Maurice White - Manifestation (Deluxe Edition) (2024) [Hi-Res]

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

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, 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.