{"id":1977816,"date":"2026-06-07T20:41:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T17:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1977816"},"modified":"2026-06-07T20:41:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T17:41:57","slug":"earth-wind-fire-questlove-shine-a-light-on-the-band-that-tricks-you-into-eating-your-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1977816","title":{"rendered":"Earth, Wind & Fire, Questlove Shine a Light on the Band That \u2018Tricks You Into Eating Your Vegetables\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EWF-2026-press-cr-Don-Hunstein-Sony-Music-Archives-May-1975-billboard-1800.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAfter exiting the group Salty Peppers, Maurice White moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and created a new band. A strong believer in mysticism, the Sagittarian sought inspiration from his astrological chart in divining the band-to-be\u2019s name. Three elements caught his attention: earth, fire and air.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tQuestlove\u2019s Ebullient, Incisive Earth, Wind & Fire Doc (And a Hit-Filled Set From the Band) Kicks off Tribeca Festival\u00a02026\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tDuffy Announces Surprise Return With First Live Concert in 15 Years\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cI changed air to wind,\u201d late founder White says in a clip from the HBO Original documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That\u2019s the Weight of the World)<\/em>. \u201cAnd the rest is history,\u201d he continues. \u201cEarth, Wind & Fire is basically the true elements of the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd what a history it\u2019s been as director-producer Ahmir \u201cQuestlove\u201d Thompson relays in the illuminating, two-hour documentary premiering Sunday night (June 7; 9 p.m. ET\/PT). In the nearly 60 years since White\u2019s vision took shape, the nine-time Grammy Award-winning and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band has achieved global acclaim and legendary status.<\/p>\n

\n\tVia spirited fusions of jazz, R&B\/soul, Afro-funk, pop and disco, the band mined a deep vein of classic gold and platinum hits and fan faves like \u201cSeptember,\u201d \u201cShining Star,\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s Groove,\u201d \u201cAfter the Love Is Gone\u201d and \u201cBeijo\u201d (aka Brazilian Rhyme interlude). In fact, Questlove pegged another iconic EWF hit, \u201cThat\u2019s the Way of the World,\u201d in crafting the title for his latest Questlove Jawn.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI love a good pun,\u201d said the Academy Award-winning music historian during a Zoom interview with Billboard<\/em> following the documentary\u2019s June 3 premiere at the 25th<\/sup> Tribeca Film Festival. \u201cAll of my documentaries have a long title continuation that also explains what you have to consider [while watching]. Sly Stone<\/em> was about the burden of Black genius. With Summer of Soul<\/em>, the revolution was happening, but it couldn\u2019t be televised. In this particular case, it\u2019s about human beings. We\u2019re all celestial; all light shiners. But oftentimes, we dim our light to blend in and be part of the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMaurice White is basically an orphan, given away by his mother to a neighbor,\u201d Questlove continued, \u201cyet he somehow gets a metaphysical belief at the age of seven in Memphis \u2026 a calling to say, \u2018It\u2019s my job to bring positivity and love into the world.\u2019 But however well-intended the mission, you must learn not to hold within any pain. That\u2019s what I want people to learn from this: Do not dismiss your dreams. But you also have to let things go. And Maurice never let that anger go of being given away. He was crumbling inside because he had a broken heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tThrough strikingly candid conversations with group members, family, friends and high-profile fans \u2014 and access to a cache of treasures including the group\u2019s recordings, outtakes and unreleased live shows plus Maurice\u2019s diaries, affirmations and favorite books \u2014 Questlove delivers a riveting look at the hard work and joy behind the band\u2019s ascension. But he leans into the creative tensions and personal issues that arose as well. Viewers will witness the magic tricks and psychedelic\/space-age costumes that became hallmarks of EWF\u2019s showmanship. They\u2019ll also learn what EWF smash inspired one of Stevie Wonder\u2019s own classic hits, among other insightful tidbits.<\/p>\n

\n\tAbove all, \u201cEarth, Wind & Fire taught us how to dream,\u201d says Questlove. \u201cAs we continue to search for answers in these very tense times, their music always s same conclusion: the answers are inside yourself. It\u2019s the same metaphysical story as The Wizard of Oz.<\/em> Listening to their songs during the pandemic was my eureka moment; I realized what they were doing: they tricked us into positivity. This is the story of a band that tricks you into eating your vegetables.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAhead of the film\u2019s Tribeca premiere and their performance with The Roots that same evening, EWF original members Verdine White, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson \u2014 the doc\u2019s co-executive producers (Maurice\u2019s son Kahbran \u201cKB\u201d White is a producer) \u2014 also sat down for a Zoom interview with Billboard<\/em>, printed below. Later this summer, the indefatigable Earth, Wind & Fire will launch their \u201cSing a Song All Night Long\u201d tour with fellow icon Lionel Richie on June 24.<\/p>\n

