Questlove’s shiny new documentary “Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That’s the Weight of the World)” shines a long-overdue spotlight on one of the greatest R&B/funk acts of all time and the genius of bandleader Maurice White. It traces the story from its beginnings in 1960s Chicago to the present day – with impressive archival footage and new interviews with the band’s surviving members.
But when I saw it for the first time, I felt a persistent sense of déjà vu, as if I had somehow seen this story before. It wasn’t until the film reached the David Foster era of the ’80s that I realized what I’d been thinking about all along: Chicago – the main characters of their own documentary, 2016’s Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago.
At first glance, comparing the two bands may seem absurd. They occupied very different corners of the ’70s musical universe, Chicago was a true collective of equal talent, while EWF was built entirely around the vision of one person – and the critics loved some and despised the others. But if you dig deeper, you’ll discover so many parallels between the bands that it’s almost scary. We sense your skepticism – but stay tuned as we dissect this.
Straight from the Windy City
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire both came from the late 1960s Chicago music scene and drew heavily from jazz. The original lineups were both very large (11 members for EWF, nine for Chicago), and both groups went against the zeitgeist by incorporating a horn section. One key difference: There is no single Maurice White character in Chicago. Guitarist Terry Kath, bassist and singer Peter Cetera and keyboardist and singer Robert Lamm were the central creative forces of the band.
Chicago manager and producer James William Guercio built the remote recording studio Caribou Ranch near the Colorado ghost town of Caribou in 1972. Chicago went there in 1973 to record in a distraction-free environment, and the tranquil scenery helped them write hits like “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day,” “Just You ‘n’ Me” and “(I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long.” At almost the same time, Earth, Wind & Fire headed to Caribou Ranch to record “Open Our Eyes” and “That’s the Way of the World.” The city children were overwhelmed by the brightness of the stars over the ranch. “We were up in the mountains and the stars were so close, it was like you could just reach out and pluck one out of the sky,” White says in the EWF documentary using archival footage. “That sparked the idea of writing a song called ‘Shining Star’.” It was her first number one hit. (In the Chicago documentary, Caribou Ranch is portrayed more as a huge playground where you could consume gigantic amounts of cocaine at your leisure.)
Both groups reached their commercial peak at the same moment in the mid-’70s, producing hits like “If You Leave Me Now,” “Sing a Song,” “Baby, What a Big Surprise,” “September” and “Old Days,” which were ubiquitous when Gerald Ford was in the White House. Millennials won’t know all the titles – but if you have clear memories of the Bicentennial, you probably know them by heart.
The reluctant disco excursion in 1979
At the height of the movement in 1979, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire both felt compelled to release a disco song to stay relevant. EWF teamed up with the Emotions and scored a huge smash with “Boogie Wonderland.” “This is our one and only offer to the disco scene,” EWF percussionist Ralph Johnson told Questlove – almost like an apology. Chicago had similar reservations about their disco song “Street Player,” which flopped as a single but found a second life in the ’90s when the Bucketheads sampled it. For both bands, the entire disco era is limited to a single song from 1979 with a very long afterlife.
The parallels become downright bizarre when songwriter-producer David Foster enters both groups’ histories at roughly the same time. In both documentaries he is presented as a Faustian figure who offers them enormous chart success – at the price of the group’s cohesion and their musical identity. When Foster came on board for EWF’s 1979 album I Am, he worked exclusively with Maurice White. “We played smaller and smaller roles,” says EWF singer Philip Bailey. “We were definitely like session musicians. You come in and do your part, sing here, sing there… I felt unappreciated and betrayed.”
Foster himself has his say in both films and makes no apologies for his methods. “In the studio, with the guys in the band, I was a control freak,” he told Questlove. “I’ve never hesitated to tell someone to play something different, or play that, or they’re playing the wrong chord. Being friends stopped the moment the red light went on.”
Foster, Cetera and the consequences
Foster joined Chicago for 1982’s Chicago IV. And again he worked almost exclusively with the group’s figurehead: Peter Cetera. “We just harmonized, and it became both good and bad at the same time,” Foster says in “Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago.” “We became a power couple within the band.”
This power couple created the comeback hits “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re the Inspiration”, but in doing so they severely alienated the others – especially the brass section – and made Cetera such a big star that he left the band. “Peter started to feel invulnerable,” says trumpeter Lee Loughnane in the documentary. “He felt the power growing within him.”
In 1985, Cetera, burnt out from touring and lost in his solo career, dropped out of Chicago. Ten years later, White left the EWF touring lineup after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Both were devastating blows, as the audience saw both as the face and voice of their respective groups – even if there were other highly talented singers and songwriters in the bands. EWF filled the void by bringing Philip Bailey to the forefront, where he effortlessly handles White’s vocal parts alongside his own for 30 years. Chicago, on the other hand, simply brought in their fifth Cetera replacement in Rudy Cardenas.
The regular staff keeps the shop running
Through the years of turmoil and change, bassist Verdine White, vocalist Philip Bailey and drummer Ralph Johnson have been at the center of Earth, Wind & Fire. Anyone who buys a ticket knows that these three are holding the flag high. Bailey’s voice has been a central part of the EWF sound since 1972. Chicago, meanwhile, had singer and keyboardist Robert Lamm as well as the three-piece horn section of Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Walter Parazaider from its founding in 1967 until 2018. Lamm was, in a sense, the Bailey of this story: he sang many of the classics, and his presence gave the group real legitimacy. In the past six years, Parazaider, Pankow and Lamm left the band for health reasons – Parazaider died this month at the age of 81 – leaving Loughnane as the last true original member remaining. This means they are only missing a trumpet player to be their own tribute band.
In the ’90s, it was impossible for EWF and Chicago alike to get new songs on the radio or fill large venues on their own. They relied heavily on the summer amphitheater circuit to sell tickets and usually shared the stage with another act. They finally went on tour together in 2004. The success was so huge that they got back together in 2005, 2009, 2015, 2016 and 2024. For their fans, it’s an irresistible double bill packed with horns, classic R&B jams, number one hits from Caribou Ranch, David Foster ballads, more horns and priceless memories of the ’70s. And often they would come together for an extended super-jam encore, switching between hits like “25 or 6 to 4” and “Shining Star” as if they had always been one big band.
