Why Earth, Wind & Fire has no water in its name

The name Earth, Wind & Fire has an explanation, and it is astrological. Maurice White's sign, Sagittarius, carries the elemental quality of fire, and the seasonal qualities of earth and air, depending on the hemisphere. Hence the omission of water, the fourth classical element. The story starts in Chicago in 1969, where White joined two friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, as a songwriting team writing songs and commercials.

White had been a session drummer for Chess Records and a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio. The three friends signed with Capitol Records as The Salty Peppers and had a marginal hit in the Midwest with “La La Time”, but the second single did not fare as well. White moved to Los Angeles, and on 6 June 1970 his younger brother Verdine followed to become the bassist. White shopped demo tapes featuring Donny Hathaway to labels, and the band signed with Warner Bros. The self-titled debut album came out in March 1971.

The sound that followed is easy to describe: a kalimba, a dynamic horn section, elaborate stage shows, and a contrast between Philip Bailey's falsetto and Maurice's tenor. Their music spans jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. Rolling Stone said the band changed the sound of black pop. Songs such as “Shining Star”, “Reasons”, “September”, “Boogie Wonderland” and “Let's Groove” show how the range stretched without losing the groove.

After a hiatus from mid-1984 to mid-1987 the band carried on, and the honours stacked up: six Grammy Awards out of 17 nominations, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019. They are among the best-selling bands ever, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide. Not bad for a name that left out one of the elements.