What was your immediate reaction after viewing the documentary?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bailey:<\/strong> Questlove is really a music historian. Talk to him for five or 10 minutes and you recognize he has an innate gift for knowing a lot of facts about music history. He\u2019d bring stuff up about EWF, and I\u2019ve been there all the time [with the group]. But I\u2019d be like \u201cHow\u2019d you know that?\u201d So he was the perfect person to do this because he goes deep below the surface. It\u2019s surreal.<\/p>\n

White:<\/strong> He\u2019s an historian and a musician. That combination particularly works well when it comes to the music and the message. He captured our essence and spirits, our manhood and humanity. I\u2019m really proud of it.<\/p>\n

Johnson:<\/strong> It\u2019s a job well done.<\/p>\n

The documentary also doesn\u2019t shy away from the thorny issues the group \u2014 and Maurice \u2014 encountered along the way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bailey:<\/strong> That\u2019s the way of the world, right? You can\u2019t live life without experiencing the highs and lows, the good and bad, the pretty and ugly. It\u2019s part of what makes us what who we are. And it\u2019s really a testament to the fact that we\u2019re still here, doing music on a very high level some 50+ years later.<\/p>\n

Johnson:<\/strong> Philip covered it. The ups and downs all get back to the duality of the universe.<\/p>\n

White:<\/strong> When you have a long career, it\u2019s not linear. It moves around; grows as you grow. It has its own rhythm mechanism. [The documentary] shows that we were living our truth.<\/p>\n

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Maurice White, circa 1973 <\/span>Urve Kuusik, Sony Music Archives<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What is one lesson or affirmation learned from Maurice that you still follow?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Johnson: <\/strong>Three things: commitment, trust and humility. If you believe in something, then you\u2019ve got to commit to it. And you must trust that in the end it\u2019s going to be OK. Then if things get so great for you that your ego goes out of control, then you\u2019ve got to turn on the humility and put yourself back in check.<\/strong><\/p>\n

White: <\/strong>Love for your brothers, particularly Ralph and Philip. The love, the connection, the trust, the bond: \u00a0that\u2019s what I\u2019ve come away with.<\/p>\n

Bailey: <\/strong>When we were first together, practicing and hoping to go out on the road, there were several times when on the way to the airport, we\u2019d literally get a call that it [a gig] was canceled. I\u2019m living with people and primarily eating oatmeal; I got a new baby. Yet every time things would happen, Maurice would always say, \u201cThere\u2019s something better for us.\u201d He never complained; never had a defeatist attitude or statement.<\/p>\n

How would Maurice feel about the documentary?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Johnson: <\/strong>He\u2019d feel the story has been told the right way.<\/p>\n

Bailey:<\/strong> He\u2019d be proud of it. It\u2019s indicative of who we are.<\/p>\n

White: <\/strong>Reese would be really proud that the three of us are still together \u2014 from almost teenagers to adults.<\/p>\n

And what lasting impression do you hope fans will have after seeing the documentary?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Johnson: <\/strong>Vintage fans will be happy. They\u2019ll think the story was told correctly. New fans will be very enlightened because they\u2019ll find out some stuff about this group they just didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

Bailey: <\/strong>That the documentary makes the music real and gives people a deeper understanding of the music.<\/p>\n

White: <\/strong>Vintage fans will remember that this journey was part of their lives too. And newer fans will learn something about being able to have a mission \u2014 as Maurice did \u2014 of rendering a service to humanity and actually bringing people together. When people mention our name, there\u2019s a smile that comes to their faces.<\/p>\n

\"Billboard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/rb-hip-hop\/earth-wind-fire-documentary-film-questlove-interview-1236266438\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EWF-2026-press-cr-Don-Hunstein-Sony-Music-Archives-May-1975-billboard-1800.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard After exiting the group Salty Peppers, Maurice White moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and created a new band. A strong believer in mysticism, the Sagittarian sought inspiration from his astrological chart in divining the band-to-be\u2019s name. Three elements caught his attention: earth, fire and air. Related Questlove\u2019s Ebullient, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-1977816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1977816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977816\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1977816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1977816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1977816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}