R&B/soul veterans Earth, Wind & Fire are returning with a new album, "The Promise," due May 20 on Kalimba Records. It's the first album of new studio material in six years for the band, which still features four original members -- bandleader Maurice White, bassist Verdine White, percussionist Ralph Johnson, and vocalist Philip Bailey.
Earth, Wind & Fire is planning a shed-and-theater tour in support of the new album this summer. The outing will kick off May 23 in Boca Raton, Fla., and hit 24 dates in major U.S. markets through July 3.
The first single from "The Promise" is "All in the Way," and other cuts on the album include "Dirty," "Never," "She Waits," "Why?," and "Hold Me." Angie Stone guests on "Wonderland."
In a statement, Maurice White said, "throughout the years, music has changed quite a bit. We've changed a bit too, but we've never sacrificed our credibility. Everything we've done has always been positive. All we want to do is uplift people through music."
"The Promise" is the group's first all-new album since 1997's "In the Name of Love" (Pyramid), which peaked at No. 50 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The group's highest-charting albums were the Columbia sets "Gratitude" and "That's the Way of the World," each of which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1975.
Here are Earth, Wind & Fire's tour dates:
May 23: Boca Raton, Fla. (Minzer Park Amphitheatre)
May 24: Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay PAC)
May 25: Orlando, Fla. (House of Blues)
May 26: Atlanta (Chastain Park Amphitheatre)
May 29: Dallas (Next Stage in Grand Prarie)
May 30: Corpus Christi, Texas (Concrete Street Amphitheatre)
June 1: Birmingham, Ala. (Botwell Auditorium)
June 3: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
June 5: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
June 6: Boston (FleetBoston Pavilion)
June 7: Wallingford, Conn. (Oakdale Theatre)
June 12: Columbus, Ohio (Franklin County Veterans Memorial)
June 13: Detroit (Ford Motor Co.)
June 14: Cleveland (Nautica Pavilion)
June 15: Pittsburgh (TBA)
June 18: Minneapolis (TBA)
June 20: Merrillville, Ind. (Star Plaza Theatre)
June 21: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
June 22: Louisville, Ky. (Palace Theatre)
June 26: Baltimore (TBA)
June 27: Hampton, Va. (Hampton Coliseum)
June 28: New York (Apollo Theatre)
July 2: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)
July 3: Oakland, Calif. (Paramount Theatre)
Earth, Wind & Fire is planning a shed-and-theater tour in support of the new album this summer. The outing will kick off May 23 in Boca Raton, Fla., and hit 24 dates in major U.S. markets through July 3.
The first single from "The Promise" is "All in the Way," and other cuts on the album include "Dirty," "Never," "She Waits," "Why?," and "Hold Me." Angie Stone guests on "Wonderland."
In a statement, Maurice White said, "throughout the years, music has changed quite a bit. We've changed a bit too, but we've never sacrificed our credibility. Everything we've done has always been positive. All we want to do is uplift people through music."
"The Promise" is the group's first all-new album since 1997's "In the Name of Love" (Pyramid), which peaked at No. 50 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The group's highest-charting albums were the Columbia sets "Gratitude" and "That's the Way of the World," each of which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1975.
Here are Earth, Wind & Fire's tour dates:
May 23: Boca Raton, Fla. (Minzer Park Amphitheatre)
May 24: Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay PAC)
May 25: Orlando, Fla. (House of Blues)
May 26: Atlanta (Chastain Park Amphitheatre)
May 29: Dallas (Next Stage in Grand Prarie)
May 30: Corpus Christi, Texas (Concrete Street Amphitheatre)
June 1: Birmingham, Ala. (Botwell Auditorium)
June 3: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
June 5: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
June 6: Boston (FleetBoston Pavilion)
June 7: Wallingford, Conn. (Oakdale Theatre)
June 12: Columbus, Ohio (Franklin County Veterans Memorial)
June 13: Detroit (Ford Motor Co.)
June 14: Cleveland (Nautica Pavilion)
June 15: Pittsburgh (TBA)
June 18: Minneapolis (TBA)
June 20: Merrillville, Ind. (Star Plaza Theatre)
June 21: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
June 22: Louisville, Ky. (Palace Theatre)
June 26: Baltimore (TBA)
June 27: Hampton, Va. (Hampton Coliseum)
June 28: New York (Apollo Theatre)
July 2: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)
July 3: Oakland, Calif. (Paramount Theatre)
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