My Life With Earth Wind Fire

Foreword by Steve Harvey and afterword by David Foster The Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With its dynamic horns, contrasting vocals, and vivid stage shows, Earth, Wind & Fire was one of the most popular acts of the late twentieth century—the band “that changed the sound of black pop” (Rolling Stone)—and its music continues to inspire modern artists including Usher, Jay-Z, Cee-Lo Green, and Outkast. At last, the band’s founder, Maurice White, shares the story of his success. Now in his seventies, White reflects on the great blessings music has brought to his life and the struggles he’s endured: his mother leaving him behind in Memphis when he was four; learning to play the drums with Booker T. Jones; moving to Chicago at eighteen and later Los Angeles after leaving the Ramsey Lewis Trio; forming EWF, only to have the original group fall apart; working with Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond; his diagnosis of Parkinson’s; and his final public performance with the group at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Through it all, White credits his faith for his amazing success and guidance in overcoming his many challenges. Keep Your Head to the Sky is an intimate, moving, and beautiful memoir from a man whose creativity and determination carried him to great success, and whose faith enabled him to savor every moment.

Earth, Wind & Fire has sold some ninety million records and won eight Grammy awards. But while its charismatic founder, Maurice White, and Philip Bailey, one of popular music’s greatest voices, are remarkable musical talents, their relentless work ethic exhausted and emotionally gutted the group. Now, Bailey shares the inside story of his professional and spiritual journey, from his origins to the band’s meteoric rise to stardom, and from its breakup to its triumphant reinvention. Shining Star will mesmerize the supergroup’s millions of fans and anyone who loves an inspiring story about what happens when real life exceeds your dreams.

The long-awaited memoir of Booker T. Jones, leader of the famed Stax Records house band, architect of the Memphis soul sound, and one of the most legendary figures in music. From Booker T. Jones's earliest years in segregated Memphis, music was the driving force in his life. While he worked paper routes and played gigs in local nightclubs to pay for lessons and support his family, Jones, on the side, was also recording sessions in what became the famous Stax Studios-all while still in high school. Not long after, he would form the genre-defining group Booker T. and the MGs, whose recordings went on to sell millions of copies, win a place in Rolling Stone's list of top 500 songs of all time, and help forge collaborations with some of the era's most influential artists, including Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Sam & Dave. Nearly five decades later, Jones's influence continues to help define the music industry, but only now is he ready to tell his remarkable life story. Time is Tight is the deeply moving account of how Jones balanced the brutality of the segregationist South with the loving support of his family and community, all while transforming a burgeoning studio into a musical mecca. Culminating with a definitive account into the inner workings of the Stax label, as well as a fascinating portrait of working with many of the era's most legendary performers-Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Tom Jones, among them-this extraordinary memoir promises to become a landmark moment in the history of Southern Soul.

Today's world demands an integrated attitude and vision toward all of life--an approach embraced and enhanced by the contributors to Earth, Wind, and Fire. In this scholarly and passionate work members of the Feminist Hermeneutics Task Force of the Catholic Biblical Association orchestrate an approach to understanding a feminist model of creation that is faithful to biblical tradition and celebrates the rich diversity of all creation. Inviting conversation between Bible and theology, feminist scholars and theologians, the contributing writers explore themes such as the significance of embodiment, the integrity of creation, the interconnectedness of humanity with other creatures, the evolutionary nature of creation, and integral connections between creation and salvation, ecojustice and human liberation. Both detailed and holistic, Earth, Wind, and Fire is a compelling, insightful, and reader-friendly approach to the creative artistry of God. Chapters and contributors are: Creation, Evolution, Revelation, and Redemption: Connections and Intersections by Carol J. Dempsey, O.P.; The Priestly Creation Narrative: Goodness and Interdependence" by Alice L. Laffey; Everyone Called By My Name: Second Isaiah's Use of the Creation Theme by Joan E. Cook, SC; Wild, Raging Creativity: Job in the Whirlwind by Kathleen M. Connor; Soundings in the New Testament Understandings of Creation by Barbara E. Bowe, RSCJ; Sabbath: the Crown of Creation by Barbara E. Reid, OP; Creation Restored: God's Basileia, the Social Economy, and the Human Good by Tatha Wiley; The Samaritan Woman and Martha as Partners with Jesus in Ministry: Recreation in John 4 and 11 by Judith Schubert, RSM; All Creation Groans in Labor: Paul's Theology of Creation in Romans 8:18-23 by Sheila E. McGinn; Of New Songs and An Open Window; by Mary Ann Donovan, SC; Being a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) is Being the Body of Christ: Paul and Feminist Scholars in Dialogue by Mary Margaret Pazdan, OP; Creation in the Image of God and Wisdom Christology by Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP; Also includes a Prologue and Epilogue by Carol J. Dempsey, OP, and Mary Margaret Pazdan, OP, a Bibliography, and Indexes.

For the first time, music legend and humanitarian activist Dionne Warwick reflects on 50 years in showbusiness and the lessons she has learned from being an artist, a mother and a global icon. From her rise to superstardom to raising millions of dollars for AIDS research, she gives readers a glimpse into her dazzling, inspiring life. 'If you think you can do it, you can do it' was the advice she got from her grandfather as a young girl - words she has never forgotten. Like her music and humanitarian work, her story is guaranteed to give hope and inspiration to people across the world.

Dwight E. Brooks deep dives into Earth, Wind & Fire's That's The Way of the World. Alongside interview material from members Phillip Bailey and Verdine White, he analyses how this album shattered musical barriers, transcended genres, and paid homage to African and American traditions. Understanding TTWOTW requires appreciating EWF founder Maurice White's multifaceted vision for his band. White created a band that performed various styles of music that sought to uplift humanity. His musicians personified a new form of Black masculinity rooted in dignity that embraced diverse spiritualities and healthy living. A complete understanding of TTWOTW also necessitates an awareness of American racial dynamics and changes in the popular music industry in the 1960s and '70s. EWF's landmark album TTWOTW presented hopeful messages about the world that were sorely needed at the time. TTWOTW did not tell listeners exactly how to live, but instead how they can live in a quest for self-actualization. The songs encourage us to yearn, learn, love, see, listen, and feel happy. If art can help mold a better future, than EWF's musical legacy of positivity and self-empowerment will continue to contribute to personal growth and social change even as their melodies linger.

Uses myths, legends, images, and ideas from around the world to tell how four basic natural elements have inspired people in the past.

David Ritz presents his uniquely candid and and intimate account of the tumultuous life of the Prince of Soul music, Marvin Gaye. Author Ritz has assembled years of conversations and interviews from his life as a close friend and lyricist to the gifted Soul sensation, and tells the Marvin Gaye story with fly-on-the-wall accuracy and detail. From his early years as an abused child in the slums of Washington DC, through his rise to the very peaks of the Motown phenomenon, his fall from grace and subsequent comeback, to his untimely death at the hands of his father, Marvin's story is the stuff of legends. The cast of characters includes the Jacksons, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and countless other icons of the world of soul music.The definitive biography of an enormously gifted and sensitive musician.