Posted on 04/27/2022 10:03:11 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Andrew Woolfolk, longtime Earth, Wind & Fire saxophonist and prolific session musician, died on April 24 at the age of 71 following an illness that persisted for "over six years," according to EWF singer Philip Bailey.
"I met him in high school, and we quickly became friends and bandmates," Bailey wrote in an Instagram post commemorating his late bandmate. "Andrew Paul Woolfolk was his name. We lost him today, after being ill [for] over six years. He has transitioned on to the forever, from this land of the dying to the land of the living.
"Great memories. Great Talent. Funny. Competitive. Quick-witted. And always styling," Bailey continued. "Booski … I’ll see you on the other side, my friend."
You can see the post below.
Born on Oct. 11, 1950, in Texas, Woolfolk moved to Colorado as a child and attended high school in Denver. He met Bailey in the Centennial State and joined Earth, Wind & Fire in 1973. Woolfolk's first album with EWF, 1973's Head to the Sky, also became their first platinum LP.
The R&B and funk titans racked up several more platinum and multiplatinum albums throughout the '70s, peaking with 1975's chart-topping, triple-platinum That's the Way of the World, which spawned the No. 1 hit "Shining Star." Woolfolk's talents can also be heard on smash hits such as "September," "Sing a Song" and EWF's cover of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life."
Woolfolk also worked with other artists at the height of EWF's success, playing saxophone on Valerie Carter's Just a Stone's Throw Away and Deniece Williams' Song Bird, both in 1977. When EWF went on hiatus following 1983's Electric Universe, Woolfolk played on two of Bailey's solo gospel albums, 1984's Grammy-nominated The Wonders of His Love and 1986's Grammy-winning Triumph.
Woolfolk continued to play with EWF when the band reconvened in 1987 and stayed with them through 1993. He continued working with other high-profile musicians after his departure, playing on several tracks on Phil Collins' 1996 album Dance Into the Light. Woolfolk's achievements were memorialized when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted Earth, Wind & Fire in 2000.
Saw these guys live back in the day. Very talented. A lot of fun to watch.
Well, at least these guys actually had some fame and actually did something notable.
RIP, regardless.
Yikes the Poppy Family obit is receiving more attention!
I agree.
These were the sounds playing on the radio when I was learning to drive.
RIP, Mr. Woolfolk.
I wonder, since he was sick for so long, who it was that performed with the group lately. I have tickets to see them in July. They will open for Santana.
mainstream culture was far more diverse back then. You could hear country, rock, motown/soul and friggen Paul Anka within an hour all on the same station.
Hopefully Verdine White will still be laying down bass when you see them.
RIP.
Notice how much nicer and tuneful and beautiful all those hits from that demographic were.
“Shining Star” was my first-dance song.
Santana (satan commie?) should be opening for them!
Saw them many times, 2005 they toured with Chicago and saw them in July. Can’t remember who was in the band at that time.
“He plays so good. Don’t you agree?”
And “Shooting Star” were a decent 80s band, still have this album somewhere
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l5BqpvcWuyo
That is two of my favorite there were two good saxophonist in the old-school Motown and disco genre that I used to pay attention to:
Woolfolk and thus dude out of Philly and one of the kindest fellows I ever had the honor to know and to jam with Wendell “poison” Ivy. Wendell was a cool dude who used to tour the CC with Wilson Pickett.
Me too. What a show. Huge talent.
We just listened to an hour or more of EWAF, and I have to say, they would be great as headliners! We probably would’ve been going for either, but Santana is one I have always wanted to see live. That we will get to see both is very exciting!
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