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Year after year, tour after tour, concert venues worldwide are packed with fans who converge upon Earth, Wind & Fire shows. The warm feelings of love that permeate the celebratory concert extravaganzas exude from both the band and the audience and have forged a lasting bond. VH1 and HBO have both aired a pair of concert performances over the last few years and Earth Wind and Fire has appeared on numerous television shows including NBCs "Today," "Oprah" and "Rosie ODonnell Show." Since their inception, Earth, Wind and Fire has won six Grammys and four American Music Awards while selling over 20 million albums in the U.S. alone. They have been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and collected a Hall of Fame Image Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Their hits include

• "Thats The Way Of The World"
• "Shining Star"
• "Cant Hide Love"
• "Gratitude,"
• "Fantasy"
• "Getaway"
• "Got To Get You Into My Life"
• "Spirit"
• "All n All"
• "I Am"
• "Faces"
• "Raise!"
• "Powerlight"
• "September"
• "Boogie Wonderland"
• "After The Love Has Gone"
• "In The Stone"
• "System of Survival"
• "Lets Groove"

"Do you remember" the first time you ever heard Earth, Wind and Fire? How you smiled, singing along, while cuddling with your loved one? The energetic rhythms, sultry love songs, feel-good vibes and lyrics that were intelligent, positive and uplifting?Do you remember the first time you saw them in concert? Do you remember the purity and spiritual elements that always seemed to elevate your mood and expand your consciousness? Now here we are, a breath away from entering a new millennium, and Earth, Wind and Fire's music is as timely and timeless as ever.

A little basic history on Earth Wind and Fire- Maurice White knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish when the Memphis-born, Chicago-reared drummer left his gig as a member of renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewisquartet and session drummer for the famed Chess Records. Simply put, he wanted to form a band that abolished the lines between musical genres. He wanted to be able to freely borrow from all styles of music without regard to convention. "Although we were basically jazz musicians, we played soul, funk, gospel, blues, jazz, rock and dance music which somehow ended up becoming pop," Maurice recalled. "I wanted to do something that hadn't been done before. We were coming out of a decade of experimentation, mind expansion and Cosmic awareness and I wanted our music to convey messages of universal love and harmony without force-feeding listeners spiritual content."

After heading west to Los Angeles, Maurice coaxed his younger brother Verdine, then nineteen, to join him. Verdine was a classically trained bassist who previously had never been outside of Chicago. The first grouping initially took the name "The Salty Peppers." Maurice renamed the band Earth, Wind and Fire, which he took from his astrological chart (he's a Sagittarian no water). At first, Earth Wind and Fire was loose and somewhat unfocused. They even tried unsuccessfully using female singers in the mix. After his vision wasnt quite realized on two 1971 albums for Warner Brothers Records, Maurice demolished the band to its foundation and rebuilt the unit, adding a four-octave singer-percussionist from Denver named Philip Bailey and a drummer-percussionist-vocalist from Los Angeles named Ralph Johnson. Verdine stuck around. Good thing.

Beginning to gel, Maurices charismatic tenor and Philips stratospheric falsetto helped chisel the bands vocal identity. The two fit together and complimented one another remarkably well. In the studio, Maurice floated a thicket of elaborate vocal arrangements over a stream of musical rivers. Philip brought an innate sense of melody to their songwriting efforts.

Earth, Wind and Fire created the soundtrack to a pioneering black film, "Sweet Sweetbacks Badasssss Song," then promptly switched to Columbia Records, which became the home for so many of Earth, Wind and Fires classics. The albums "Last Days and Time," "Head To The Sky" and "Open Our Eyes" propelled the group onto the radio and were backed with concert dates wherever they could play including clubs, colleges and theatres. An underground following began to amass. It was a soundtrack to an ill-fated film that busted them wide open. "Thats The Way Of The World," was a total stiff at the box office (twice), but it did huge business at record stores. Earth, Wind and Fire got their first #1 single ("Shining Star"), first Grammy Award and first double platinum sales award. They were just getting started.

