An incredible Earth Wind & Fire classic demo unvaulted - listen now

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    Photo credit: Rubie Stepney

    (July 10, 2022) For an all too brief decade, Chicago native Charles Stepney (1931-1976) put his indelible stamp on records by everyone from Muddy Waters to Rotary Connection. It was his compositional, arranging, and production prowess with Earth, Wind & Fire, however, that remains most eternally embedded in his legacy. Group co-leader Philip Bailey has personally attested to the essential role that Stepney played in cultivating its sonic foundation. Now, that impact is being explored for the first time—half a century later—on an upcoming compilation of his home recordings.

    (July 10, 2022) For an all too brief decade, Chicago native Charles Stepney (1931-1976) put his indelible stamp on records by everyone from Muddy Waters to Rotary Connection. It was his compositional, arranging, and production prowess with Earth, Wind & Fire, however, that remains most eternally embedded in his legacy. Group co-leader Philip Bailey has personally attested to the essential role that Stepney played in cultivating its sonic foundation. Now, that impact is being explored for the first time—half a century later—on an upcoming compilation of his home recordings.

    International Anthem Recording Company began previewing the LP, entitled Step on Step, this spring. Yet, it’s the newest release that is by far the most revelatory. Stepney’s four-track demo of “That’s the Way of the World,” a definitive EW&F classic which he co-wrote with Maurice and Verdine White, is an enthralling glimpse into the creative process of the masterful musician. He would arrange the version on the 1975 LP and film of the same name, and it went on to be named one of the 500 greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone and the accompanying album was voted by SoulTracks readers at the best disc of the decade.

    Created with an early drum machine, synthesizer, and piano, the brilliance of Stepney’s instrumental blueprint of “That’s the Way of the World” lies in its unaffected sophistication. While the canvas might feel bare-bones in comparison to the final version, many of the subtle melodic flourishes that became an integral part of Bailey’s vocal and the band’s performance can be heard in the lead lines of the home recording. The sound is exceptionally progressive considering that it was created outside of a professional studio in a pre-disco era largely devoid of the fancy electronic equipment that would come to permeate popular music over the following decades.

    Listen to Charles Stepney’s original demo of  “That’s the Way of the World” below and visit the Summer of Stepney website for further information on the under-sung musician and events taking place to celebrate his legacy.

    by Justin Kantor