Dwight Brooks: In April of 1970, when Earth, Wind and Fire left Chicago for Los Angeles, it was really just a quintet without a label or a manager. By the fall of that year, Maurice White had completed his auditions and selections for his new band. And as soon as he found a manager and a label, it would be LA Time. not la la time as in the salty peppers, for the original Earth, Wind, and Fire. Greetings and thanks for tuning in to another episode of Tracking Earth, Wind and Fire. I'm Doc Brooks, your host. I want to earn your subscription for my podcast. Please subscribe on YouTube. It's free. And all you have to do is hit that subscribe button. You can also watch on YouTube as well as now Apple Podcasts. So follow Tracking Earth, Wind and Fire to get this podcast on Apple. Please listen to each episode's playlist on Spotify. I welcome your emails at T-R-A-C-K-I-N-G-E W F at Gmail.com. In our last episode of tracking Earth, Wind and Fire, I introduced you to the musicians who comprised the original Earth, Wind and Fire. Now it's time to meet his management and supporting staff because it's time for the new band to release its debut album. And so, without further ado, let's dive deep into LA time for Earth, Wind, and Fire. With the band in place, Maurice White sought someone to manage his group. He met Jim Brown, the legendary NFL player and actor who had an entertainment management company called BBC: Brown, Bloch, and Covey. It was a boutique entertainment management company co-founded by the late Jim Brown. And besides Brown, the trio included veteran Hollywood publicists Paul Bloch and Richard Covey, an entertainment attorney who handled the legal and contractual sides of the venture. Brown, Bloch, and Covey, or BBC, was a boutique firm, which means it really had a very narrow roster. it was only active as well for a short window in the early 1970s. And aside from their foundational work launching Earth Within Fire, the firm did not have a large stable of musical acts. But Jim Brown did have a lot of clout, especially in Los Angeles. The company's small footprint is probably largely due to the shifting paths of two of its founders. Jim Brown was highly focused on his own acting career, film production, and his growing civil rights activism. Paul Bloch shifted his focus heavily toward Hollywood public relations, and he eventually joined the legendary firm of Rogers Cohen, where he spent decades as the chairman of Rogers Cohen, a firm that represented A-list film stars like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and Bruce Willis. There was an immediate connection between Maurice White and Jim Brown. White expressed these mutual values of their partnership in his memoir. In White's view, the two men shared an ideology that true power for black men was rooted in personal dignity. White signed with BBC largely due to that admiration that he held for Jim Brown's character. And he viewed Brown as a man of immense courage who rejected superficial posturing. White also valued how Jim Brown seemed to intuitively understand the creative process. Unlike traditional managers who might try to alter a new group's direction, Jim Brown seemed to fully believe in White's spiritual and musical vision and gave him freedom to execute it. And although things seemed to move a little slow for the band in the initial months after signing with BBC, the band had plenty of time to practice. White concealed his anxiety to band members, especially as he was beginning to detect a little bit of apprehension, we'll say, from Wade Flemons that apparently manifested an anger at times towards Maurice White. Fortunately, before things could get worse, there was some movement when Brown set up an informal audition at his Hollywood Hills home for Warner Brothers and RCA Records. Maurice White, having already met stars both with the Ramsey Lewis trio and in LA he met Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles. He was certainly not phased by the show business stars such as Richard Shaft Roundtree, Bill Cosby, and the late former Boston Celtic basketball legend Bill Russell. Those and others attended the audition, which was held on Jim Brown's balcony overlooking the City of Angels. Whites Constant rehearsals with Earth Within Fire seemed to pay off. Although the people who were representing RCA Records, passed on the band. Joe Smith, then executive vice president of Warner Brothers, thought the band was, quote, in his words, jazzy and hip. And so Smith offered Earth, Wind and Fire a recording contract, and in late 1970, the band began recording their debut album, The Raw Progressive self-titled album was released in early 1971. White's initial reservations about Warner Brothers' lack of promotional support for his band eased when Perry P.J. Jones came aboard. P.J. Jones was a trail-blazing music executive who played an indispensable role in promoting Earth, Wind and Fire during their two-year stint at Warner Bros. and beyond. He continued with the band for most of the decade before working with artists like Prince. Jones was the very first African-American promotions director at Warner Brothers. And if you had the pleasure of attending an Earth, Wind and Fire concert, I'm sure you will recall Jones' booming voice introducing the band on stage. Check out his iconic introduction at the start of their Gratitude