The elements in motion- "Gratitude," "Spirit" and "All n All" made Earth, Wind and Fire superstars. Hit singles began to flow like the missing element - "Cant Hide Love," "Gratitude," "Fantasy," "Getaway" and "Got To Get You Into My Life," an imaginative cover of The Beatles tune for a film. Grammy nominations and wins. Gold, platinum and double platinum sales plaques. Ceaseless international touring. Writing and recording new albums while at soundcheck or in hotel rooms and studios on off-days. The pace was frenetic, the band prolific. "The Best Of Earth, Wind and Fire, Vol. 1," "I Am," "Faces," "Raise!" and "Powerlight" proffered hits "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "After The Love Has Gone," "In The Stone" and "Lets Groove."

Doinit live - Earth, Wind and Fire's hit recordings were partially responsible for their infamy. There is nothing like an Earth, Wind and Fire concert. "When we hit the stage, it is showtime," Verdine declared energetically. Along with Maurice, Verdine is quite often the mastermind behind-the-scenes, but usually the most prominent member on stage with his long raven tresses whipping about, smile beaming brightly and lithe body inexhaustibly wr ithing and prancing. "Its kind of like Carnival, Mardi Gras, Broadway, Las Vegas and Cirque du Soleil all at once." They put on captivating, trendsetting concerts that literally were magic. Earth, Wind and Fire hired magicians Doug Henning and his then unknown assistant, David Copperfield, to design their stage shows. Band members levitated, flew, disappeared, emerged from Egyptian pyramids and space ships, drum sets flipped upside down, thundering explosions rocked and scores of whirling lights and lasers winked in sync at the pageantry. With precision and panache, Earth, Wind and Fire high-stepped effortlessly through demanding athletic choreography while adroitly playing their instruments.

The huge group - fourteen or more on stage at-a-time- was outfitted in outlandish costumes. In the early days, they wore tights (seriously folks), which were replaced by magnificently colored African-influenced attire. Flashy sequined, metallic and futuristic spacesuit numbers also were de regular. Earth, Windand Fire was the first to bring the African culture into prominence and into pop culture. One of Maurices and Earth, Wind and Fire's trademark was a handheld African thumb piano called a kalimba, which seasoned so many of their recordings. Philip explained, "It was important to us to make a connection to our heritage and to introduce our culture to a wide audience."

Then and now, Earth, Wind and Fire put on unforgettable shows. These days however, i t is done with less pomposity and greater focus on the actual music. "Times are different," Verdine said. "Most of that stuff was of its time. We found that we can still put on fabulous concerts without all the hoopla. Look, even Elton gave up his wild glasses and outfits. KISS took off their make-up. Wait a second, check that."

Time to chill - In the middle and late seventies, Maurice wrote and produced hits by Ramsey Lewis, Deniece Williams and The Emotions, all three of which opened for Earth, Wind and Fire on tour at one point. Earth, Wind and Fire took a much-needed break to finally relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor in 1983 after nearly twelve years of non-stop recording and touring. Individually they explored other avenues of musical expression. Maurice released a successful solo disc and produced superstars Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. Philip made several gospel records including a Grammy winner. "Easy Lover" was his smash international pop single, which was a duet with Phil Collins, who had been borrowing Earth, Wind and Fire's famed horn section for his and Genesis recordings and tours. Verdine produced an album from British pop funksters Level 42. The time apart did them good. They were reinvigorated.

A new dawn - Four years later, Earth, Wind and Fire came charging back with "Touch The World," paced by the hit single, "System of Survival," followed by a second volume of greatest hits. Another studio package and a collectors dream box set, "The Eternal Dance," arrived in the early 1990s. The "Millennium" album brought another Grammy nomination in 1994, their fourteenth to date, for the single

"Sunday Morning." Maurice decided to unpack and get off the road after thirty years of touring and the group, lead by Philip and Verdine, kept the rhythm strong. Recorded during a Japanese tour in 1996, Maurices farewell performances were captured for posterity on "Greatest Hits Live." Still Maurice produces and sings on Earth, Wind and Fire's recordings.

