Artist · chart history · #218 in indie & aaa artist polls
Earth, Wind & Fire
Band Chicago United States Formed 1969
Earth, Wind & Fire formed in 1969 in Chicago, United States. Earth, Wind & Fire has 37 chart appearances on 21 radio countdowns from 8 stations on RockLists, spanning 2001–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “September”, which appears on 14 lists with a best position of #11. The station that charted Earth, Wind & Fire most often is The Colorado Sound (Fort Collins–Denver, CO), with 9 appearances.
Earth, Wind & Fire started in Chicago as Maurice White's brainchild, rising out of his earlier group the Salty Peppers, and grew into one of the best-selling bands there has ever been. White drummed, sang and played the kalimba that became the band's signature sparkle, Verdine White held down the bass, and by 1972 the band had Philip Bailey singing and playing percussion, Ralph Johnson on drums and Larry Dunn on keyboards and synthesizer.
What makes them special is the blend: jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop all in the same room, a horn section that punches like a prizefighter and the contrast between Bailey's soaring falsetto and White's warm tenor. "Shining Star", "Sing a Song" and "That's the Way of the World" set the template, "Fantasy" on All 'n All took it to the stars, and "September" is pure, uncut joy. By Raise! in 1981 they were still grooving hard on "Let's Groove".
The band went quiet from the middle of 1984 to the middle of 1987 and then picked up where they left off, staging the kind of elaborate, energetic live shows they were famous for. They have sold more than 90 million records, won 6 Grammys and gone into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Earth, Wind & Fire on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September | 14 | #11 | – | – | |
| 2 | Shining Star | 6 | #238 | – | – | |
| 3 | Got To Get You Into My Life | 2 | #178 | – | – | |
| 4 | Let's Groove | 3 | #118 | – | – | |
| 5 | Sing a Song | 2 | #300 | – | – | |
| 6 | Boogie Wonderland | 4 | #87 | – | – | |
| 7 | Hollywood Swinging | 1 | #314 | – | – | |
| 8 | Mighty Mighty | 1 | #315 | – | – | |
| 9 | After the Love Is Gone | 1 | #942 | – | – | |
| 10 | Fantasy | 1 | #1229 | – | – | |
| 11 | That's the Way of the World | 1 | #705 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
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