal and I split up in 2010, and as I picked up the broken pieces, I learned that, yes, you can master the mechanics of having great sex, but the ability to love and sacrifice for someone is a divine thing. If the relationship becomes more about the flesh than it is about the spirit, then you won’t be able to sustain it. And, unfortunately, that’s what happened with Krystal and me.

  I was dejected when the marriage ended, and in fact, I truly believe that my breakup with Krystal was my first major heartbreak. Subsequently I went through stages of intense disappointment, embarrassment, and anger. One night while singing “After the Love Is Gone” I nearly lost it and became unglued onstage. The lyrics about the emotional aftereffects of a lost love haunted me. Oh, my God! I was living this, and I had to perform the song, and it was really tough.

  On a positive note, it was another song that later ministered to me. I was performing “Sing a Song,” and although I had written the lyrics, the words that night came back to me like a boomerang. I needed to sing that song to lift me up at that moment: The tune put a smile on my face because it speaks to me about how a simple song can change your outlook and mood in an upbeat way. I sang it with renewed passion—and a newfound revelation of its meaning—and I felt transformed.

  Krystal and I have since worked through our estrangement. We have a friendly relationship that is healthier than ever. I see Jaleel and Jaylen all the time and am very much a part of their lives. Krystal and I are coparenting, and we’re doing the best we can to raise our little men with the finest opportunities. Because I didn’t have a father around, I’m determined to be an exemplary dad. Today, with my younger sons, I’m a lot different than I was with my first family with Janet. These days I’ll change my schedule in order to be around for the important times.

  I’m fortunate that I get along with my children so well, but as far as committed relationships with women are concerned, I’m still learning. I’m not proud of my past extramarital exploits. There have been a lot of emotional casualties along the way as a result, and in the end I guess I’m the biggest one. I have problems dealing with anger, and I have control issues, and I find that I sometimes overreact to the ups and downs of my emotions.

  I believe certain traits of behavior are hereditary. For example, a person may be very needy and unable to find fulfillment, possibly because a father or a grandparent was that way. Or a person can be very sweet, but have deep-seated anger issues because his mother had a tendency to display intense rage. Studies have shown that children of divorce and/or dysfunctional parents have been hard-pressed in their later attempts to build successful marriages and unions. My unfaithfulness over the years was a major factor in my emotional shortcomings, and although Janet forgave me for my many indiscretions, including having my daughter Pili with another woman, it wasn’t enough to salvage our marriage.

  Janet is still a strong part of my life as well. Whenever she attends an EWF concert, we welcome her. I’ve known her since I was nine years old. We have four children and six grandchildren together, and she probably knows me better than anyone. We play an occasional round of golf together and talk about the kids, grandchildren, old friends, and our Christian faith. Janet wants to be a part of the lives of anyone I bring into my life. She has stood by me and my other children. Pili calls Janet “Mama Jane,” and they speak every now and then. When Jaleel had difficulty with an asthma attack (as I did as a child), Janet went to the hospital to visit. She believes that given the energy it takes to be angry and bitter, why not use it instead to be supportive and get along?

  And for me, all is not lost on the romantic front. I currently have a steady girlfriend, and we’re growing together and letting things happen spontaneously.


  One of our recent highlights on the road was our three coheadlining tours with Chicago in 2004, 2005, and 2009. Featuring three hours of music, the Earth, Wind & Fire/Chicago tours were among the highest grossing of our careers. The idea came about when we ran into members of Chicago backstage at a Portland show, and after attending one of their concerts, we realized that our material blended very well. Between our bodies of work and our many hits, we were able to bridge the narrow gap between die-hard EWF and Chicago fans. From the stage, I could sense that our audiences were tentative at first. Then by the end of the show, each group of fans was hugging the other and exchanging high-fives.

  Another recent concert highlight took place in September 2010 when, for the first time, EWF performed live with a full orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It was an important occasion, and festive enough to bring Maurice back into the spotlight. Both Hollywood Bowl concerts were sold out, and were among the highest-grossing events at that venue in years. We recorded them and filmed them for our edification.

  For the Hollywood Bowl gig we incurred the initial expense of hiring someone to write orchestral arrangements of our songs, which now gives us the opportunity to visit other cities with symphony orchestras. For such engagements we’ll generally do five or six pieces with just the band, while the rest of the songs utilize an orchestra. I find that classical players are the best musicians you can enlist on the road. Since then we’ve done a full slate of concerts in cities like Dallas, Akron, and Charlotte and look forward to one day playing overseas in esteemed cities like Prague and Vienna with their traditionally renowned philharmonic orchestras.

  Like many blessed musicians, I’ve chosen to give back through a nonprofit entity I’ve created with my daughter Trinity called Music Is Unity. Music Is Unity (www.musicisunity.org) primarily serves recently disadvantaged foster-care youth who are dropped back into society as soon as they reach eighteen years of age. This is a tremendously underserved segment of our society that needs help. Quite often these “emancipated” youths are driven out of government and private social aid programs, and are frequently just handed their belongings and sent out to tackle life on their own. Many times they end up back on the streets, in jail, in prostitution, living under bridges, Dumpster diving, or having difficulty finding employment. Emancipation statutes can be callous and cold. Stuck in foster care through no fault of their own, these young people can get lost in the bureaucracy. That’s where Music Is Unity can help.

  As a father of seven children, five of whom are grown, I know firsthand that young people in their late teens and early twenties are still figuring things out, so I linked up with the National Foster Youth Action Network, and a portion of our ticket sales go to Music Is Unity. Grants are awarded to different organizations that are helping to fund foster care and instill policy changes. It’s one cause I’m extremely passionate about.