album, which is the promotional tour he put together. The Master of Ceremonies introducing the band to the stage at the beginning of the record, gratitude, is none other than Perry PJ Jones. Here's a little treat. Jones' powerful delivery matched what Maurice White called his hipster persona. He became known for his flashy style of dress, which included long superfly maxi coats, his six-inch afro, his knee-high equestrian boots. He was definitely cool with his Hollywood aesthetic. More important, White needed. P.J. Jones to understand his concept of Earth, Wind, and Fire. He wanted Jones to understand in 1970 that his new paradigm was not just for black music, but for music in general. And at first, when White explained his vision to Perry Jones, like he explained to everybody, Perry Jones said, okay, but what does that really mean? As White talked, Jones began to nod in agreement and said, that's a mouthful. White would explain his concept to not just PJ Jones, but to everyone he met. But as far as Jones goes, he needed him to understand his concept. Because he needed him as an ally inside of Warner Brothers Records. And he also needed Jones on the outside as a promoter, which he got and then some. Let me share a little background on PJ Jones. He's a veteran who served our country overseas, and after receiving an honorable discharge in 1967, Jones returned to the US in hopes of working in the music business. He was proud of his Midwestern roots and he moved to Colorado after a radio station mentor got him a job meeting and greeting artists who came to Denver. Jones scheduled artists for radio and TV interviews in advance and placed their products and records for store promotions. He considered himself more of a rock and roll hippie, even though he was promoting rhythm and blues and soul records. He described himself as a Rocky Mountain hippie meets Superfly. And so in 1970, Warner Brothers wanted to enter the RB soul market and put out fielders across the country to hire what would be their first African-American national promotion director for what they would call then special markets. Jones got the job and moved from Colorado to Los Angeles. And the first project that Warner Brothers gave him was to promote Earth, Wind and Fire. And the band remained his favorite group to work with. And he worked with a bunch of bands in his career. Jones was mesmerized by Maurice White. He thought White had a unique perspective on life and spirituality. And like Jim Brown, P.J. Jones appreciated how Maurice White cared about how young black men carry themselves. And according to Jones, Maurice White gave him a list of record promoters and DJs that he had met way back when he played with the Ramsey Lewis trio. But Jones' approach was different than the other record promoters at that time. They were doing basically Payola, paying cash for radio stations to play their records, which was illegal. Jones was not down with that. In most cases, promoters would line up at radio stations to get their records played with cash in hand and sometimes other goodies. Instead, Jones would book a hotel suite, bring along a Sony double deck tape recorder, and play his artist tapes on the recorder, rather than playing them on vinyl. He put the DJs and radio station managers in an environment where he had their full attention. And he established credit with Warner Brothers for black record store owners because most record companies wouldn't give credit to black businesses, so they weren't able to buy direct and had to purchase with cash from a place called a one-stop shop. Jones rewrote some of the radio promotion rules by circumventing traditional Paola systems. And he would ship records directly to independent black-owned record shops and arrange for Earthwind and Fire to do in-store autograph signings. And he helped black DJs and store owners profit legally and directly from the product. Jones also drove around cities in his 1969 Triumph TR6 sports car, sporting his long flowing maxi coat, crushed velvet slacks, knee-high riding boots, to personally hand over new records to radio station managers and DJs. And without a doubt, Jones was great at getting Earthwind and Fire's music into record stores and radio stations. And there's much more to his story, such as being mostly responsible. For bringing Philip Bailey to Earth, Wind and Fire, who in turn brought Larry Dunn and later Andrew Wolfolk to the band. And I'll do a deep dive on PJ Jones in a future episode. He's got a fascinating story. before we talk about the first album, there's one other person White needed on his team. Leonard Smith, often working alongside Perry Jones, would become a vital manager, tour manager particularly, and trusted partner with Earthwind and Fire. White's memoir tells how they met. In those early days, Earthwind and Fire was playing small venues, clubs, cafes, almost anywhere the band could get some work. Getting paid was sometimes a challenge, not just for Earth Wind and Fire, but for many in music at the early stages of their careers. White recalls one promotional tour in South Carolina when he went to the office after the show to get their money. He was told, I ain't paying you a dime White stormed out and called Jim Brown the next morning. Brown's business partner, Richard Covey, answered the phone, and after hearing White's issue, he told him, I