Earth, Wind & Fire & Lil' Kim, 2000

In the year 2000, rapper Lil’ Kim inducted EWF into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, honoring a band that created, “Music that brings people together…that celebrates who we are and who we can be.” Maurice White thanks Rock Hall Inductee Clive Davis before giving ultimate gratitude to the those who meant the most to Earth, Wind & Fire’s success: the fans.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
M Welcome to Induction Vault, a production of I Heart
Radio and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Universally

(00:32):
beloved by fans and critics alike, Earth Wind and Fire
proved the power of black music when they became the
first African American group to sell out Madison Square Garden.
In the year two thousand, rapper Lo Kim inducted Earth
Wind and Fire into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
honoring a band that created quote, music that brings people together,

(00:53):
that celebrates who we are and who we can be. Together.
On stage for the first time in twenty years, the
band took to the stage to thank first and foremost
their drummer, vocalist, and visionary Maurice White, whose meticulous leadership
catapult of the band. It's the shining Stars. They would
eventually become almost speechless. Maurice White thanks Rock Hall inductee

(01:17):
Clive Davis, before giving ultimate gratitude to those who meant
the most. Earth When and Fire success the things, ladies
and gentlemen, in this lifetime. There's music that you like,
and then there's music that you just plain oh need.

(01:40):
It is my great honor to be here tonight to
induct the band and makes music that everybody needs. Earth
When and Fire, Like Fly in the Family stone before them,

(02:03):
earth Wind and Fire completely changed which soul music can be,
breaking a lot of ground for so many of us
who followed. Founded by the incredible Maurice White and always
featuring the greatest musicians who ever lived, Earth Wind and
Fire brought a jazziness of funk and a wide open

(02:24):
spirit to the pop charts without ever selling out or
selling themselves short. The song titles alone bring a smile
to your face, Shining Star, sing a song That's the
Way of the World, September Boogie, Wonderland and wait a minute,

(02:46):
of course, one of my favorites burn As Let's grow tonight.
I mean, I may be young, but I grew to
Earth Wind and Fire. And believe me, there's a lot
more songs where those came from. But the vocals of

(03:07):
the uplifting, uplifting, very very very very uplifting. Well, you know,
when the telepopters broken, I bring I don't know what
to do, okay, But the vocals of the uplifting and

(03:31):
very high flying Earth Wind and Fire has always been
beautiful to us. The way of the world is that
we all need earth Wind and Fire. These men made
music that brings people together, and maybe that's why the
best of earth Wind and Fires album has probably been

(03:52):
the soundtrack of the more good parties that any one
of us can ever remember. They made music that celebrate
it's who we are and who we can be. So
tonight let's celebrate the one and the only earth Wind
and Fire. After the break, we'll hear from members of

(04:22):
earth Wind and Fire on the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame Induction vault. Thank you very much. Our gifts
have truly made room for us before great men, and
as you honor us, we know that you definitely honor

(04:44):
those who have come before us who have inspired us,
and many of whom are here tonight. Uh. You anor
a lot of hard work and dedication to just a
dream and just the music that we love. To these
guys that we're together on the stage to night for
the first time in twenty years, all the original members were.

(05:04):
We're excited. But you also honor a man with with
vision and tenacity and courage, one who had a dream
and tackled that dream and fought against every obstacle and

(05:26):
now with his own personal obstacles. I'm sure that he
will courageously attack that obstacle like he has every other one,
and I'm sure he will win. Help us, ladies and
gentlemen tonight to honor our visionary, our leader, Maurice Wife.

(05:56):
H m m hm. Well, the first thing I can
say is that I'm speechless for get all this together.

(06:20):
But it's been a long, hard road, but it's been
a beautiful road. Having the talented musicians along with with
us to take the ride. It's been very good. And
I just want to say a few people out here
that I need to give thanks to because without their guys,
we wouldn't have achieved what we have achieved. Bobollo oh m,

(06:45):
he gave us the right principles to follow. Another another
person that's been along with us all along, it's Art
mac Now. And another one is rich your Savato who
built us two studios, recording studios. And last for the least,

(07:08):
Clive Davis who really helped us. And we couldn't couldn't
have win any place without the fans, the lawyer fans.
We thank you very much. Normally I'm I am known
as the hyper one, but I am so humble Tonight

(07:30):
to be up here with these wonderful men and I
love so much. I want to first thank my lovely
wife Michelle. Thank you Steeteard for all the wonderful years.
Thank you uh, thank all the fans. Thank thank everybody
and all the behind the scenes people that have helped us.
And there are three individuals I want to thank up
here on the stage if I've spent a lot of
my life with Philip. Thank you, my brother, for your tenacity,

(07:52):
your hard work, your wisdom. Ralph, thank you for being
my memory to remember what we're supposed to do. And Reese,
thanks for blazing that trail, for help making a man
out of me and for helped me do what I
came here to do. Thank you brother. In a world

(08:15):
where there's so much political correctness, maybe I go into
I get it's the green when I say I'd like
to thank God Almighty. I'd like to thank my lovely wife.
Thank you, my wife Louise, who's worked side by side
with me for the last sixteen years. I'd also like
to thank my mother Rose, my brothers and sisters, and

(08:36):
least but not least, last but not least, the beautiful
spirit and musicality of Charles Stepney and family, and also
the four brothers who put a lot of the fire
in earth when and fire the Phoenix Horns. Thank you,

(08:56):
good block. I will keep this very brief, Uh, Maurice,
I just want to say to you, thank you for
allowing me to share the vision with you. Uh, to
our very excellent management team. But Ab Cavallo, r mcnowal
with yourself, Otto, and last, but at least, I want
to just echo something I was already said. Thank you

(09:18):
Mr Clive Davis. I agree, but everything was said, and
I'd like to thank Mr George Massenburg for engineering all
those great records that we did. Thank you George, Uh,
Bob Cavallo, Zachary Glickman, my manager, my son's Baron Alex,

(09:41):
and one of my greatest mentors, Mr Maurice White, Thank you, Maurice.
Since I'm the saxophonist, I want to acknowledge those guys
in the Phoenix Horns who came along and helped the
add like he said, the fire into the fire. That's
Louis Satta, Phil Don Murk Romley and Michael Harris. They

(10:06):
were a great additional Hm. I'd like to thank the
two guys that I came from Denver, Colorado with Larry
Dunn and Philip Bailey, who I love so much, and
all the White brothers that just helped to uh guide
and lead our career. And we're compadres and roommates and all.

(10:26):
We went through a lot of stuff, y'all. Thank you
all for supporting us. We appreciate. First of all, I
want to thank God, Almighty, Almighty God. I want to
thank every man up here because these are the men
that raised me. I think every one of you, guys, individually, collectively,

(10:51):
over and over again. And if it was not for
you guys, I wouldn't be here. I think all of you.
Thank you for loving and appreciate the music. Thank you,
y I'd like to give thanks to Marius White, who
brought me out from Louisville, Kentucky to join your group
and to cleave Davids and Auto fans into Harvey food Qui,

(11:13):
who just left to stage. He was one of my supporters.
Thank you. Thanks for joining us on this week's episode

(11:38):
of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Vault for
more on your favorite inductees, to shop inductee merch or
to plan your trip to the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame visit rock hall dot com plus Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame Induction Special on demand on HBO Max.
Our executive producers are Noel Brown, Shelby Morrison, and Lisa Gurkey.

(11:59):
Supervising producer is Taylor shakogn Research and archival assistants from
Isabelle Keeper and Shannon Herb. Thanks again for joining us
on this week's episode of Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame Induction VALL. Induction VALL is a production of I
Heart Radio and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

(12:21):
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