Bailey, Philip - of Earth Wind and Fire and solo work
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
Philip talks about his solo career, Earth Wind and Fire and keeping both of these paths going forward. A deeper look into Philip's solo work, the breakup of Earth, Wind and Fire, and keep relationships together.
DM) Most people who recognize you would recognize you from Earth, Wind and Fire. How does this compare to the material you do with them? Will this be a transition for your fans or something different?
PB) This is another aspect, another part of me that they'll be able to glean. If you check out the fact that they checked me out with rock and roll with Phil Collins and gospel with triumph and all those prospects have been critically acclaimed. I won an American Music Award for the Phil Collins [Easy Lover-single] and a Grammy for the gospel. This is just part of my jazz love. It's something that's been a part of me since I'm a kid. A lot of people don't know that I'm a musician, first and foremost. I started playing drums in the fourth grade, I was an aspiring percussionist. I played in the jazz band and I still play percussion.
DM) How did you go from percussion to vocals?
PB) I used to go from the band to the choir all of my life. I was always running from one to the other. For some fans it might be a surprise, but fans that know me a little more in depth know that I'm a very musical person.
DM) What is more of your strength, the vocals or being an instrumentalist?
PB) I'm more noted for singing but I've always done both. I wouldn't want to just say one or the other. Obviously I have more of a voice, so if I had to give up one I'd give up playing, because vocally I have more of a presence, more of a voice.
DM) Going back to your solo career and Earth, Wind and Fire, when you do your solo projects does that damage your relationship with Earth, Wind and Fire?
PB) No, it's a plus for Earth, Wind and Fire, and all of these projects that I've been able to do as a solo artist, I've been able to come back to Earth, Wind and Fire and be a stronger force. To have something to offer. To help to propel Earth, Wind and Fire to the next level. I'm able to be more of an inspiration to my work with Earth, Wind and Fire.
If I was just stuck in Earth, Wind and Fire and didn't do anything else I wouldn't have anything to give them. I'd get bored and not have anything to give. It's important for an artist... for myself at least, to be able to do a variety of things. TO challenge myself. To break the stereotypical ideas, even for myself and try things. That's what music is about. That's what life is about.
DM) Is there ever any "sibling rivalry" per say, between Earth, Wind and Fire and yourself when you do a solo project?
PB) Well, you figure I'm 51 years old. I've been in this band since I'm 21! I guess everything that you would expect to raise its head has risen its head in one shape of form or the other. But we're mature men, who understand that although we work together we all have our lives and in all of these years we have a spoken and unspoken understanding that we're going to do different things. It's necessary for us to do different things. It's necessary so that we have a certain amount of autonomy in our own personal lives. And I think that was one of the ingredients that caused Earth, Wind and Fire not to be able to stay together in the mid-eighties. We'd gotten totally lost in Earth, Wind and Fire and had to find some personal identity. After we found it, we were then able to value what we've done tighter and we came back together with the understanding that we could still be productive together and have our cake and eat it to. It wasn't at the exclusion or seeking our own pursuits and being creative in our own right.
DM) Do you think that if you learned those lessons before the breakup, the breakup never would have happened?
PB) I don't think it would have been possible to learn those lessons without the breakup. First of all, nobody can foresee success and see the challenges that success is going to bring. After a 10-year run of running on the road and chart topping, and at the age that we were, I just think that the break up was a necessary thing. It was hard, it was something that some people didn't get over, but I think it was a necessary thing. I don't know too many bands that stayed together in that way, at that level, any longer then that.
DM) Is it like a marriage in that sense?
PB) I hope not! (Laughs) I'm not downing marriage, I wouldn't go that for though. I wouldn't say it would necessarily be like a marriage. Its still business.
DM) I would imagine that after 30 years with anybody you're going to develope relationships, intimacy and trust beyond a business.
PB) Yes, whether you like it or not, you're going to emerge into other areas. It's going to become psychological. (Laughs) No doubt. When we get back to my recent recording, that's a necessary thing, because of that too. There's a lot of thought and psychology associated with being with anything for a long time, which is not there when you're doing one-offs and doing things for the first time or fresh, with no barriers or boundaries or stick in the mud rules or preconceptions. That's a liberty that doing something for the first time brings or doing something by yourself gives you, while doing something with a group of people doesn't necessarily offer you such things.
But at the same time, when you look at the other side of it, because you're working with a body of people like, Earth, Wind and Fire, it offers you the ability to take those risks that maybe you wouldn't be able to take.
DM) Is there any way to have the relationship that long and avoid people getting hurt?
PB) I don't think you can avoid not having people get hurt. I think you need to have the kind of relationship that understands that you're going to get hurt, they're going to get hurt, but we're going to learn to grow and get past them and go on. To think that you're never going to have problems and everything is going to be hunky-dory, that's unrealistic. That's very unrealistic. And anybody that says that's not the case is just flat out lying.
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