Friday, February 20, 2009

Being Earth, Wind and Fire

President Obama will be hosting Earth, Wind and Fire at the White House over the weekend. I so remember my older brothers, Haywood and Peter, when I was a kid with big 'fros, bell-bottoms, and platforms jammin' to Earth, Wind and Fire.



Gotta love it!

14 comments:

Rhi said...

People still jam to Earth, Wind & Fire. =)
So nice to hear from you; I've missed you! How are things?

Cynthia said...

Oh Yeah! I adore the song
You're a Shinning Star!,
and I their song Reasons
is on the radio, everything
for me is halted.

Judith Ellis said...

No doubt, Rhi! The jamming continues! I thought of you the other day and wondered how you were. It is good also to hear from you. All is well. Thank you for asking, beautiful lady. I love your spirit.

Judith Ellis said...

Cynthia - It was a debate between Shinning Star and September. Both bring back such memories. And Reasons? Wow!

Mark Prime (tpm/Confession Zero) said...

I love EW&F... Always have and always will.

Judith Ellis said...

For sure, thepoetryman!

JOHN O'LEARY said...

Brings back memories. I was more of a Tower of Power guy myself, but EW&F were great.

Judith Ellis said...

John - I don't know that group, but I'll check 'em out. I do remember reading that you sported a fro and bell-bottoms back in the day too, eh? Blonde? Brunette? For those Beatles fans out there, John, has a great blog where he tells quite a few fascinating personal stories of his days as a rock and roller. Do pop over.

Anonymous said...

Judith,

I have always thought that you and Mr. O'Leary should run for public office to bring real change to government be it city, state, or federal for a wide variety of reasons. I now have another reason to know how on point my assessment was!

I too am a fan of Tower of Power (The East Bay's own!) and have them as my personal all time favorite band with Santana and EWF next. Emilio Castillo, TOP co-founder, is a Motor City native and one of the first bands he formed was the Mo Towns, which I caught in clubs in and around the Bay Area.

TOP and EWF had terrific horn sections that made their sound unique and distinctive. Toss in some percussion and you have music impossible to stay still to. Those were indeed the days!

Judith Ellis said...

Dave - Yes, John, is an awfully gifted and thoughtful person and if he asked me to do anything I would definitely have to consider it. He is the only former rock and roller and US presidential candidate that I know. I really respect the guy.

Castillo is from the Motor City? Hey!!! Now, you know that I have to check 'em out. I'm sure my brothers and sisters know their music. I'm at the end of the line of 12.

The wind section is definitely a distinguishing element of EW&F!

Speaking of the Bay Area, I lived in San Fransico on Divisadero, just about Haight/Ashbury! I absolutely love the Bay Area and have been a longtime Raiders Fan since childhood. This was also due to following my brothers' specific taste in some things.

JOHN O'LEARY said...

Thanks, Dave & Judith. Tower of Power were one of the first GREAT funk oriented R&B bands - with a frightening rhythm section AND horn section. (Judith: you may remember their signature classic: "What is Hip?" If not check it out on iTunes.) I had the good/bad fortune of opening for them by myself at a nightclub in New Haven in the early 80s - an ill-advised match-up by the club owner who wanted to save a few bucks. I did manage to joke and cajole my way through my opening set and prevent a bloodletting by a justifiably impatient crowd. (Maybe I'll blog about it.)

I'm currently in a 12-step program to curb my addiction to campaign politics. I lost at least forty dollars running for US President 25 years ago as a neo-independent - and can't afford to absorb that kind of loss again.

Judith Ellis said...

A whopping $40? Funny, John! I'll check out Tower of Power. Looking forward to your post on your TOP experience.

Anonymous said...

John,

Seems as if the club owner got two headliners for a bargain price. I too look forward to one day reading a post about that experience. As for the Presidential campaign I have always said the first step in bringing real change to our nation is election reform. I believe it was former professional basketball player and Sen. Bill Bradley who when asked what change needed to be made in selecting our President suggested that jump shots from the top of the key might be a good idea. I'm thinking a person with your unique life experience, business acumen, and musical interests makes you eminently qualified for the position.

Judith,

A Raiders fan? OUTSTANDING! Once again the adjectives are running in short supply to describe your terrific-ness. The Bay Area was indeed a great place to be and experience and I do miss it for sure. TOP will be in Ann Arbor in June you know...

Judith Ellis said...

Dave - I'm a Raiders fan for sure and I too miss the Bay Area. What a beautiful area! But I must admit that after a few years in San Fransico, it became too small. I then chose New York as a base. I LOVE both San Fransico and New York!

So, TOP will be in A2 in June? Cool! I may have go back to the home of my Alma Mater and check 'em out! I did listen to their music and also think that they're pretty cool! I may really have to see them in June.

Hey, CJ, wanna meet on the Diag in June? It will be good to see you again. It's been a while. Wanna? Let's!