Fred White, a drummer for Earth, Wind & Fire and a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, has died. White’s brother and bandmate Verdine White confirmed the information Sunday in a tribute publish on Instagram. Fred was 67.
Born Frederick Eugene Adams in Chicago in 1955, White was a baby prodigy on the drums. At age 15, he met Donnie Hathaway and shortly was performing with him on tour, together with the 1971 efficiency at The Troubadour documented on his Live album. He additionally performed with the likes of Albertina Walker, Willie Hutch, and the Salty Peppers, an early model of Earth, Wind & Fire.
His brother Verdine’s publish identifies him as one of many “EWF ORIGINAL 9,” although it wasn’t till 1974 that he joined Verdine and their half-brother Maurice White in Earth, Wind & Fire, the mystic funk, soul, and disco band that grew to become one of the beloved hit-making forces of the Seventies. That meant he was within the fold in time to document classics like “Shining Star,” “September,” and “Boogie Wonderland.” While behind the package for EWF, Fred continued to drum for different acts together with Deniece Williams, the Emotions, and Ramsey Lewis.