Drummer, producer, DJ, filmmaker and actor Questlove is making a new documentary about legendary 70s superstars Earth, Wind & Fire.
The news came via an Instagram post in which The Roots frontman promises: “The story of how a band led by a genius from Chicago changed our way of thinking, our minds and our hearts… Coming in 2025… The definitive story of the elements…”
And in a touch showing just how far into the band the artist has delved, the post dropped on the 21st of September – the date directly referenced in Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 funk/disco classic September (“Do you remember? The 21st night of September? Love was changin' the minds of pretenders. While chasin' the clouds away…)
The track was a US billboard number one and reached number eight in the UK.
Earth, Wind & Fire were formed in Chicago in 1969 by Maurice White whose baritone vocal duties chimed with the falsetto co-lead of Philip Bailey (who would go on to co-star alongside Phil Collins for 80’s classic Easy Lover) producing their distinctive sound.
The band are famed for their sheer numeracy and stage-filling presence PLUS the famous Phenix Horns [sic] brass section on top, a band in their own right that would go on to have solo hits and play alongside Phil Collins, Genesis and more.
EW&F have sold over 90 million records worldwide, producing 11 albums that achieved Gold or Platinum status. They've bagged six Grammy awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
From his musical origins with Black Thought, The Roots and being band leader on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Questlove has grown into an accomplished movie maker with his 2021 documentary debut, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – focusing on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival – receiving an Oscar at the 94th Academy Awards and a BAFTA among other honours.
Using original film shot during the festival, stock news footage and new interviews with the bands that played, the Questlove – aka Ahmir K. Thompson – tells the story of the festival and the changing world around it with appearances from Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, Sly and the Family Stone, and more.
Since this debut, Thompson has served as an executive producer on Negro Leagues baseball movie The League directed by Academy award-nominee Sam Pollard, and slaveship drama Descendant, directed by Emmy-nominee Margaret Brown.
In his Instagram reveal Thompson says of his latest project: “Having been baptized in the Afrocentric joy river of this powerhouse unit, I’ve learned about them, I’ve learned about us & more importantly I’ve learned about and rediscovered myself in the process
“I’m so excited to be directing a documentary preserving their positive but VERY vulnerable and real story of Soul, Self & Struggle. This is the story of joy, persistence, love, pain, magic and self discovery.
“This is Earth, Wind & Fire.”
Band members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson said in a joint statement: “We look forward to this in-depth journey of our band, and are so excited to have Questlove directing the documentary.” Maurice White’s son, Kahbran White, will be serving as one of the film’s executive producers.
The band themselves begin a new Las Vegas residency at The Venetian on the 9th of October.
