Fort Lauderdale Magazine: You are an icon for so many and insanely talented. I’m sure our readers would like to know: Did Maurice, your late brother, rest his soul, name the band after his astrological sign? And how did he change your life with his wisdom?
Verdine White: He started Earth, Wind & Fire from his astrological sign. He didn’t have water in his sign so it was originally “Earth, Air & Fire” but he changed it to “wind.” Before that, it was called the Salty Peppers. It was a life-changing thing for him and he changed my life. When I was 18, he told me to come out and join his band that he was starting. He just left the great Ramsey Lewis jazz pianist to start his group, although he had been working on it for a while. I was in college with a four-year scholarship, and he asked me to come out to California. It was great!
FLMag: I even remember the little kalimba. Was that a little piano?
White: Maurice was one of the first to play kalimba in popular music. He was the first one to bring it to commercial music and put it on records. They were hits, they were hits! I came out just at the peak of the hippie movement and everything changed. It was really great!
FLMag: Your uplifting energetic music is more alive than ever! Evolving from generation to generation and it withstands all the changing trends. How do you explain this?
White: You know what, it baffles me to this day. We didn’t do anything different from what we were doing except be Earth, Wind & Fire. I think because people like our generation are telling the kids about the music. They are going back to all the things that were sampled of us and pulling out the real records. Now kids are dancing on TikTok to “September”! I think a lot of this [popularity] has to do with these kids seeing us on TikTok, Youtube and movies like Trolls and Minions. We are in their homes in different ways.
FLMag: “September” is a big wedding song that is played at every wedding.
White: [Laughs] Yeah, a friend of mine lives in Chicago and he was on his way to a wedding at The Drake Hotel on Michigan Avenue. I told him I bet you $100 they will play “September” and then I said actually, I’ll bet you $1,000 they will play “September.” [Both laugh.]
FLMag: As a band, you guys made history on the charts that will live on forever. Selling eight number-one hits, more than 100 million albums worldwide, releasing 23 albums (eight went double platinum) and hit the top 10. These facts make you one of the best-selling artists of all time – that’s incredible! You’ve won an impressive nine Grammy awards including one for lifetime achievement in 2012. If that’s not enough, you were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2019, your contributions to arts and culture were acknowledged in Washington, D.C. with prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.
White: It’s kind of spooky, isn’t it?!
FLMag: I love the jazz base, the talent and the rhythm. Does it all come naturally to you guys?
White: Well, the genesis DNA was really Maurice because he was very jazz oriented. That was always the kind of root of our music. In the beginning, we were a little bit more musical from a jazz standpoint. As time went on, we got a bit more commercial, but it’s always had a heavy jazz influence.
FLMag: Yes, well jazz is one of my favorite genres. Your dad was a doctor and a musician; did he or anyone else have an influence on the band?
White: Well yeah, we listened to the radio in the house. My sister, mom and dad loved music too. My father would come to watch us jam and pretty much came to all of my concerts before he passed. He was a really big influence and, of course, I had Maurice. We call them mentors now but back then we called them the cats. That’s what I did every weekend – hang out with older guys.
FLMag: And it was your support!
White: Yeah, and they had cars. Very nice cars you know. [Both laugh.]
FLMag: What kind of cars?
White: You know, Mercedes, it was nice I could ride in a Mercedes! I was 18 years old you know. [Both laugh.]
FLMag: That’s cool you got that feeling at a very young age. You were not only blessed but talented. Not only are you praised for your musicianship but you are also a philanthropist. Tell me about the Verdine White Performing Arts Center.
White: Yes, we have the Verdine White Performing Arts Center on 4700 Avalon Blvd [in Los Angeles]. My wife and I were going on our 20th anniversary – we had a building donated by our son and we gutted it out. We have a chapel in there and a studio upstairs for the kids. They won’t let me in though, but it’s really good! [Both laugh.] Every Wednesday and Thursday, we feed the young people for free. They can run in and line up for a free breakfast.
FLMag: Aw, that’s wonderful!
White: We do 300 meals a month!
FLMag: Wow! Can people donate? Is there a site we can go on?
White: You can; we do a fundraiser every year. We have done some great work in the past 20 years and the past five years have been really phenomenal. The website is verdinewhite.com.
FLMag: You’ve opened for many bands during your days and I am one to experience that. You’ve opened for Uriah Heep?
White: Yes, Uriah Heep and all of those guys, [including] Rod Stewart, Chicago and, of course, Santana tour last year. Now, we are heading to do our tour with Lionel Richie this summer!
FLMag: In 1974, when you opened for Uriah Heep and other bands did you realize then you would be the successful headliner one day?
White: Well, I didn’t know because I was too young. I was just having a good time doing it. When you have a career that lasts as long as us, all the way from Uriah Heep, Carlos Santana and Lionel Richie … that’s a pretty good list of tours over the years. Of course, I look forward to performing with Lionel Richie; we have been friends for many years. The audience is going to get action-packed hits the whole night.
FLMag: Which of your favorite bands have you collaborated with?
White: Well, The Earth, Wind & Fire Tour with Chicago. We did four of them! That was a great tour.
FLMag: I do hope this superb music shows no sign of vanishing and just continues to create joy. Your hits have become the soundtrack to so many lives then, now and hopefully forever!!
White: Yeah!
FLMag: Will you continue to make instrumentals or more songs with vocals?
White: I’m sure we will be doing something. While we are doing that, they will play our music all the time on the radio, everywhere.
FLMag: Everywhere, all over the world!
White: Isn’t that crazy?
WHAT: Sing A Song All Night Long Tour with Lionel Richie & Earth, Wind & Fire
WHERE: FLA Live Arena
WHEN: August 25 at 7:30 pm
TICKETS: earthwindandfire.com/tour
