Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown will present Philip Bailey and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire; Steve Winwood; composer and Berklee alumnus Howard Shore; and Brazilian artist Rosa Passos with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee College of Music's Commencement on Saturday, May 10, 10:00 a.m., at the Agganis Arena at Boston University. Commencement speaker Philip Bailey will address more than 800 Berklee graduates and invited guests at the 7,000-seat venue.
This year's honorary doctorate recipients are being honored for their achievements in the world of music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Dizzy Gillespie, Patti LaBelle, Steven Tyler, Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Nancy Wilson, David Bowie, Michel Camilo, Chaka Khan, Loretta Lynn, Quincy Jones, Bonnie Raitt, and Ahmet Ertegun.
On commencement eve, as is Berklee's tradition, students will pay tribute to the honorees by performing music associated with Bailey, White, Winwood, Shore, and Passos at the Agganis Arena. The commencement concert and ceremony are not open to the public.
Philip Bailey, a percussionist and singer with an amazing four-octave vocal range, joined Earth, Wind & Fire in 1971, and helped solidify the groundbreaking funk, soul, rock, jazz, and pop band's reputation as one of the most electrifying live and recorded acts in pop music. The group released many albums that reached platinum or multi-platinum status, including That's the Way of the World, Spirit, Raise!, and All 'n All. In addition to fronting the multi-Grammy Award-winning group, Bailey recorded three jazz albums and four gospel albums, including the Grammy Award-winner, Triumph. He also released four pop albums, including the 1984 release Chinese Wall, produced by Phil Collins and featuring their hit duet, "Easy Lover." Earth, Wind & Fire's 2006 concert tour - dubbed "The Illuminate Love Tour" - supported an awareness campaign for The Philip Bailey Music Is Unity Foundation, an organization that invests in the education of young people who have been emancipated in the foster care system.
Maurice White, founder and creator of supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire, is a musician, songwriter, producer, and music label owner. Born in Memphis, White grew up in Chicago and trained at the prestigious Chicago Conservatory of Music. His first professional experience was as staff drummer at Chess Records where he kept the beat for such giants as Etta James, Willie Dixon, and Ramsey Lewis. The early '70s saw the birth of Maurice's vision: a band that combined spirituality and stunning performances; a band that mixed African rhythms with gospel, jazz, funk, and rock. White named his band Earth, Wind & Fire, and the rest is history. Classic hits include "Shining Star," "September," "Boogie Wonderland," "Fantasy," and many more. The band have received numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards; four American Music Awards; over 50 gold and platinum singles, albums, and DVDs; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Earth, Wind & Fire also received Lifetime Achievement honors from the NAACP, ASCAP and BET. White has produced such luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Jennifer Holliday, Ramsey Lewis, Deniece Williams, and Grover Washington, Jr.
Steve Winwood was a teenager when he gained fame as the singer of the Spencer Davis Group. The band scored hits with "Gimme Some Lovin,'" and "I'm a Man," and Winwood's singing drew comparisons to his idol Ray Charles. In 1967, he formed Traffic with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason, producing the album Mr. Fantasy. In 1969 Winwood and Eric Clapton formed Blind Faith with Ginger Baker and Rick Grech. The supergroup released one acclaimed album before Winwood re-formed Traffic to produce classics like John Barleycorn Must Die, and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Winwood launched his solo career in 1977 with a self-titled album. Arc of a Diver, Talking Back to the Night, Back in the High Life - which won two Grammy Awards - and Roll With It followed, producing hits like "While You See a Chance," "Valerie," and "Higher Love." Winwood has collaborated with musicians from around the globe, including Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, James Brown, Muddy Waters, Toots & the Maytals, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Tito Puente and the Fania All Stars, Japanese innovator Stomu Yamashta, and African percussionist Remi Kabaka. Winwood tours with Tom Petty this summer in support of his new album, Nine Lives.
Howard Shore is among today's most respected, honored, and active composers and music conductors. His work with Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings trilogy stands as his most towering achievement to date, earning him three Academy Awards, four Grammys, and three Golden Globes. After attending Berklee, Shore recorded and toured with the group Lighthouse and then, as one of the original creators of Saturday Night Live, he served as the music director on the show from 1975 to 1980. At the same time, he began collaborating with David Cronenberg, and has scored 12 of the director's films, including The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, and Eastern Promises, for which he was recently honored with a Genie Award. Shore continues to distinguish himself with a wide range of projects, from Martin Scorsese's The Departed, The Aviator, and Gangs of New York, to Ed Wood, The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and Mrs. Doubtfire. His opera, The Fly, will have its world premiere at the Théâtre du Châtelet on July 2, 2008, followed by its U.S. premiere at LA Opera in September. Shore's music has been recognized with many prestigious awards, including the Recording Academy Honors, ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award, and the Frederick Loewe Award.
Rosa Passos is a Brazilian singer and songwriter known for keeping traditional Brazilian jazz alive with all of its mystery, rhythm, and romance intact. Fans all over the world know her to be loyal to her Afro-Brazilian culture, maintaining the soulful cool of bossa nova without commercial compromise. On stage and in her recordings, she sings in a sweet, warm voice that the Los Angeles Times reports as, "sounding a bit like the legendary Elis Regina but with the rhythmic articulation of Ella Fitzgerald." Passos released her first recording in 1979, and her music has since become internationally recognized. Many artists have recorded her songs, including Kenny Rankin and Karrin Allyson. She worked with Ivan Lins and Chucho Valdez on a Cubadisco show in Havana, and collaborated with legendary bassist Ron Carter on the album Entre Amigos/Among Friends. Passos also sang and played guitar on Yo-Yo Ma's Grammy Award-winning Obrigado Brazil, leading to a world tour and a follow-up live recording. Her recent releases include Amorosa for the Sony Classical label, Rosa Por Rosa, and a self-titled 2006 album. Passos's new album, Romance, is set for release in May on the Telarc label.
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over 60 years, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow.