  Do you remember September 2013? Earth, Wind & Fire released Now, Then & Forever on the Sony Music Legacy label. This being our twentieth studio album—and our first album since 2005—Now, Then & Forever debuted strong on the Billboard R&B chart at number five, and at eleven on the BB pop chart. NT &F marked our highest chart presence in over thirty years!

  The recording project was two years in the making, and I served as executive producer, along with Verdine as co-executive producer. Like so many of our best recordings, Now, Then & Forever explores various genres of music, as well as the signature Earth, Wind & Fire sound that our fans respect and love. One of the lead tracks I’m especially proud of is a satiny ballad called “Guiding Lights,” which was cowritten by my son Philip Doron Bailey (along with Darrin Simpson, Austin Jacobs, and Daniel McClain). “Guiding Lights,” was recorded about one year into the project, and is one of six songs co-written by Philip Doron. It’s pure vintage EWF at its best, and we’re proud of this breakthrough release.

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  Over the past two decades we’ve played before presidents, kings, queens, prime ministers, and Olympic medalists around the world. We’ve performed at government functions for both political parties, and appeared at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. And when Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 2007, we performed at a special reception for the attendees in Norway.

  When Barack Hussein Obama was elected the forty-fourth president of the United States in 2008, EWF was chosen to perform at President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s first formal social function. We got the call from Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary, who told us that the president had requested us for the Governors’ Ball, which was just three weeks away, on February 22, 2009. We were there, no problem.

  Playing for the president was quite a memorable experience. Dressed casually in a sweater and Dockers, President Obama strolled into the green room and hung out with us that afternoon during the set-up and rehearsal.

  “What’s going on down here?” he asked jokingly.

  We took pictures of President Obama together with the band. Then the first lady came down with her assistant for more photos.

  The president was pretty low-key during our visit. “I used to sing ‘Reasons’ in college,” he confessed to me, “but I lost my falsetto.”

  We played the Governors’ Ball that night with minimal amplification and microphones. Just the drums alone, not to mention our horn section, could have blown the room away, but we put on a darned good show. As I looked out into the crowd, I knew that we had truly elected the first African American president of the United States when I saw President Obama, who was dancing to one of our songs, lift his hands up in the air and exclaim, “That’s my jam!”

  Bottom line—and I’m sure President Obama agrees—Earth, Wind & Fire makes you feel good, as music should. Our longevity has to do with the strength of our songbook and our body of work—for which I give Maurice his respectful props—produced over a rollicking forty-year period. It’s become part of the weave of the creative fabric of American society, as well as the worldwide music continuum. While we don’t travel on our own private plane like we did in the past, EWF still gets whisked off to exciting faraway lands: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and South America. After a humble upbringing, God has allowed me to see and experience so much through my music. He’s had an intentional purpose for my life: to try to point people toward a God who loves us, forgives us, and doesn’t give up on us.

  I think back to when that lady on the airplane asked if I had a personal relationship with God, and I can now honestly say that I do. I’ve come to know God through the highs and lows. But getting to know God is a time-consuming process. You can’t rush it along and jump from one state of grace to the next! Spiritual growth is slow and gradual, and takes discipline, but I’m on the path. Every morning I read the Bible and reflect, meditate, and pray.

  As I complete this memoir I think about its subtitle, Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire. I’m reminded of the personal earthquakes of conflict in my life. I ponder the winds and torrents of adversity and prosperity that I have endured. I reflect on the fires that have consumed the many broken relationships along the way. But I try to let every experience make me better, instead of bitter. My goal has been to survive those elements, so that God can one day say to me, “Well done!”

  Yes, I am a shining star, but I’m simply an instrument through which God shines. And I encourage my readers and my social-networking friends on Facebook and Twitter to be their own shining stars. Practice your craft every day and be ready when you receive your special calling. Life is precious and rich, whether you’re jetting off somewhere or sitting in the most remote part of our beautiful world, watching the stars above. For me personally, I never became a musician for fame or material gain. I did it for the love of music. Even without the awards and accolades, I would still be singing and playing in some fashion or other. The gift I have to sing is God’s gift. The love I have for music is something that he has given me. I see it
as a means to an end.

  With my sister Beverly at our home in Denver in 1954.

  A formal portrait from about the time I was six.

  My father, Eddie Bailey, whom I got to know well only later in our lives.

  My uncle, Lilman Crossland; my mother, Elizabeth Crossland; and my grandfather James Crossland.

  Sitting by a stream of crystal clear water near the Caribou Ranch recording compound in Caribou, Colorado.

  Members of my last band in Colorado, Friends & Love: Winston Ford, (vocals), my first wife, Janet, Carl Carwell (vocals), me, and Julius Carey.

  Al McKay, Maurice White, me (behind the cymbal), and Verdine White in 1972.

  With my oldest son, Sir Bailey, during a visit to Denver in 1973.

  A family meal with Janet and Sir in our first decent apartment, in a neighborhood called Tara Hills near Culver City, California.

  Drummer Ralph Johnson, guitarist Al McKay, and me in the engineering booth at an EWF recording session for our album Head to Sky.

  Singing and drumming during a tour in 1973, between our albums Head to Sky and Open our Eyes. I began to assume a more prominent role on vocals as the band grew more successful.

  With Maurice and Sir at Caribou Ranch in 1974, during the recording of That’s the Way of the World.