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The Mimic Scene
The Mercer Cloeter, Juuij 17, 1977 - Pm*. 13
Earth, Wind, and Fire
Catches On as
“Saddest ” Band
now that they’ve aet the world on fire with their fantastic brand of music, they seem to have
realized their dream.
By Michael Iachetta
The soul rock group called
Earth, Wind and Fire came out
of Chicago's back streets and
tenements with a single goal:
“To be the ‘baddest’ band in
the world,” “baddest" in the
sense of becoming the bests
band around. They have come
close to achieving that goal.
Their “Head to the Sky" and
"Open Our Eyes” albums have
been certified goal records and
their latest release, “That’s the
Way of the World,” is zeroing
in on gold status — not a- bad
track record.
But group leader Maurice
White wants more from Earth,
Wind and Fire, a nine-member
music team capable of laying
down soundw ranging from
African drumbeats to Chicago
blues, funky Southside soul-
minced with rock, jazz and
proud, \ exuberant, relevant
voices. v »
What formed the group four
years ago, 4 time he describes
<as a “searching out" period.
.How he feels that Earth, Wind
and Fire (EWF) has found what
they have been searching for
personally and spiritually — a
new “mature” sound, a more
universal sound that goes
beyond gospel, soul, rock
or American. “We have gone
beyond ethnic America and
reached for the universe while
striving for a total sound." says
White.
That sounds like a tall order .
for a pop group. But White
believes in reaching for the
stars. He is a quiet, serene,
contemplative man with a
strong religious heritage and
background.
”1 always looked, at our
music as being of the sky,
thunderous music, musk from
infinity," he says. “It is part of
our faith. In order to express
yourself musically, you have to
be in tune with something
greater than just, the environ
ment around you. To play the
kind of musk to influence and
make people happy, you have to
be in tune with your total-
universe situation. And what we
try to do with our musk is to
instill confidence in people. *'
He finds a sense of purpose in
the fact that he was the olde* of
nine children — raised by his
maternal grandmother. “My
father was working his way
through medkal school then, in
Chicago, and my mother was
working, too, to help pay the
tuition, so.l was left with my
grandmother, a strongly reli
gious woman out of the old
gospel school,” Maurice re
calls. “So I was filled with
church spirituals and the musk
of the poor but proud ghetto.
She imbued me with a passion
for life, people, religious musk.
And she gave me strong morals,
healthy respect for the princi
ples laid down with the Bible."
He was 18 when he moved to
Chicago, enrolled in the Chica
go Conservatory of Musk — his
parents are both amateur
musicians — and became
involved as s backup musician
on many labels.
His big break came when he
spent several years touring with
Ramsey Lewis. “I developed
my inner self on the road,”
Maurice says. "I grew up with
Ramsey Lewis.”
But in 1970, he decided to try
flying on his own. He wanted to
develop his own musical theo
ries, so he formed his own
group, hit the road, established
“I suppose it was inevitable
that 1 should go mad.” Mark
Vonnegut said, sitting in the
living room of his spacious
Brookline. Mass. “Growing up.
I just couldn't understand why
things that always seemed to
affect me never bothered
anyone else. What surprised
roe, through, is that I though
everyone believed that I was
strong as an ox, but it turned
out the only one who was
surprised about me going nuts
was me."
Mark, the 29-year-old son of
counterculture author Kurt
Vonnegut, was explaining a
period in his life five ypars ago
when he vfas committed to a
mental hospital twice in the
span of four months suffering
from schizophrenia. He has
jcnronkled this troubled time in
a best-selling book, “The Eden
Express.” which has just been
published by TfcnUm in a
paperback. .
Eden Express" took him
three years to write. During that
time, he took science courses at
the University of Massachu
setts, spent a semester as a
practice teacher at an area
school, worked as a mason and,
in his words, “tried to become
an underground reputation on
the college circuit and cut two
LPs that didn't do much. Then
he signed with Columbia
Records and the first two
Columbia LPs. “Last Days and
Time,” and “Head to the Sky"
disgustingly healthy. * *
The idea of writing a book
came to him shortly after he was
discharged from the hospital,
when he received a letter from
“Earth” magazine informing
him that a short piece he had
written a few years before.had
been accepted for publication.
“After that piece was pub
lished. I really didn’t have much
trouble sitting down and writing
Eden Express,’” he says. "I’d
write for two or three hours
every day. The original manu
script wft? about 1,600 pages,
but Leveniually cut it down. ’’
Although he plans to specia
lize in pediatrics when he
becomes a doctor, Mark is
writing another book on mental
illness.
“It’s kind of a ’no-blame,
no-shame' guide to mental
health.» Nonfiction. I’d really
like to have a lot of clout when it
comes to mental health. I’ve got
a little clout now, but I'd like to
have more. When you consider
the amount of money spent and
the lives ruined because of
mental illness, it’s hard not to
want to get involved. ”
Does he feel that he is
completely cured of the disease
that almost ruined his life?
sold big without any real
media attention.
“I felt it was gur college
reputation that sold our first two
Columbia records,*’ White
says.
Word-of-mouth started to
“It's still there lurking in the
back corridors,'' he says. ‘ * But I
take good care of myself, get my
blood tested every year and,
when I feel a little shaky, I just
build, their concerts caught on
and EWF is now well op their
way to living up to their dream
of becoming "the Jaaddest band
in the world.”
Copyright, 1976, United Fea
ture Syndkate.
got my own little tricks now. I'm
sure it will never take me in
again.” ,
Copyright, 1977, .United Fea
ture Syndicate. Inc.
Five years ago. Mark Vonnegut, the son of counterculture author
Kurt Vonnegut, waa institutionalized with an acute caae of
schizophrenia. Today, at 29, Mark haa written about hia
experience* in “The Eden Exprena," a juat-published, beat-selling
paperback.
Mark Vonnegut’s “Eden Express”, A Story
Of Victory Over Despair