While the band played show after show, Maurice built a state-of-the-art recording studio and produced several compelling jazz projects including a pair of all-star "Urban Knights" albums, which feature his old mentor Ramsey Lewis collaborating with Grover Washington Jr., Gerald Albright, Jonathan Butler and others. He also unveiled a boutique record label called, what else, Kalimba Records. "Some people still dont understand my decision fully (to get off the road)," Maurice stated. "Im focusing on the next phase of my career. With what Im doing now, Im still able to be creative and fully express what Im feeling musically."

"Earth, Wind and Fire has always, above all else, been a group concept," echoed Philip. "Maurice and I have always been able to sing each othersparts. Now Im able to exercise my full vocal registry on stage. Honestly, it did seem a bit strange at first, singing songs he and I had sung together for so many years, but that feeling disappeared quickly. Plus the audiences have been incredibly enthusiastic and supportive, so we know it works."

Year after year, tour after tour, concert venues worldwide are packed with fans who converge upon Earth, Wind and Fire shows. The warm feelings of love that permeate the celebratory concert extravaganzas exude from both the band and the audience and have forged a lasting bond. VH1 and HBO have both aired a pair of concert performances over the last few years and Earth, Wind and Fire has appeared on numerous television shows including NBCs "Today," "Oprah" and "Rosie ODonnell Show." Since their inception, Earth, Wind and Fire has won six Grammys and four American Music Awards while selling over 20 million albums in the U.S. alone. They have been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and collected a Hall of Fame Image Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Lasting impressions - 1997s "In The Name of Love" was easily one of Earth, Wind and Fires best-received records in over a decade. Fans and critics unanimously championed the organic live sound in an era when popular music is so often synthesized and sampled. Countless artists from nearly every musical genre have been influenced and inspired by Earth, Wind and Fire - influenced by their composition, instrumentation, vocal harmonization and concert theatrics, or inspired by the divine love and positivity that radiates through their songs. One such artist is Wyclef Jean, a member of the Grammy-winning hip hop trio The Fugees, solo artist and in-demand producer-songwriter.

After collaborating on a cameo appearance Earth, Wind and Fire made on a #1 rap version of "Shining Star" by Sunz of Man, Jean inked them to Refugee Camp/Columbia Records. He produced several tracks with Maurice for Earth, Wind and Fires next album. Already Jean wrote and produced an Earth Wind and Fire song for "The PJs" soundtrack. Various hitmakers are being considered to join the group in the studio for what will be their twenty-third album. While they labor on the new material, Sony Music Legacy is re-releasing four of Earth, Wind and Fire's landmark albums "Gratitude," "Thats The Way Of The World," "All N All" and "The Best Of Earth, Wind and Fire, Vol. 1" which have been remastered. Outtakes and other material culled from the original recording sessions have been added to each disc.

"I wanted to create a band and a library of music that would stand the test of time," reflected Maurice. "What makes Earth, Wind and Fire different is that Cosmic Consciousness is a key component of our work. Educating and expanding peoples awareness and uplifting their spirits is so important in this day and age.

Its so tough out there and people are looking for more. They want more, and without sounding preachy, I hope our music can give them something positive & some encouragement and peace."

"Weve worked hard over the years and we want to establish Earth, Wind and Fire as a brand name," Verdine concluded. "Were going to make the most of the opportunities presented to us. Were quite fortunate and kind of in what I like to call the attitude of gratitude. Over the years, weve seen the record business change dramatically and we know were blessed to still be making records and touring at this level. Really no other band from our so-called era, especially a large group like Earth, Wind and Fire, are around today doing what were doing. Certainly I dont want to seem ungrateful, but we want even more, much more, and you can bet that were going to do everything we can to focus on making a great album. Dont underestimate us and dont ever bet against Earth, Wind and Fire. Were going to surprise a lot of people with where were going next.