Eight multiplatinum albums. Eight Grammy awards. Performances at the Super Bowl and membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And a recently conquered fear of playing Denver.
Earth, Wind & Fire singer Philip Bailey, a Denver native, admitted that he used to dread performing here when his legendary funk group would stop through town, which it will do Monday at CityLights Pavilion.
“It used to be that Denver was one of the most stressful cities to play because I was very nervous at coming home,” Bailey said from a tour stop in Cleveland. “But it’s no longer like that. I enjoy coming home now, and I get a kick out of all the guys in the band getting a chance to see the beauty in which I was brought up.”
Bailey joined Earth, Wind & Fire in 1972, a mere three years after the band had formed. His own Denver-based band, Friends & Love, had opened a promotional tour for EWF via mutual friend (and later saxophone player) Andrew Woolfolk.
“Wool and I were playing in bands together and both went to East High School,” Bailey said. “I went to Metro State, then I transferred and went up to CU for half a year before heading out on the road.”
Now the 55-year-old Bailey enjoys adoring crowds when his band visits Denver, its status as a soul-funk institution secured decades ago with smooth, bass-heavy hits like “Shining Star,” “After the Love Is Gone,” “Reasons” and “September.”
The band, founded by former jazz drummer Maurice White, wasn’t trying to change popular music with its spiritual lyrics, eye-popping stage shows and feel-good mysticism. It just happened that way.
“You don’t know these things are going to happen to you,” said bassist Verdine White, who has played on nearly every EWF song since the group’s inception. “You’re just sort of taking it day-by-day the same as anybody else. The thing that any artist works for is that you just want to hear one of your records on the radio.”
The band has remained at the fore of the public consciousness over the years, thanks in part to its adaptability and a voluminous release schedule. They’ve also weathered countless lineup changes, the tragic murder of former horn leader Don Myrick and shifting audience tastes.
What brings fans back is the realization that the band is the real deal, a performance-centered outfit that favors quality over gimmicks. But that doesn’t mean they’re anywhere near staid. Their 2005 neo-soul album, “Illumination,” featured a host of notable cameos and collaborations with OutKast, Black Eyed Peas and Kenny G.
“It was a shot in the arm for us,” Bailey said. “Those artists were excited about working with us, and we felt it was a good mix and match. But at the same time it wasn’t something so out of the ballpark that it wasn’t believable.”
The band was able to slap a fresh coat of paint on its image without compromising its signature sound, a feat that few bands – especially a 37-year- old one – can match. The ensuing buzz afforded longtime devotees another glimpse of EWF’s restless soul, and new audiences a chance to discover a classic act.
Verdine White insists the band still goes out of its way to hone its live set, sometimes practicing 10 hours a day.
“Some would say, ‘God, you guys play those songs 19 hundred million times, why do you have to rehash them?”‘ said Bailey. “We go back and listen to the songs collectively. You have to refresh yourself with anything that you do all the time and re-tweak it, so the level of integrity associated with what people have learned to love is still the same.” He paused and laughed. “And so we don’t get bored and fall asleep.”
Bailey credits his northeast Denver upbringing with his own longevity as a performer.
“My career would not exist if not for the arts in the schools when I grew up,” he said. “The music departments in the public school system gave me a really extraordinary foundation and music appreciation that I still draw from, even today.”
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
