Maurice White's final recordings featured in 'Manifestation' CD Out On May 3 via Omnivore Recordings

 Maurice White’s Manifestation audio CD to be released on May 3, 2024 via Omnivore Recordings

Features final recordings from the Earth, Wind & Fire founder and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner,

Including six previously unissued tracks

Recorded with award-winning Producer Preston Glass

March 25, 2024: Omnivore Recordings has announced the CD release of Maurice White’s Manifestation, the final set of recordings from the Earth, Wind & Fire founder and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner. Recorded with award-winning producer/songwriter Preston Glass, the album features 6 previously unissued tracks.

As a teenager, Maurice White studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music while playing in bands around town. Later, he became a session drummer at Chess Records where he appeared on records by Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Etta James and more! In 1966 he left Chess to join the Ramsey Lewis Trio, staying with them for the next three years and a series of album releases (and winning a Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Group for their track, “Hold It Right There”) until 1969, when he joined two friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead to form a songwriting team. They moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and changed their name to Earth, Wind & Fire.

Earth, Wind & Fire sold over 100 million records, and won countless accolades: inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and garnered four American Music Awards and seven Grammys (out of 17 nominations), including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

White was also a sought-after producer, player and songwriter. His credits include songs, albums and sessions for Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Ramsey Lewis, Pieces Of A Dream, Minnie Riperton, Barry Manilow, Jennifer Holliday, Deniece Williams, The Emotions, Walter Hawkins, The Tubes, Atlantic Starr, and many more. His remarkable career included solo albums, music for feature films, television shows, and a Broadway play.

After releasing a self-titled solo album in 1985, while recording Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1987 release Touch The World, White shared the producer chair with award-winning producer/songwriter Preston Glass. The result was a number one chart hit—“System Of Survival.” From this successful start, Glass and White formed a songwriting bond that lasted for nearly 30 years and resulted in over 40 songs. Three years after White’s untimely passing, 12 of those songs were released digitally as Manifestation.

Now, those 12 songs, along with 6 previously unissued tracks appear for the first time on CD (Digital also available), fully authorized by Kalimba Entertainment and in cooperation with Platinum Garage Recordings and SoulMusic Records. Newly remastered by multiple Grammy-winning Engineer Michael Graves, the musical spirit of Maurice White thrives as his final recordings are available again featuring new, insightful, and heartfelt notes from set co-Producer and British Ambassador of Soul, David Nathan. Manifestation is essential listening for fans of the lifelong work of the brilliant Maurice White.

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/rwBT6qdSBAg

Pre-order: http://www.omnivorerecordings.com/shop/manifestation

Manifestations tracklist:

1. Sweet Surrender

2. Panic Button

3. Storybook Love

4. Laid Back Aphrodisiac

5. I Couldn’t Be Me Without You

6. Breakin’ In A Brand New Heart (Interlude)

7. True Love Is Forever

8. Wiggle (Long Version)

9. To The Top

10. Young Hearts

11. You’re Supposed To Say You Love Me

12. Before The Day You Were Born

Previously Unissued Bonus Tracks:

13. Keep Your Faith In Love

14. Can’t Fight This Feelin’

15. Crazy ‘Bout

16. Rekindle The Flame

17. Spiritual High

18. Sincerely

The Recording Academy® to honor legends as part of 'GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends'

With the recent passing of Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White (on Feb. 3, 2016) and Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner (on Jan. 28, 2016), it's nice to see both of those seminal artists among those being honored at the upcoming "GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends." Here is the media release...

THE RECORDING ACADEMY^® TO HONOR 2016 SPECIAL MERIT AWARDS RECIPIENTS WITH NEW TELEVISION SPECIAL
"GRAMMY SALUTE TO MUSIC LEGENDS^®" AS PART OF LANDMARK "GREAT PERFORMANCES" SERIES ON PBS
 
AWARDS CEREMONY AND TRIBUTE CONCERT TO 
TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2016 AT 
THE DOLBY THEATER IN LOS ANGELES

Paul Kantner, of Jefferson Airplane and
Jefferson Starship fame, will be among
those honored at the upcoming event.

