“Shining Star” (Earth, Wind & Fire)

Today’s classic song of the day is “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire. Released in January of 1975, this funky little number was all over the radio my junior year in high school, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles charts.

“Shining Star” was written by group members Maurice White, Larry Dunn, and Philip Bailey, and produced by White. White said he got the idea for the song when taking a nighttime stroll when the band was recording their That’s the Way of the World album at Caribou Ranch in Colorado. He looked up at the Rocky Mountain sky and there were all those shining stars. The rest followed.

Maurice White and Philip Bailey shared lead vocals on the recording of “Shining Star.” The song is clearly meant to be inspirational. Witness the lyrics:

You’re a shining star
No matter who you are
Shining bright to see
What you could truly be

Maurice White grew up in Memphis and played drums with cats like Booker T. Jones (the Booker T. of Booker T. and the M.G.’s). He moved to Chicago when he was a teenager, studied at the Chicago Conservatory Of Music, and became a session drummer for Chess Records. He played jazz with the Ramsey Lewis Trio, then formed a group called the Salty Peppers with some friends of his. The Salty Peppers became the first incarnation of Earth, Wind & Fire but then White to moved to Los Angeles and filled out the band with West Coast musicians.

Earth, Wind & Fire released their first album in 1971 and had their first hit single in 1974 with “Mighty Mighty.” Many more hits followed, including “That’s the Way of the World” and “Sing a Song” in 1975, “Getaway” and “Saturday Nite” in 1976, “Serpentine Fire” in 1977, “Got to Get You Into My Life” and “September” in 1978, “Boogie Wonderland” and “After the Love is Gone” in 1979, “Let’s Groove” in 1981, and “Fall in Love with Me” in 1983. “Shining Star,” released in 1975, was their first big hit and their only number-one.

Maurice White passed away in 2016, at 74 years of age. Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn are both still alive today, and Bailey is still touring with the current version of the group.

Which brings us to today’s daily bonus video of the day, Earth, Wind & Fire performing “Shining Star” live on The Midnight Special in April of 1975. They put on a terrific show, don’t they?