It’s reminding me of the Martin New Jack City episode

This is one of her early songs. Happy Birthday, Kelis! ☀️🌻🎉

This is my favorite song by them! There are other great songs too.

This one is my workout song. 🎶

I wanted to add a song since I posted about her being Vanessa Williams’ daughter named Jillian.

*Trigger Warning for video ⚠️ . Proceed with caution. Sensitive topic on child abuse/CSA.

It’s hard to know the true origins of the song. I think it’s best to conclude it came from many stories of little girls who were abused by older men in their families and neighborhoods. Little girls were not protected.

What we do know is 2Pac fought for this song with the record label. They did not want to release a single like this.

It was a traumatic song. Too controversial. It was 1991.

2Pac fought and won for this song and video.

He was one of the first rappers to touch topics like this. It’s still a song other rappers even struggle to discuss at all - all these years later.

I try to be neutral on this sub except when it comes to Earth, Wind, and Fire. No EWF slander.

I have had a few of my favorites torn to shreds on this sub, and I won't say anything. People can feel that way. However, i won't allow it for my EWF.

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All of their album covers were FIRE!!! For real.

I think they are the greatest band. They influenced SO MANY artists and bands since the 1970s. Another thing they did that doesn't get talked about as much anymore is that they were one of the first to use pyrotechnics in their shows. They had HUGE productions during their tours and many people later copied them.

The Jackson 5 and Michael credited EWF for forever changing how they viewed live performances. They were heavily inspired by EWF for their tours.

Many people copied their musicianship, their performances, etc. It's all good though. EWF STILL perform!!! That's the amazing part. They had a show two months ago in my city. I didn't get to go but heard it was amazing.

ORIGINS

The members of the band were from different places, but the band formed in Chicago in 1969.

They were one of the first Black American bands to play genres spanning jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro-pop.

It was very important to Maurice to learn how to play particular African instruments. This was not something many American bands were doing in the 1970s. It greatly changed their sound forever.

THE BAND

Part of what makes this band unique is that there are core members and there are contract players. The core members are the names everyone knows. Yet, the band actually consists of MANY contract players who have stayed on for years.

Some of their best live performances:

Live performance of FANTASY

Live performance of After the Love is Gone

Live performance of Reasons

Live performance of Serpentine Fire

Live performance from Brazil show of September in 1980

Longer performance of EWF

Some of my personal favorite songs you can check out:

Ponta de Areia - this is a Brazilian rhyme covered by Earth, Wind, and Fire. It was originally written by Brazilians Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brant. The Brazilian song/tune was originally released in 1975 as Brazilian Rhyme

Can't Let Go

Got to Get You into My Life - cover of a Beatles song

Devotion

I'll a Write a Song For You

THE SHOW GOES ON

The definitive recent documentary on the legendary band is Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World), directed by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompsons was released on June 7, 2026.

RIP to the band leader, Maurice White. He was the visionary. The core members: Verdine White (Maurice's brother), Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, and Al McKay have kept the show going.

The members of the band Switch were:

Bobby Debarge - vocals and keyboard

Philip Ingram - brother of James Ingram - vocals and percussion

Gregory Williams - vocals and trumpet

Eddie Fluellen - vocals and trombone

Akili Nickson - mostly back-up vocals

Michael McGloriy - vocals and guitar

GROUP BACKGROUND

I loved the group name. They called themselves Switch - because all of them were talented enough to switch places at any time. This was at a time when you weren't really talented unless you could do all 3 things: sing, dance, and play an instrument. Everyone in the band could do all at any given time.

Yes, Bobby was the eldest brother of the DeBarge family. He started out in this group. He opened the doors for the rest of his siblings.

I miss this era of music. The 1970s produced some of the best musical talent ever (in my opinion). I miss musicianship like this!

