forever be one of love and spiritual uplifting and enlightenment through music.
White born in Memphis, TN was a famous drummer long before he created EW&F. He was a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio (RLT) and played on songs for Etta James, the Impressions and toured with the Dells. He left the RLT in 1969 and formed the band we now know as EW&F shortly thereafter.
The music White produced for EW&F was a mixture of jazz, soul, R&B, infused with African and
Latin rhythms, gospel and the Phoenix Horns. The band sold over 90 million records the old fashioned way, one fan at a time.
Photo Credit: Google Images
An EW&F concert was always a diverse multicultural event which was/is a testament to the body of
work White created. During the big budget concert heyday EW&F shows featured theatrics that were
million dollar productions and delivered a stage show that was beyond compare. White’s brother
Verdine levitated while playing his guitar, the drummer spinning around never missing a beat, the
whole group getting into a giant pyramid that rose high in the air, broke into pieces and when the
smoke cleared they were standing linked arm-in-arm in front of you on stage. Audiences went crazy.
There was always an encore, there had to be.
White stopped touring in 1994 citing the rigors of being on the road. In 2000 he announced he had
Parkinson's Disease and made few public appearances thereafter but remained active behind the
scenes.
Faith, hope and love are the foundations upon which all human beings thrive and White managed to
capture that musically. He is the recipient of 6 Grammy Awards, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame an NAACP and BET Award winner. He also produced music for the Emotions, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond and Cher. EW&F was the band tapped to play the White House after President Obama was elected and held his first social event.
Heaven has just gotten another bandleader. The angels are in for quite a treat. Oh what music they will be making now!
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