 As one of the founding members and lead vocalists for Earth,
Wind & Fire, Philip Bailey doesn’t waste time with labels and categories.
Creating hit after hit for three decades, his dynamic falsetto has slipped
effortlessly among a variety of musical grooves R&B, soul, jazz, funk and
more. Apart from EWF, his solo projects have encompassed pop, gospel and
contemporary jazz.
Soul On Jazz, Bailey’s new release on Heads Up International, is just what the
title suggests: a well-crafted collection of jazz compositions classics in
most instances with a contemporary soul spin. It’s the latest chapter in
Bailey’s 30-year quest to keep searching for new and innovative approaches to
musical expression.
For the next two decades, the platinum-selling and Grammy-winning Earth, Wind &
Fire 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.
Reflection on a recent performance with the band, Bailey says, "You would have
thought it was 1975 all over again, and we were at the peak of our career. The
enthusiasm of the crowd was electrifying. You look out across that audience, and
it’s cross-cultural, cross-generational, and a sea of many different faces and
people who have fallen in love with our music. Even after all this time, it’s
really gratifying."
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.
The solo projects kept coming in the ‘90s. 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.
"I’ve always looked at my career as an evolutionary process, something where I
don’t put any barriers up," he says. "I’ve always believed that there’s a higher
force involved in my whole life. I’m just taking the ride, as it were. I’ve
always looked at Earth, Wind & Fire as a wonderful steppingstone to whatever
else I’m supposed to do in my life. Music has been such an exciting adventure
for me that I never get so caught up in the accomplishments that I lose sight of
where I am as an artist."
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