don't think there's anything I can do, but hold on, let me connect you with Leonard Smith. White never heard of Smith before, so after introducing himself, he explained that he needed his pay so that he could get to the next town and the next gig. Smith told him to hang on the phone and not to move. White heard Smith pick up another phone and call another promoter near Columbia, South Carolina, named Cecil. He overheard the conversation whereby Smith told Cecil he needed a favor and asked him to call that other deadbeat promoter and straighten him out. Smith told White to call Cecil so he could take care of everything. And he certainly did, because within an hour, Maurice White was not only counting his money, but realizing how much he needed Leonard Smith. Fortunately, Smith was the road manager for the Friends of Distinction on Jim Brown's behalf. And when the group behind great songs like Grazin in the Grass, Going in Circles, I really hope you do, that group decided to leave Brown's management company. And we'll see another connection from that group in an upcoming episode. Jim Brown assigned Leonard Smith to Earth Wind and Fire. Smith would be White's so-called right-hand man for the next 18 years. And I can't wait to share more of both Perry Jones' and Leonard Smith's contributions in future episodes. Now, let me tell you about Earth, Wind and Fire's debut album. As I mentioned, the self-titled Earth Wind and Fire debuted in early 1971 as an introduction to the band and its new brand of music. Philly Native Joe Wissert served as producer and trumpeter for Earthwind and Fire Leslie Drayton, handled most of the heavy horn arrangements. Maurice White, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead co-wrote five of the seven songs on the album, and White found all those seven songs consistent with his concept and described the music as, in his words, progressive, jazzy, and bluesy. every song had a theme of social justice, spirituality, and self-reliance. The opening cut, Help Somebody, is about selflessness and brotherhood, and it possesses a heavy funk foundation thanks to Verdeen White's Throbbing Bass Guitar with touches of jazz marked by a catchy Latin style bridge. The next cut, Moment of Truth, sounds Sly Stone inspired, which shouldn't be surprised, because we all know that one of the artists that Maurice White had great admiration for was Sly Stone. So it was by some accounts inspired, Moment of Truth by Sly Stone, especially the first verse lyric first lyrics. We're going around. Trying to get Haya. Another set of lyrics later in the song that one interpretation reveals classic Earth, Wind, and Fire, so-called nonsensical lyrics, in the spirit of September's Badiya. According to the liner notes and most lyric databases, Moment of Truth includes a refrain, Omala Deiha, Omala Deia. Or something like that. I'm not a vocalist. On the other hand, another classic lyric database lists the same refrain as Smother That Hey, Smother That Hey Yaw. Well, the latter makes some sense given the song's earlier refrain, Better Come Down, Gonna be a Fayya. I even found what may have been a crowdsource or user-generated database that lists that same refrain as smoke a lot of hay, smoke a lot of hay, y'all. Frankly, that's what I hear sometimes too. And believe it or not, Maurice White was a co-writer on that song, Moment of Truth. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. You can tell me. Omalada he Omalada Hey y'all My favorite track on the album is Love is Life, which you may recall from a previous episode of Tracking Earth, Wind and Fire, was initially recorded by the Salty Peppers, Your Love is Life. That song is about the transforming power of love, and it features powerful brass punctuations and lush harmonic vocals. Michael Beale adds a nice guitar riff that complements Wade Fleming's rather unique vocal style. Let's give listen to Love is Life. Fan the Fire is a throbbing mid-tempo song about keeping the flames of love afire in a world where, quoting the song's lyrics, little children are starving in a foreign land. The song includes a wonderful, I think it's really cool rolling piano and punchy hornwork throughout the cut. That was actually the very first Earth Wind and Fire single. Unfortunately, Fan the Fire failed to ignite and flopped on the charts. Let's give it a listen. The next cut, Come On Children, opens with a catchy brass and bass riff before the funk hits with chanted vocals. Another song that matches the band's 1970s fast-paced style of funk. The Earth Wind and Fire Classic 9, that is. In fact, they played this jam at the California Jam concert in 1974. Come on Children. This world today is a simple plea for peace and harmony in a world of troubled times. As I wrote in the prologue of my book, That's the Way of the World, this world today is as vital today as it was in 2000, as it was in certainly in 1971. The song's high-pitched vocals foreshadow the smooth falsetto of Philip Bailey. The seventh and last song on the album, Bad Tune, is the only song to feature an open with Maurice White on Kalimba. It's a free-flowing jazzy, mostly instrumental, with changing tempos that make it sound longer than its 4-minute and 38-second listed length. A lot of the reviewers who reviewed their first album really appreciated Bad Tune. 