Spirit (Earth, Wind & Fire album)
Encyclopedia
Spirit is the seventh studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire
, released in 1976 on Columbia Records
. The album reached number 2 on the Billboard Pop and R&B Albums Chart and has been certified double platinum. Charles Stepney
died during the sessions for Spirit, and Maurice White
took over fully the arranging and production duties for the band.
Spirit was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album. The album cut Earth, Wind and Fire was also Grammy nominated for Best Instrumental Composition
.
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
, released in 1976 on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The album reached number 2 on the Billboard Pop and R&B Albums Chart and has been certified double platinum. Charles Stepney
Charles Stepney
Charles Stepney was a producer, arranger, songwriter and musician famous for his Orchestral Psychedelic soul sound with Chicago's Cadet/Chess records in the 1960s/1970s and afterwards with Earth, Wind & Fire....
died during the sessions for Spirit, and Maurice White
Maurice White
Maurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
took over fully the arranging and production duties for the band.
Critical reception
Billboard magazine in its review found that the album's "arrangements, songs, sweet floating vocal harmonies and punching instrumental phrases are all best described as impeccable". In his 1999 review of the album Eric Atwell of the Daily Vault notes that "Spirit's tracks are distinct yet cohesive; classic in an album oriented sense, yet still sounding fresh enough to be contemporary".Spirit was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album. The album cut Earth, Wind and Fire was also Grammy nominated for Best Instrumental Composition
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition
The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of the music.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
.
Original release
2001 reissue
Performers
- Vocals - Maurice WhiteMaurice WhiteMaurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
, Philip BaileyPhilip BaileyPhilip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
, Verdine WhiteVerdine WhiteVerdine White is the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire and the younger brother of fellow band member Maurice White. White is known for his high energy and dancing while playing his bass guitar during Earth, Wind & Fire concerts.-Early life:... - PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Larry DunnLarry DunnLarry Dunn is a keyboardist, musical director and one of the founding members of the music group Earth, Wind, & Fire. Dunn, along with other members of Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.-Career:...
, Jerry PetersJerry PetersJerry Peters is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, conductor and arranger. He is best known for writing the hit song Going In Circles" by The Friends of Distinction.-Career:... - OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
- Larry DunnLarry DunnLarry Dunn is a keyboardist, musical director and one of the founding members of the music group Earth, Wind, & Fire. Dunn, along with other members of Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.-Career:... - Moog SynthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
- Larry DunnLarry DunnLarry Dunn is a keyboardist, musical director and one of the founding members of the music group Earth, Wind, & Fire. Dunn, along with other members of Earth, Wind & Fire were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.-Career:... - GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Johnny Graham, Al McKayAl McKayAl McKay is a guitarist, songwriter, producer and former member of the American funk band Earth, Wind & Fire. Al used to lead his own group Al McKay's L.A... - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Verdine WhiteVerdine WhiteVerdine White is the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire and the younger brother of fellow band member Maurice White. White is known for his high energy and dancing while playing his bass guitar during Earth, Wind & Fire concerts.-Early life:... - Congas - Philip BaileyPhilip BaileyPhilip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
- Kalimba - Maurice WhiteMaurice WhiteMaurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
- TimbalesTimbalesTimbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
- Maurice WhiteMaurice WhiteMaurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire... - DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Fred White, Ralph JohnsonRalph Johnson (musician)Ralph Johnson is an American musician. Johnson serves as the percussionist and vocalist for the R&B band, Earth, Wind & Fire....
, Maurice WhiteMaurice WhiteMaurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire... - Percussion - Fred White, Ralph JohnsonRalph Johnson (musician)Ralph Johnson is an American musician. Johnson serves as the percussionist and vocalist for the R&B band, Earth, Wind & Fire....
, Al McKayAl McKayAl McKay is a guitarist, songwriter, producer and former member of the American funk band Earth, Wind & Fire. Al used to lead his own group Al McKay's L.A...
, Andrew Woolfolk, Verdine WhiteVerdine WhiteVerdine White is the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire and the younger brother of fellow band member Maurice White. White is known for his high energy and dancing while playing his bass guitar during Earth, Wind & Fire concerts.-Early life:...