Maurice White in 1982.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (March 29, 2016) —The Recording Academy^®  will honor its 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients with an awards ceremony and live tribute concert onSaturday, April 23, 2016 at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Dubbed "GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends," the event will be produced in partnership with THIRTEEN as part of the"Great Performances" series on PBS, set to air later this year. Led by music industry icon Don Was as musical director, the tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-seen renditions by those they've inspired. Tickets for the event will be on sale via Ticketmaster beginning Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 10:00 am PST.
 
This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees include Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, and RUN DMC.John Cage, Fred Foster, and Chris Strachwitz are Trustees Award honorees; and EMT andDr. Harvey Fletcher are Technical GRAMMY^® Award recipients. Also being honored is Phillip Riggs, this year's recipient of the GRAMMY Foundation Music Educator Award. Performers will be announced shortly.
 
Previously held during GRAMMY Week, this is the first time that The Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone event and musical tribute. In addition to the tribute concert, special celebrity guests will present recipients their award statues and guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to the music industry and our cultural heritage.
 
"For many years now, we've wanted to honor Special Merit Awards recipients on a larger scale with an event like 'GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends,' so I'm delighted to partner with THIRTEEN Productions and PBS to bring this worthy celebration to a bigger stage," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "The contributions of our honorees are innumerable, and we look forward to an unforgettable evening as we pay tribute to their exceptional accomplishments."
 
A production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, "GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends" will be written by David Wild and directed for television by David Horn, with Mitch Owgang as producer, and David Horn and Neil Portnow as executive producers.
 
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award recognizes such contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by vote of The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of The Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing^® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees, and are ratified by The Academy's Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.
 
About the Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees:
 
Ruth Brown* began her musical career in the church choir at the tender age of 4. A singer/songwriter, record producer, composer, and actress noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music, Brown became one of the undisputed architects of the genre. She recorded a number of hit songs, including "I'll Wait For You," "I Know," "5-10-15 Hours," and "Mambo Baby." She later went on to have a successful theater career.
 
Celia Cruz* was one of the most popular salsa singers and performers in history. Known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa," the Cuban-American Cruz was a larger-than life-personality. She recorded 23 gold albums and was a recipient of the United States National Medal of Arts. Cruz received three GRAMMY Awards and four Latin GRAMMY Awards.

Six-time GRAMMY winners Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most important and innovative contemporary pop/R&B musical forces of the 20th century. Members Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Johnny Graham, Ralph Johnson, Al McKay, Fred White, Maurice White*, Verdine White, and Andrew Woolfolk built the group's distinctive signature sound, which has remained profoundly influential. Successfully breaking down all musical genre boundaries since forming in 1969, they recorded seven #1 R&B singles and eight Top 10 pop albums. Earth Wind & Fire earned more than 50 gold and platinum album certifications and more than 90 million albums worldwide, placing them on the list of best-selling musical artists of all time. 
 
One of the most revered and idiosyncratic figures in jazz, Herbie Hancock has been at the forefront almost every development in electronic and acoustic jazz and R&B. A stylistically diverse and ever-intriguing canon of songs, including "Maiden Voyage" and "Rockit," has helped earn him 14 GRAMMY Awards during his impressive five-decade-plus professional solo career.
 
Marty Balin, Jack Casady, Spencer Dryden*, Paul Kantner*, Jorma Kaukonen, and Grace Slick comprised Jefferson Airplane, pioneers of counterculture-era psychedelic rock. Emerging from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success, performing at the three most famous American rock festivals of the 1960s — Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969), and Altamont (1969). Their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow is regarded as one of the key recordings of the "Summer of Love." Two hits from that album, "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit," are among Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
 
With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt is one of the most popular interpretive singers of all time, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. Throughout the 1970s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as Ronstadt moved into the 1980s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding new wave influences. Her later years saw the 10-time GRAMMY winner exploring traditional pop, Latin, and musical theater.
 
RUN DMC, comprising of Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell*, and Joseph "Reverend Run" Simmons, were one of the most influential and best-known acts in the history of rap. They were the first group in the genre to have a gold album (RUN DMC., 1984) and to be nominated for a GRAMMY Award. They were also the first hip-hop group to earn a platinum record (King Of Rock, 1985), and the first to earn multiplatinum certification (Raising Hell, 1986).
 
