Alexa play September.
What better way to announce that Questlove is directing an Earth, Wind & Fire documentary than on the 21st of September?
The film is set to explore the legendary band’s legacy, cultural impact, and body of work. It will feature exclusive access to the band’s archives of visual, audio, and written material, along with the support of Maurice White’s estate and the band itself.
Earth, Wind & Fire, formed in 1969 by Maurice White, became one of the most influential bands in music history. Known for their genre-blending sound, which mixes elements of funk, soul, jazz, R&B, and African rhythms, they sold over 90 million records worldwide, won six Grammy Awards, and had 11 consecutive albums go gold or platinum. Their hits, like ‘September’, ‘Boogie Wonderland’, and ‘Shining Star’, became timeless anthems.
Questlove expressed his deep connection to the band, saying, “Having been baptized in the Afrocentric joy river of this powerhouse unit, I’ve learned about them, I’ve learned about us & more importantly, I’ve learned and rediscovered myself in the process. I’m so excited to be part of the process of preserving their positive but very vulnerable and real story of Soul, Self & Struggle.”
The documentary will be produced by RadicalMedia, Two One Five Entertainment, Broken Halo Entertainment, and Kinfolk Management + Media, with financing by Fifth Season, which is also handling sales alongside WME. Producers include Questlove, Dave Sirulnick and Samantha Grogin of RadicalMedia, KB White (son of the late Maurice White) of Broken Halo Entertainment, and Arron Saxe of Kinfolk Management + Media. The film will be made in association with Sony Music Vision.
Zarah Zohlman and Shawn Gee of Two One Five Entertainment, the production company founded by Questlove and Black Thought of The Roots, will serve as executive producers alongside Jon Kamen of RadicalMedia, Cheo Hodari Coker, and Amos Newman.
This project adds to Questlove’s growing list of directorial work, following his Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul and the upcoming Sly Stone documentary. It also marks the latest film about the group, following 2001’s Shining Stars: The Official Story of Earth, Wind & Fire