, Philip BaileyPhilip BaileyPhilip Irvin Bailey is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Together with Verdine White, B. David Whitworth, and Ralph Johnson he forms the heart of the current EWF line-up on...
, Harvey MasonHarvey MasonHarvey William Mason is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz... - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Don MyrickDon MyrickDon Myrick was a saxophonist.He played alto, tenor and soprano sax and was a member of Earth Wind & Fire's original horn section, The Phenix Horns Esq. from 1975 through 1982. Previously, Myrick had been a member of the musical group The Pharaohs...
, Andrew Woolfolk - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Charles Loper, George Bohanon, Louis Satterfield - Bass TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Lew McCrearyLew McCrearyLew McCreary is an American author, editor, and speaker.McCreary was born on September 21, 1947. He is a Senior Editor for the Harvard Business Review and previously worked as editorial director of CXO Media Inc., founding the security publication CSO Magazine and frequently serving a source for... - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Charles Findley, Michael HarrisMichael Harris (trumpeter)Trumpet player in the Phenix Horns, which played for Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins.- References :...
, Oscar BrashearOscar BrashearOscar Brashear is an American jazz trumpeter and session musician.After studying at DuSable High School he worked briefly with Woody Herman before going on to join Count Basie '68-9, returning to freelance in Chicago with Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon and James Moody...
, Steve Madaio - French HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Arthur Maebe, David DukeDavid DukeDavid Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
, Marilyn Robinson, Sidney Muldrow - TubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
- Tommy JohnsonTommy Johnson (tubist)John Thomas Johnson was an American orchestral tuba player. He performed on more than 2,000 film soundtracks, most notably John Williams' Jaws score, in which he played a high-register tuba solo as the melodic theme for the shark.-Early life, career:He was born in Los Angeles, California to a... - ConcertmasterConcertmasterThe concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
- Charles Veal - HarpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
- Dorothy AshbyDorothy AshbyDorothy Ashby was an American jazz harpist and composer.Along with Alice Coltrane, Ashby extended the popularization of jazz harp past a novelty, showing how the instrument can be utilized seamlessly as much a bebop instrument as the saxophone... - CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Dennis Karmazyn, Harry Shlutz, Marie Fera, Ronald CooperRonald CooperRonald Cooper, is a former NASCAR driver. In seventy-two career Busch Series starts, Cooper recorded one win and one career top-10 points showing.-1988:... - ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Barbara Thomason, David CampbellDavid Campbell (American arranger/composer)David Richard Campbell is a Canadian-American arranger, composer and conductor. He has worked on over 450 gold and platinum albums including Death Magnetic , Minutes to Midnight , KISS Symphony: Alive IV Spirit , These Days , Fallen , and various albums by his son...
, Denyse Buffum, James DunhamJames DunhamJames C. Dunham, was a multiple murderer who, on the night of May 26, 1896, killed his wife, her family, and two of that family's servants in Campbell, California.Using an axe and firearms, Dunham murdered:*Hattie Wells Dunham...
, Lynn Subotnick, Marilyn BakerMarilyn BakerMarilyn Baker may refer to:* Marilyn Baker , Christian singer/song writer* Marilyn Baker, former mayor of City of Playford and City of Elizabeth in South Australia...
, Paul Polivnick, Rollice Dale - ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Asa Drori, Carl La Magne, Haim Shtrum, Harris Goldman, Joy Lyle, Ken Yerke, Sandy Seemore, Winterton Garvey
Production
- Producer - Maurice WhiteMaurice WhiteMaurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
, Charles StepneyCharles StepneyCharles Stepney was a producer, arranger, songwriter and musician famous for his Orchestral Psychedelic soul sound with Chicago's Cadet/Chess records in the 1960s/1970s and afterwards with Earth, Wind & Fire.... - Engineer, Remix - George MassenburgGeorge MassenburgGeorge Y. Massenburg is a recording engineer and inventor. Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Georgia, Massenburg is widely known for his 1972 paper on the parametric equalizer.-Background:...
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Black Albums | 2 |
| Pop Albums | 2 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Getaway/Saturday Nite" | Club Play Singles | 9 |
| "Getaway" | Black Singles | 1 | |
| Pop Singles | 12 | ||
| "On Your Face" | Black Singles | 26 | |
| "Saturday Nite" | Black Singles | 4 | |
| Pop Singles | 21 |