 
About the Trustees Award Honorees:
 
John Cage* was an avant-garde composer whose inventive works and unorthodox ideas profoundly influenced the entire music industry. His innovative ideas on composition and performance influenced a broad spectrum of artists including fellow musicians, dancers, choreographers, painters and more. Cage remained on the leading edge of both playful and profound experimentalism for the greater part of his career. One of Cage's best-known and most sonically intriguing innovations, the prepared piano, has become an almost commonplace compositional resource.


Music entrepreneur Fred Foster contributed a great deal to the Nashville music scene of the 1960s and 1970s as a producer and as the head of one of the city's strongest independent labels, Monument Records. He is best known for producing many classic hits by Roy Orbison. He also played a vital role in the career of Kris Kristofferson, and worked with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Ray Stevens, among others. From 1960 to 1964, Foster produced the overwhelming bulk of hit songs with which Orbison is associated: "Only The Lonely," "In Dreams," "Running Scared," "Blue Bayou," "Blue Angel," "Dream Baby," "Crying," "Candy Man," "Mean Woman Blues," "It's Over," and "Oh, Pretty Woman." 
 
Chris Strachwitz has made his living celebrating the music he loves – music that forms the fabric of both American and international culture.  He is the founder of Arhoolie Records and produces much of the content he releases. To blues fans he is a legend, releasing seminal works by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Mance Lipscomb, Charlie Musselwhite, Rebirth Brass Band, Big Joe Williams, Big Mama Thornton, Lightnin' Hopkins, Earl Hooker, and Elizabeth Cotten, and many others. Strachwitz also produces Cajun music, highlighted by his releases by Clifton Chenier, and also focused on Mexican recordings, especially Norteño music.
 
About the Technical GRAMMY Award Recipients:
 
Known as the father of stereophonic sound, Dr. Harvey Fletcher* was a prominent physicist, credited with inventing the hearing aid and the first audiometer. Through his research, he was able to document and demonstrate the spatial effects of sound, which he called auditory perspective, or stereo. However, it was his profound interest in music that led Fletcher to partner with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and this collaboration produced more than 100 stereo recordings. In his tests, listeners were often unable to distinguish the difference between the live orchestra and the recordings.
 
EMT (Elektro-Mess-Technik) was founded in Berlin in 1940, originally manufacturing high-end pro measuring devices and turntables for broadcast, television, and recording studios. In 1957, the company made a huge breakthrough with the release of the EMT 140 Reverberation Unit — the first plate reverb. Upon its introduction, the EMT 140 Reverberation Unit quickly garnered popularity, providing a smoother substitute to spring reverb systems, simplifying the process of affecting recorded sound while providing the engineer with a more versatile and customizable interface than acoustic chambers. With the plates' introduction, the sound of popular music changed dramatically as evident in English recordings made at Abbey Road by the Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as RCA Victor recordings by Nashville’s Chet Atkins and many others.
 
*Denotes posthumous award
 
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education, and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, "like" The GRAMMYs on Facebook  and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube.

Sights and Sounds: Maurice White, Jeff Lynne's ELO, Ramones' 40th Anniversary, Rusty Anderson

Another fast-moving day in the music-related universe...

First, on a sad note (haven't there been too many of those sad notes lately?), Earth, Wind & Fire founding member Maurice White has died after losing a long-time battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 74.

The Recording Academy^® Statement regarding Maurice White
Feb. 4, 2016
"We are very saddened to learn of the passing of seven-time GRAMMY^® Award winner Maurice White. A founding member and leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, who are receiving our Lifetime Achievement Award this year, Maurice was the guiding force behind the group’s success and helped create hit songs such as "Shining Star," "September," "After The Love Has Gone," and so many memorable others. His unerring instincts as a musician and showman helped propel the band to international stardom, influencing countless fellow musicians in the process. While he will be greatly missed, Maurice’s contributions to music will live on. We offer our condolences to his family, friends and creative collaborators."  
Neil Portnow
President/CEO
The Recording Academy

I have seen Earth, Wind & Fire a number of times (sadly, White had retreated from public performances before I started attending the group's concerts a decade or so ago), and you can click here to read my Orange County Register review of the troupe's February 2011 concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Click here to read an article posted today on the legendary White and the lasting influence of Earth, Wind & Fire.

