Berklee College of Music: The Music of Earth, Wind, and Fire

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The Sovereign Bank Music Series at Berklee continues with Shining Stars: The Music of Earth, Wind and Fire on Saturday, March 7, at 8:15 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. Under the direction of Berklee Ensemble Professor Ken Zambello, and with special guest vocalist and Berklee honorary doctor of music Philip Bailey, students, faculty and alumni will perform such Earth, Wind and Fire classics as "Shining Star, " "September, " "What's New Pussycat, " "Kalimba Story, " and "Fantasy, " among many others from the rich catalog of R&B chart toppers by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.

Known for his rare, four-octave vocal range, Bailey joined Earth, Wind and Fire in 1971. For the next two decades, the platinum-selling and Grammy-winning group fused a high-energy mix that crossed cultural and generational boundaries like no other band before it. Spiritually charged and unfettered by artificial boundaries, the band enjoyed universal appeal throughout the '70s and '80s, with a string of successful albums and a live show that quickly assumed legendary proportions. Fueled by Bailey's vastly dynamic vocal range and his emotionally charged delivery, Earth, Wind & Fire's universal appeal continues to this day.

In the midst of Earth, Wind & Fire's ongoing success, Bailey has maintained a parallel career track that began with his 1982 solo debut, Continuation, and the 1984 platinum follow-up, Chinese Wall, co-produced by Phil Collins. The album's Bailey-Collins duet, "Easy Lover, " topped the R&B and pop charts. He also released four gospel albums between 1984 and 1991, including the Grammy-winning Triumph in 1986. Philip Bailey (1994) was a collaboration with singer Brian McKnight, and members of PM Dawn and Arrested Development. Dreams, released in 1998, marked the beginning of his association with the Heads Up label.

Through it all, variety has been Bailey's secret to staying connected with the music. "You can go down this road where the music industry becomes a grind, and if you're not careful after a while, you're just kind of going through the motions, " he says. "So I've always tried to find things that would spark that love again. That's the reason why I've had a multi-faceted type of career including the off-the-cuff projects with Phil Collins, or the gospel thing."

In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by Berklee.

About Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than 60 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow.

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