Drummer Fred White, who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 67.
Verdine White, a vocalist, percussionist and bass player for the band, that his younger brother Frederick Eugene 鈥淔reddie鈥� White had died. He didn't say how or where his brother died.
Earth, Wind & Fire began in 1970 under the leadership of , who created a band that could combine elements of jazz, funk, R&B, soul, dance, pop and rock, and celebrated African musicianship and spiritualism. Driven by their horn section the Phenix Horns and a reputation for energetic and bombastic live performances, the group's popularity grew after they moved to Columbia Records, which was then under the leadership of Clive Davis.
Fred White was already an accomplished drummer, playing for Donny Hathaway, before he joined Earth, Wind & Fire in the mid-1970s. Paired alongside drummer and percussionist Ralph Johnson, the band's rhythm section was tight and upbeat and set the stage for songs like 鈥淏oogie Wonderland" and 鈥淪eptember鈥� to become instant favorites.
Verdine White called his brother Fred was a gifted child musician, 鈥渨ith gold records at the young age of 16 years old!鈥� Fred White remained with the band until 1983.
鈥淏ut more than that at home and beyond he was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light hearted!鈥� wrote White.
Some of the band's biggest hits are still widely popular, often sampled and used in countless movies. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, played the 2005 Super Bowl halftime show and has six Grammys. The band鈥檚 鈥淕ot to Get You Into My Life鈥� was on President Barack Obama鈥檚 first Spotify playlist.
The band鈥檚 most successful period started with the 1975 album 鈥淭hat鈥檚 The Way of The World鈥� and continued through the rest of the decade. Other hits included 鈥淪erpentine Fire,鈥� 鈥砈hining Star鈥� and a cover of the Beatles鈥� 鈥淕ot to Get You Into My Life.鈥�
Maurice White died at the .
Kristin M. Hall, The Associated Press