On a much more positive note, Jeff Lynne's ELO has announced a trio of dates at the Hollywood Bowl (Sept. 9, 10 and 11, 2016). Read the article posted today in the Los Angeles Times for all the details.

The Ramones. Photo: Danny Fields

The GRAMMY Museum and Queens Museum are set to celebrate the Ramones' 40th Anniversary with a new two-part exhibition. "Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk" is set to debut April 10, 2016 at Queens Museum in New York, and then come to the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on Sept. 16, 2016.

The two-part exhibition, co-curated by the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE and the Queens Museum, in collaboration with Ramones Productions Inc., will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of the Ramones' 1976 self-titled debut album and will explore the lasting influence the punk rockers had on their hometown. The GRAMMY Museum is located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015.

For more information, visit the official Queens Museum Web site here or the GRAMMY Museum Web site here.

Rusty Anderson, best known as the long-time lead guitarist for Paul McCartney, is coming to the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Coach House Web site here. You can check out Anderson's artful single "Effortless" via a great video available on YouTube. It is embedded below:

Breaking news: Maurice White relaunches his label Kalimba Music with deluxe reissue of Earth, Wind & Fire classic

LEGENDARY EARTH, WIND & FIRE FOUNDER MAURICE WHITE RELAUNCHES HIS LABEL, KALIMBA MUSIC WITH THE RELEASE OF EWF'S THE PROMISE (FEATURING THE URBAN JAZZ RADIO SINGLE 'NEVER') AND THE SIGNING OF HITMAKING KEYBOARDIST GREG MANNING

 The Classic R&B Band's First Studio Album in Six Years at The
Time of Its Original Release, The Promise Hit The Top 20 on
Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart and Received a Grammy Nomination (Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance) For "Hold Me”

Adding an exciting new chapter to Earth, Wind & Fire's highly influential four and a half decade legacy in pop and R&B music, the iconic band's founder Maurice White is pleased to announce the highly anticipated re-launch of his label, Kalimba Music (www.kalimba-music.com), after a several year hiatus.

The label's first release is a re-mastered collector's edition of the Earth, Wind & Fire hit album The Promise, a critically acclaimed full length set which in its original run – after a six year studio recording hiatus by the band - hit #19 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #5 on the Top Independent Albums chart. It also scored a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for"Hold Me.”

Kalimba is also making a multi-project foray into the contemporary urban jazz world, first with the release of the album's new single, "Never,” to smooth jazz radio May 19.

White is also excited about the recent signing of the label's first official artist, keyboardist/composer Greg Manning, whose debut instrumental single "Dance With You” was a popular genre airplay hit in 2013 – reaching #1 on the taste-making chart, The Smooth Jazz Top 20 with Allen Kepler. Manning recently finished mastering his label debut for an upcoming release.

A longtime presence in the urban jazz genre, Manning is an exciting coup for White, who says, "I am really excited to go forward with this very accomplished artist, and to once again be involved in presenting new music to the public.”

A native of Zurich, Switzerland, the multi-talented keyboardist studied piano and film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston before returning to his home country to establish himself as a composer and producer. He made his debut in the U.S. as the keyboardist for Brian McKnight's "Back At One” tour, then toured extensively for a decade as keyboardist and music director for Grammy nominated jazz/gospel artist Jonathan Butler. 

Over the years, Manning has also performed with many top names in the genre, including Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright, Will Downing, Richard Elliot, Eric Marienthal, Chante Moore and Kirk Whalum, among others.

White, who originally established Kalimba Music in 2003 as a vehicle to promote Earth, Wind & Fire as well as up and coming performers, decided to re-launch based on his passion and love for music and worthy artists.

"It's great to continue on with Kalimba Music,” says White. "Our mission in doing so is very simple: to discover and cultivate great music.”