Maurice White

Maurice White
White performing in 1982
White performing in 1982
Background information
Born(1941-12-19)December 19, 1941
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 2016(2016-02-04) (aged 74)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active1962–2016
Labels
Websitemauricewhite.com

Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.[1][2]

Described as a "visionary" by Vibe and a "mastermind" by Variety,[3][4] White was nominated for a total of 22 Grammys, of which he won seven.[5] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire,[6][7] and was also inducted individually into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[1] White also worked with musical acts such as Deniece Williams, Cher, The Emotions, Barbra Streisand, Ramsey Lewis, and Neil Diamond.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Maurice White". songhall.org. Songwriters Hall of Fame.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Memphis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Need of Love". Vibe. Vol. 5, no. 4. May 1997. p. 116 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Gallo, Phil (December 18, 2006). "Concord resurrects Stax". Variety.
  5. ^ "Maurice White". grammy.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". vocalgroup.org.