Earth, Wind & Fire, Questlove Shine a Light on the Band That ‘Tricks You Into Eating Your Vegetables’
Categoria: Musica
‘Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World)’ premieres on HBO Sunday, June 7.
Por Billboard | 07/06/2026
After exiting the group Salty Peppers, Maurice White moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and created a new band. A strong believer in mysticism, the Sagittarian sought inspiration from his astrological chart in divining the band-to-be’s name. Three elements caught his attention: earth, fire and air. Related Questlove’s Ebullient, Incisive Earth, Wind & Fire Doc (And a Hit-Filled Set From the Band) Kicks off Tribeca Festival 2026 Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Public Enemy Deliver Star-Studded Music America Concert Duffy Announces Surprise Return With First Live Concert in 15 Years “I changed air to wind,” late founder White says in a clip from the HBO Original documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) . “And the rest is history,” he continues. “ Earth, Wind & Fire is basically the true elements of the universe.” And what a history it’s been as director-producer Ahmir “ Questlove ” Thompson relays in the illuminating, two-hour documentary premiering Sunday night (June 7; 9 p.m. ET/PT). In the nearly 60 years since White’s vision took shape, the nine-time Grammy Award-winning and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band has achieved global acclaim and legendary status. Via spirited fusions of jazz, R&B/soul, Afro-funk, pop and disco, the band mined a deep vein of classic gold and platinum hits and fan faves like “September,” “Shining Star,” “Let’s Groove,” “After the Love Is Gone” and “Beijo” (aka Brazilian Rhyme interlude). In fact, Questlove pegged another iconic EWF hit, “That’s the Way of the World,” in crafting the title for his latest Questlove Jawn. “I love a good pun,” said the Academy Award-winning music historian during a Zoom interview with Billboard following the documentary’s June 3 premiere at the 25 th Tribeca Film Festival. “All of my documentaries have a long title continuation that also explains what you have to consider [while watching]. Sly Stone was about the burden of Black genius. With Summer of Soul , the revolution was happening, but it couldn’t be televised. In this particular case, it’s about human beings. We’re all celestial; all light shiners. But oftentimes, we dim our light to blend in and be part of the ecosystem.” “Maurice White is basically an orphan, given away by his mother to a neighbor,” Questlove continued, “yet he somehow gets a metaphysical belief at the age of seven in Memphis … a calling to say, ‘It’s my job to bring positivity and love into the world.’ But however well-intended the mission, you must learn not to hold within any pain. That’s what I want people to learn from this: Do not dismiss your dreams. But you also have to let things go. And Maurice never let that anger go of being given away. He was crumbling inside because he had a broken heart.” Through strikingly candid conversations with group members, family, friends and high-profile fans — and access to a cache of treasures including the group’s recordings, outtakes and unrel