ALLEE WILLIS (1947 - 2019)

The Grammy-Award winning songwriter, Allee Willis passed away suddenly on December 24th from cardiac arrest. The seventy-two year old Willis had just been inducted in to the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.

Some of the music this talented writer helped create includes Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" and "Boogie Wonderland"; "Neutron Dance" by the Pointer Sisters (for the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack which she won her first Grammy), "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield and "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts which was used as the theme song for the still-popular sitcom, "Friends". Willis also co-wrote the songs for the Broadway musical of "The Color Purple" and received Tony-Award nominations and a Grammy win for her work.

Born Alta Sherral Willis in Detroit, she would go hang out outside of Motown Records to listen to the artists record their soon-to-be hits as a teenager. Willis went to college to study journalism but moved to New York after graduation and was drawn to singing and songwriting, She did record an album, "Childstar" in 1974 but it failed to get any attention. Not long after, Willis decided to give up performing, move to Los Angeles and focus on being a songwriter.

Willis was hired by A&M Records in 1977 as a writer and her first chance encounter was an introduction to Verdine White, the bass player for Earth, Wind and Fire. Through him, Willis would meet his brother, Maurice, the founder and leader of the band. They worked together writing "September" and this 1978 now-classic became her first hit song. This opened doors for Willis and she would go to work with a wide variety of artists including Rita Coolidge, Crystal Gayle, Sister Sledge, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Patti LaBelle, Cyndi Lauper and Taylor Dayne.

Willis would later become known for her North Hollywood home, designed by William Kesling, where she threw wild parties and filled with pop culture artifacts which helped her become affectionately referred to as "the Queen of Kitsch". In honor of this great talent, here are a few of my favorite songs written by Allee Willis:

MAURICE WHITE (1941 - 2016)

2016 is proving to be a really tough year in music as we have lost yet another great performer. Maurice White, founding member and creative force behind the soul & funk super band, Earth Wind & Fire, has passed away on February 4th. He had been struggling with Parkinson's disease since the late 1980's.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, White first began his musical career as a session drummer for Chicago's Chess Records in the 1960's playing on recordings for Etta James, the Impressions, Buddy Guy, Fontella Bass and Ramsey Lewis. In 1966, he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio and played drums with the jazz band for several years and appeared on nine albums. By 1969, White decided to form his own soul group with friends Wade Flemons, Don Whitehead and brother, Verdine. They originally called themselves "the Salty Peppers"  but after getting a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, White decided to rename their act "Earth, Wind & Fire", which refers to the elements in his astrological chart.

EWF's first two albums brought them attention but not much radio play. Clive Davis, then head of Columbia Records, saw the band perform and was quite impressed. He was impressed enough to buy out their recording contract and sign them to his label in 1972. Earth Wind & Fire didn't find instant success at their new home but their 1975 release, "That's the Way of the World" was a major breakthrough. The album had three hit songs; the title track, "Reasons" and "Shining Star" which reached number one on the pop and soul charts. More hits followed including "Serpentine Fire", "Fantasy", "Sing a Song" and "Boogie Wonderland".

White also managed to find time to work with other artists. He produced the debut albums for Deniece Williams and Broadway star, Jennifer Holiday, worked on records for Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and co-wrote and produced the Emotions' 1977 number one smash, "Best of My Love". In 1985, White released his only solo album which became a modest hit that included a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me".  Listen to a few of my favorite songs by Earth Wind & Fire featuring the voice of the great Maurice White:

"After The Love Is Gone" - Earth Wind & Fire (1979) mp3

"Let's Groove" - Earth Wind & Fire (1981) mp3

And here is the music video for one of EWF's biggest hits, "September":