Random Earth Wind And Fire Story

[boba]

i was leaving my radio show today (which I ended up not doing because a mixup where someone else thought they were doing it and I let them do it...). I hung out for the whole thing though. As I was leaving and about to get into my car, this car pulls up with a guy driving and a woman in the car and asks where the radio station is. I told them that it was right there. They parked and came up to me, the guy was like "I'm homer talbert are you bob abrahamian?" and I told him that I didn't recognize him at all (he looked totally different) and he said he didn't recognize me at all either which was weird, we hung out a bunch of times (homer sang in some groups and was a songwriter, he wrote "ain't understanding mellow"). The woman turned out to be Sherry Scott, original lead singer of earth wind and fire and the singer on their first hit. She was coming up to the dance show to promote her new house record. I talked to her for a while, she was super nice, she said she would listen to my show next week and I told her I would play her record.

So I just pulled up the record on youtube:

and it's the same song I was recently selling by a female group called Essence. Except I didn't realize it was a cover. I hate when people don't know a song is a cover of a hit, I feel like an ass. Nobody emailed me letting me know though...

[Steve G]

Bob, Do you know which members of EW&F were in the Salty Peppers on Capitol? It often gets mentioned as EW&F's first record.....not sure if it's all of em or just some of em?

Steve

[boba]

Bob, Do you know which members of EW&F were in the Salty Peppers on Capitol? It often gets mentioned as EW&F's first record.....not sure if it's all of em or just some of em?

Steve

The other day I was looking at the wikipedia page and it says it's just 3 members (one of which was their main male singer Wade Flemons). I always was told it was just the Pharoahs (who evolved into EWF). Also, there is more than one salty peppers 45, I would have to pull out the records to check, but there are two on capitol, one that first got released on the DC label TEC.

If you look at the general crook 45s on capitol the same Pharoahs / Salty Peppers dudes played on it and probably sang backup. "You know what" is the good side imo.

[boba]

also, there is a pharoahs 45 on capitol...

[Steve G]

Yup I think I got all of those 45s. Thanks for clarifying. Steve

[Codfromderby]

i was leaving my radio show today (which I ended up not doing because a mixup where someone else thought they were doing it and I let them do it...). I hung out for the whole thing though. As I was leaving and about to get into my car, this car pulls up with a guy driving and a woman in the car and asks where the radio station is. I told them that it was right there. They parked and came up to me, the guy was like "I'm homer talbert are you bob abrahamian?" and I told him that I didn't recognize him at all (he looked totally different) and he said he didn't recognize me at all either which was weird, we hung out a bunch of times (homer sang in some groups and was a songwriter, he wrote "ain't understanding mellow"). The woman turned out to be Sherry Scott, original lead singer of earth wind and fire and the singer on their first hit. She was coming up to the dance show to promote her new house record. I talked to her for a while, she was super nice, she said she would listen to my show next week and I told her I would play her record.

So I just pulled up the record on youtube:

and it's the same song I was recently selling by a female group called Essence. Except I didn't realize it was a cover. I hate when people don't know a song is a cover of a hit, I feel like an ass. Nobody emailed me letting me know though...

never heard that before its awesome, you mention "hit", where and when ?, anyway thanks for posting, you lot never fail to amaze me with your tunes, got to go now and play it again !

[boba]

never heard that before its awesome, you mention "hit", where and when ?, anyway thanks for posting, you lot never fail to amaze me with your tunes, got to go now and play it again !

wikipedia shows me that it's their second "hit" single, it went to 44 on the US R&B charts. the essence version is actually really good if you can find audio of that too.

[Mike]

bob,

just moved this here as think may go better in aats rather than mag

[Guest miff]

^{The First release by the Salty Peppers is "La la la la " and is on TEC}

^{https://youtu.be/IONhdx30ShU}

^{The write up on the youtube clip}

Earth, Wind & Fire leader Maurice White was a founding member of the Salty Peppers. While a session drummer for Chess Records and a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, White started a group with bassist/keyboardist Don Whitehead and vocalist Wade Flemons. The Salty Peppers had a Midwest hit with "La La La" -- issued on White's own Hummit Records -- and the track was leased to Capitol, which led to a record contract for the group. (The single was "Un Huh Yeah" b/w "Your Love Is Life.") After visiting California several times, White decided to make the move west and quit Lewis' trio. With demo tapes that featured the skills of Chicago multi-talent Donny Hathaway, White began shopping demo tapes (some featuring the skills of Donny Hathaway) around, then signed to Warner Bros., while the Salty Peppers eventually evolved into Earth, Wind & Fire

At bit more further down the Page

The personel on this record was Charles Handy trumpet,Don Myrick saxophone,Wade Fleming piano,Pete Cosey guitar,Louis Satterfield bass,Maurice White drums.The voices are¯»¿ Don Whitehead,Maurice White,Wade Fleming,Louis Satterfield and Derf Reklaw.This was the original Earth,Wind and Fire recording.With exception of Fleming,the rest of the band were the Pharaohs.

Edited July 24, 2012 by miff

[boba]

La la la was a hit in chicago, i find it here all the time (more commonly on TEC). Their other capitol 45 is more obscure.

The description further down is more accurate.

[boba]

haha, i just looked at the address sticker on the TEC 45 youtube clip posted above, I was literally on that same block last weekend.

[Guest JJMMWGDuPree]

Is this the same Wade Flemmons who recorded 'Easy lovin''?

[Kris Holmes]

yes

[boba]

yes it's the northern soul Wade Flemons. To the rest of the world he's known as a singer in EWF. That write-up above that says "Flemings" is wrong, the person probably knew his name but hadn't seen it spelled. He died in 1993:

https://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/wade_flemons.htm/