Earth, Wind & Fire Co-Founder Dies
Maurice White, co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. Pitchfork reports that White died in his sleep Thursday morning following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 74. Born in Tennessee, White moved to Chicago in his teens and got his start drumming for the Ramsey Lewis Trio (he appeared on nine of the band’s records). In 1969, he founded the Salty Peppers with Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. They subsequently moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, signed to Warner Bros., and changed their name to Earth, Wind & Fire. They released their self-titled debut in 1971.