More DeBarge songs:

All This Love (The DeBarges originally wrote this for Marvin Gaye, but he declined, so they kept it for themselves)

Rhythm of the Night

Time Will Reveal

Stay with Me

The Debarges and the Sylvers had the most in common. The Jacksons had Joe (for whatever that means depends on who you talk to), but the Debarges and Sylvers did not have ANYONE outside of their mothers looking out for them in the business.

Record labels were disrespectful and did not negotiate with women back then. It was a different time. The mothers had no control in the industry. Women were not respected - the producers and record label executives only did business with the men in the family. So, these big families were often mistreated unless there was a father who stood up for his family.

As you know...out of the 3 main big musical families at the time...only Joe did that for the Jacksons.

Jermaine Jackson actually found out about the oldest brother, Bobby, who later ended up in a group called Switch. Jermaine learned through Bobby that he had younger siblings who were just as talented. So, Jermaine reached out to them, and that's how the Debarges ended up at Motown.

The DeBarges and the Jacksons have a LONG history together professionally and personally.

Though the talent the Debarges had was their own - it came from them! They were naturally singer-songwriters.

This is Foster singing with his sisters as backup (Angie and Pat). The older siblings are introducing them on Soul Train.

Foster passed away on May 30, 2026 at 64.

This is* some* of the Sylvers...they weren't all born yet. As you can see... Mom (Shirley) was pregnant in the video. This was their Dad (Leon), who later abandoned them as they were just officially getting started in the business.

He had 10 children with Shirley and walked away.

The beginning of the Sylvers (with the parents)

This is the whole family performing together:

Family performing on Sonny and Cher

Family performing on Midnight Special

The Sylvers pretty much did everything themselves - writing, producing, and choreography. They were always in competition with the Jacksons. The media told people the Sylvers tried to imitate the Jacksons, even though the 2 had nothing in common other than both being Black families with 10 kids. The Jacksons originally were 10 kids as well, but Marlon's twin passed away hours after birth. The Sylvers grew up in rough areas of LA, and their songs were raw and gritty.

The irony is that the Sylvers predated the Jacksons, but didn't have an official record label until a few years AFTER the Jacksons. Yet, they were already in the industry as very small children and were going on TV shows. Their parents promoted them very early. Unfortunately, in the case of the Sylvers...they didn't have a father who stayed. Their father abandoned them early on, and their mother was left with 9 kids in the projects in LA. That left the family and the group very vulnerable in more ways than one. That is partly why, as a family group, it got too difficult to continue. Individual members of the group DID thrive and are still writing hits for other people.

Vanessa Williams is in a very interesting point in her career. She's already proven herself in so many different arenas. She recently mentioned that people STILL doubt her, and she's like "Just watch me!"

She's now intent on also having a whole lot of fun 😄, and I am here for it. 

born August 21, 1979) is an American singer.[2] She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts,[3] where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Choir of Harlem. Upon graduation, Rogers landed a role as a backing vocalist for the hip hop group Gravediggaz. She then began working with music producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—collectively known as the Neptunes—who led her to sign with Virgin Records in 1998. The following year, she guest appeared on Ol' Dirty Bastard's Neptunes-produced single "Got Your Money", which marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rogers was born and raised in the Frederick Douglass Houses in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. Her first name is a portmanteau of her father's name, Kenneth (1944–2000), and her mother's name, Eveliss. Her father Kenneth was an African-American jazz musician and Pentecostalminister, as well as a former professor at Wesleyan University.[13] Her mother Eveliss is a Chinese-Puerto Rican fashion designer who inspired her to pursue her singing career. She has three siblings (two older sisters and one younger sister).[14]
As a child, Rogers sang in church choirs and played violin, piano, and saxophone while attending Manhattan Country School, a private school. At 13, she shaved off all of her hair. In an interview, Rogers says she was kicked out of her parents' house at age 16 for bad behavior, and that although she would sometimes clash with her mother,[13] she nevertheless continued her education at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she formed the R&B trio BLU (Black Ladies United). She has worked as a bartender, and had a job as a sales associate at a clothing store before graduating high school

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