“Child protégé, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16 years old!” his brother and bandmate Verdine White wrote in an Instagram post that announced Fred’s passing.
After getting his start drumming for Donny Hathaway, Fred White joined his brothers Verdine and Maurice White in Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974. He played on eight of the group’s albums, beginning with 1975’s That’s the Way of the World through 1983’s Electric Universe, and can be heard on such classic songs as “Shining Star,” “September,” and “Boogie Wonderland.”
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Fred was proceeded in death by his brother Maurice in 2016. The group’s longtime saxophonist, Andrew Woolfork, passed away in April 2022.
Born Frederick Eugene Adams in Chicago in 1955, White was a child prodigy on the drums. At age 15, he met Donnie Hathaway and soon was performing with him on tour, including the 1971 performance at The Troubadour documented on his Live album. He also played with the likes of Albertina Walker, Willie Hutch, and the Salty Peppers, an early version of Earth, Wind & Fire.
His brother Verdine’s post identifies him as one of the “EWF ORIGINAL 9,” though it wasn’t until 1974 that he joined Verdine and their half-brother Maurice White in Earth, Wind & Fire, the mystic funk, soul, and disco band that became one of the most beloved hit-making forces of the 1970s. That meant he was in the fold in time to record classics like “Shining Star,” “September,” and “Boogie Wonderland.” While behind the kit for EWF, Fred continued to drum for other acts including Deniece Williams, the Emotions, and Ramsey Lewis.
Sources: Stereogum /Consequence
