Never Listen to a Record in the Ghetto While Chewing Gum

The Earth, Wind, & Fire co-founder recounts an era when Spotify was on the street and a scratched record could tear a family apart

Hey, friends. So listen, going forward, I’ll be posting new essays and interviews every other week rather than every week. Eight updates a month was killing me. I’m not a machine, dammit. Sorry to disappoint. But honestly, nobody needed that much Spitznagel in their lives. Even my family doesn’t want that.

In this edition of “WHAT’S IN YOUR TAPE DECK,” I talked to Verdine White. He’s a founding member and bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire, a band that spanned so many genres—R&B, disco, pop, fusion jazz, Africana, soul, and anything else that moved them—that they’re damn near impossible to classify. Rolling Stone came closest, calling them “the biggest black rock band in the world.” White’s playing has appeared on top-10 hits like “Shining Star” (1975), "Sing a Song" (1975) and “September” (1978).

Verdine White as a teen (left) and as a funky adult.

ERIC SPITZNAGEL: You had older brothers who were playing and recording when you were still a kid.

VERDINE WHITE: That’s right, yeah. Maurice was ten years older than me, and he was just, like, so cool and smooth.

ES: He was a studio drummer for Chess Records in Chicago during the sixties, right? Who was he playing with? Muddy Waters?

VW: It’s interesting that you mention Muddy Waters. Everybody thinks that Chicago is only the blues, but it was more than the blues. You had pop, you had jazz. I think that happened because the Rolling Stones went to Chicago, and they were hanging out with Muddy Waters and all those cats at Chess Records.