{"id":161533,"date":"2025-09-22T13:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T13:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/161533\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T13:58:10","slug":"5-highlights-from-grammy-salute-to-earth-wind-fire-tv-special","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/161533\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Highlights From Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire TV Special"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFifty years after Earth, Wind & Fire<\/a> broke through to the top tier of pop and R&B bands, they were subjects of a two-hour Grammy salute that aired on Sunday (Sept. 21). The airdate was a clever touch \u2013 \u201cthe 21st night of September\u201d is line from one of their most famous hits, \u201cSeptember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tUnlike past Grammy Salute specials where other artists cover the subject\u2019s songs, this special was built around a filmed EWF concert at the Hollywood Bowl, where the band was backed by the LA Philharmonic. But there were also inserts of performances of EWF classics by\u00a0Jonas Brothers<\/a>,\u00a0Jon Batiste<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Janelle Mon\u00e1e<\/a> and a warm, mostly spoken, tribute by\u00a0Stevie Wonder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tEWF have been showered with awards and honors in this century. The band was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Five members of the group were voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. They received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2016 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019.<\/p>\n

\n\tFulwell Entertainment and Grammy Studios produced A Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September. Ben Winston (who is an executive producer of the annual Grammy telecast), Patrick Menton (a co-executive producer of that show) and Harvey Mason jr.<\/a> (CEO of the Recording Academy) served as executive producers.<\/p>\n

\n\tFans of these Grammy Salutes specials won\u2019t have long to wait for the next one. A Grammy Salute to Cyndi Lauper: Live From the Hollywood Bowl\u00a0will air on Sunday, Oct. 5 (8-10 p.m., ET\/PT). Guests include Joni Mitchell, Cher, Angelique Kidjo, John Legend, SZA, Mickey Guyton, Trombone Shorty and Jake Wesley Rogers, with a video tribute from Brandi Carlile.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere are the five best moments from A Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA Grammy Salute to Earth Wind & Fire<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All<\/p>\n

\tTaking on The Beatles<\/p>\n

\n\tThe special, like the Bowl concert itself, opened with three of EWF\u2019s million-sellers, \u201cShining Star,\u201d \u201cSing a Song\u201d and \u201cGot to Get You Into My Life.\u201d The group didn\u2019t just cover The Beatles\u2019 brassy classic from Revolver, they thoroughly reinvented it. White won a Grammy for his bold, even audacious, arrangement of the song, which was easily the best thing to emerge from a movie that was a notorious flop \u2013 Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band.<\/p>\n

\tSongs Worth Hearing Twice<\/p>\n

\n\tEarth, Wind & Fire included full-length versions of \u201cThat\u2019s the Way of the World\u201d and \u201cShining Star\u201d in their set, but we were also treated to covers of the songs by Janelle Mon\u00e1e and Jonas Brothers, respectively. JoBros, the only non-Black artists on the show, did a very credible job on \u201cShining Star,\u201d which was EWF\u2019s only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n

\n\tJon Batiste performed \u201cCan\u2019t Hide Love,\u201d a lesser-known EWF song which was the follow-up to \u201cSing a Song.\u201d EWF didn\u2019t include that one in their Bowl set.<\/p>\n

\tInspiring Stevie Wonder<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an insert, Wonder talked about his \u201cgreat admiration for Maurice White,\u201d and shared that when he heard \u201cShining Star,\u201d it inspired him to write \u201cI Wish,\u201d the lead single from Songs in the Key of Life.<\/p>\n

\n\tWonder didn\u2019t add, but we will, that Songs in the Key of Life kept EWF from landing a third consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Spirit, which followed their chart-topping That\u2019s the Way of the World and Gratitude, peaked at No. 2, unable to dislodge Wonder\u2019s masterwork from the top spot.<\/p>\n

\n\t(Wonder was the subject of his own\u00a0Grammy Salute\u00a0special in 2015,\u00a0Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life \u2013 An All-Star Grammy Salute.)<\/p>\n

\tThose Killer Ballads<\/p>\n

\n\tEWF is probably best known as purveyors of upbeat pop\/R&B\/funk hits, but their ballads were every bit as good. The group included several in their show \u2013 \u201cThat\u2019s the Way of the World,\u201d \u201cReasons,\u201d \u201cFantasy\u201d and \u201cAfter the Love Has Gone.\u201d The latter song, the band\u2019s first collaboration with David Foster, was EWF\u2019s only track to receive Grammy nods for record and\/or song of the year.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe fact that EWF was equally good on upbeat material and ballads is a key reason for their longevity.<\/p>\n

\tAll Hail the Originals<\/p>\n

\n\tEWF includes just three original (or nearly original) members \u2013 Verdine White, Maurice White\u2019s younger brother; Ralph Johnson; and Philip Bailey, who was introduced as \u201cThe Voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe group\u2019s mastermind, Maurice White, died nearly 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

\n\tEWF is one of those groups where the songs are the stars, more than the individual band members. The Four Seasons, ABBA and The Temptations are also in this little club, which ensures the longevity of the material.<\/p>\n

\t


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