'Cause it had more of a jazzy approach, although Love is Life got some airplay on radio stations, none of the other songs charted, and the album sold a modest 40,000 copies. I'm not gonna devote much time in this podcast to what reviewers said, but I think since this was Earth Wind and Fire's debut album, it would be helpful to share a few of those reviews with you. Most critics seem to like the album and painted a promising future for Earth, Wind Fire. when you release your debut album, in most cases, what the critics say will have a lot to do with the band's future success. It's not full determining, but people will then tend to follow up and listen, and it gives the band some good attention So again, most critics seem to like the album. Let me share a few of those reviews with you. Bob Talbot of the Detroit Free Press began his short review by stating, and I'm quoting now, I'm not sure what to call this group. Afro, gospel, jazz, blues, rock? He then asked, Must there be a label? This 10-piece Chicago-based group could be a forerunner of musical styles. Sort of a black blood, sweat, and tears, or Chicago with soul. an important new group of the nineteen seventies. I think the review that I enjoyed the most was Larry Ridley, and he actually was a jazz-based guitarist. And he wrote in Downbeats, mostly jazz publication, and their record reviews. He was extremely high on this new band. And perhaps not surprisingly, for a jazz-oriented magazine. He began his lengthy review with a condemnation of the music industry's reluctance to record. Anything that in his words hints or smells of jazz. He argues this reluctance leads to a lot of fine aspiring jazz musicians to rethink their artistic direction along the lines of imposed socioeconomic realities. And the result, in Ridley's words, was what he calls supermarket and drugstore soul by artists who are either, for whatever reason, unable to Bridge the gap. And he applauds Maurice White's approach, not in terms of capital gains, but of quoting here, evolutionary development and exposition of his Afro-American blues heritage, coupled with a unique and sometimes humorous display of his own and band members' personality. He called White a young jazz artist who has succeeded in bridging the gap by assembling a strong musical organization, a tight, well knit instrumental and vocal group in which almost all of the musicians contribute to the writing of the music and lyrics. He finds their vocal voicings reminiscent of the fifth dimension without implying imitation. He even commends the album's packaging, which includes a copy of the lead sheet for his favorite track, Bad Tune. Ridley also likes what would become a staple of Earth, Wind, and Fire, the short interludes between songs. because they create a sense of involvement for the listener. And I'll talk about the interludes on all their albums in upcoming episodes. You can bet that. He closes by noting that no further critical analysis is warranted, and he tells his readers to buy the album and keep their eyes and ears open for earth, wind, and fire. Rolling Stone's Lester Bangs also compared Earth Wind and Fire's smooth harmonies to the fifth dimension and pointed out the heavy Sly Stone influence. John Bush of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five, while complimenting the album's free-wheeling arrangements and social consciousness. And finally, perhaps the only dissenting voice on the album. Came from The Village Voices, Robert Christgau The self-proclaimed deed of American rock critics was not only ambivalent towards the album's various cross-references, but he found the vocal harmonies failing to both fit the concept, whatever that means, and assert any personality of their own. Hmm. Well, as they say, opinions alike, you know what. Everybody's got one. Seriously, I'm gonna leave his review at that for now because I may return to one of his reviews of a later landmark album that actually bothered me even more. And I'll talk about Robert Christgau and his review in a later episode. One final note about the album before I close. Doug Carn a jazz musician from St. Augustine, Florida, some say it's America's oldest city, not too far from where I currently reside. Well, Doug Carn is credited with playing his Hammond organ on the album. In fact, his then wife, vocalist Jean Carn, did backing vocals on the first two albums. So I'll tell you a little more about each of these musicians in our next tracking Earth Wind and Fire Deep Dive. We're gonna focus on 1971, a very interesting year for Earth Wind and Fire. Thank you for tuning into Tracking Earth, Wind and Fire. As always, I welcome your comments about this episode andor the podcast in general. You can email me and I'll write back T-R-A-C-K-I-N-G-E-W-F at gmail.com. Make sure you check out my playlist. I do one for each episode and it's on Spotify. You can even listen to the episode on Spotify and go right into the ten or so songs that I always put up for each episode. You'll hear songs from Earth Wind and Fire's debut album, all of them. Along with some songs from the Fifth Dimension, Slying the Family Stone, I even throw in some Blood, Sweat, and Tears. I like that band. And Chicago. as always, I'm gonna throw in a few surprise tunes for your enjoyment. So until the next time, I bid you a goodbye with the original music for this podcast by the award-winning producer-songwriter D Mile.