Verdine White is still the base (and bass) of Earth Wind & Fire
Verdine White talks of his late brother, Maurice, having “left us in good hands.”
“I’m not talking just about music,” White says of his older brother, who died Feb. 4, 2016, of Parkinson’s disease. “I’m talking about, and the three of us talk about, how much he taught us about how to do life together. We carry that with us, all the time. How to enjoy what we have.”
Those three — White as the bassist, Philip Bailey on vocals and Ralph Johnson on percussion and vocals — are the core, original unit of Earth Wind & Fire. The revolutionary funk/soul/R&B/disco band open a six-show series at Venetian Theater at 8 p.m. Wednesday (select dates run through May 12).
As the older brother, Maurice White served as a mentor, on and off the stage, and a musical visionary who counted the great producer, composer and arranger David Foster among his disciples. EWF’s ground-breaking sound (filled by a blistering horn section and White’s jarring bass lines) was revolutionary; the band’s flashy stage show remains a model for contemporary bands.
“We have had a lot of accomplishments, things that very few bands have done,” White says. “Our look, our sound, all with the use of horns — a lot of that was envisioned by Maurice.”
Verdine White says it was just a matter of time and timing before EWF (the band name derived from Maurice’s astrological sign of Sagittarius, whose elements are earth, air and fire) performed an extended engagement on the Strip.
“The Venetian actually came to us, about a year and a half ago, asking about this,” White says. “I really think the reason was because on the show, ‘The Talk,’ they asked the audience, ‘Who would you like to see play Las Vegas? They mentioned Adele and Cher, and then us. The crowd got excited about that. I think someone from The Venetian must have been watching (laughs).”
White is the rare bassist who steps (and, leaps) to the front of the act. Years ago, a Cirque du Soleil official suggested, tongue in cheek, that the company could build an entire show around White — “Cirque du Verdine” was as the title of this fictitious project.
“I still go to yoga class to keep my energy level up, because it is a hard-hitting show,” White says. “There is a lot going on. Music, choreography, sound, and you have to really keep it together, physically.”
Verdine is both a born showman and serious musician. In his early years in Chicago, White recalls starting as a straight, stand-up bassist studying classical music during the day, and electric bass at night. The family moved to Los Angeles, and White delved into stage acting, vocal training, took formal dance classes and continued to advance his bass skills.
“I really homed in on what I wanted to be, to interact all these skills,” White says. “It turned out really cool.”
The band plans a set list loaded with hits, including such 1970s and early ‘80s chart toppers, “Fantasy,” “Serpentine Fire,” “September,” “Shining Star,” “After the Love is Gone” and “Boogie Wonderland.”
White says he can’t help feeling nostalgic, given the band’s deep history as a live concert draw, and a lengthy run on the Strip dating to the early ‘70s.
Asked if he recalled their Vegas debut, White took a long pause and finally said, “Yes! We’re going back-back-back, but we were with Flip Wilson at Caesars Palace. Man, this is way back, but he called to me and Maurice and said, ‘I see you’re wearing tights, no shirts, and nine guys? Looks like we need to pay extra tonight!’
“We were still kids, you know? But we’re still loving it like we’re kids.”
The Manilow suit
Westgate Las Vegas International Theater headliner Barry Manilow and his husband/manager, Garry Kief, are named in a lawsuit by a man claiming copyright infringement because of Manilow’s use of a vintage TV clip of Judy Garland singing, “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.”
Darryl Payne, who says he owns the U.S. copyright for “The Judy Garland Show,” filed the suit last Tuesday in federal court in California. The clip is from that show, which aired on CBS in 1963-‘64. Manilow recorded the song, over Garland’s original vocals, on his 2014 album, “My Dream Duets.”
Manilow has reportedly played the clip dozens of times in his live show. There is no word whether he will use the segment in his upcoming Vegas residency, “Barry Manilow Las Vegas: The Hits Come Home,” which opens for previews on May 24.
Kief said in an e-mail he would have no comment on the ongoing suit.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.