Sheldon Reynolds (1997).Photo:Howard Denner/Avalon/Getty
Howard Denner/Avalon/Getty
American guitarist and singer Sheldon Reynolds has died. He was 63.
“This news of Sheldon Reynolds transition is very sad for all of us who knew and worked with him,” Baileywrote on Facebookof the Ohio native.
He praised Reynolds' impressive musical skills in the tribute, which also included a photo of the band’s greatest hits sheet music book.
“Sheldon vocally had Reese down. That’s what Maurice said when he hired Sheldon to share vocals and play guitar,” Bailey wrote ofMaurice White, the founder and frontman of Earth, Wine & Fire.
“Sheldon was an excellent addition to the band, a great writer and producer, and a genuinely kind and loving person,” Bailey continued. “He will be missed. Our condolences to his family. Rest in peace.”
He added that he was “listening to ‘Sunday Morning,'” referencing the band’s 1993 Grammy-nominated hit, as he bid farewell to his friend.
Sheldon Reynolds in 2019.Maury Phillips/Getty
Maury Phillips/Getty
Reynolds’ music career began with an opening act slot on tour with R&B artist Millie Jackson in the 1970s. He then went on to join the disco and funk band Sun for a brief period before becoming a member of The Commodores in 1983. Their 1977 hits “Easy” and “Brickhouse” had propelled the Tuskegee University band into a nationwide phenomenon.
Earth Wind & Fire.Rob Verhorst/Redferns
Rob Verhorst/Redferns
Two years later, he joined Earth, Wind & Fire following the band’s brief hiatus. As Bailey noted in his tribute to Reynolds, the band’s founder and lead singer, Maurice White — who died in 2016 from Parkinson’s disease — had been the one to hire Reynolds.
During his tenure with the band, he was nominated for his second Grammy for “Sunday Morning,” which Bailey cited in his posthumous social media tribute, and played on many of the band’s albums including 1987’sTouch the World, the band’s second greatest hits album,The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2(1988) andMillenium(1993).
In 1994, he was inducted into the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame along with the rest of the band, who also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that same year.
Sheldon Reynolds in 1999.Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
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Reynolds' death comes just three months before the band is set to take the stage once again, this time with fellow R&B legend Richie, 73.
Earth, Wind & Fire and Richie are teaming up for the Sing a Song All Night Long Tour, which will see them hit cities all across North America between August and September.
“Well, my friends, the time has come to announce a tour — not just any tour, but the tour I’ve been trying to do for years, and now it’s going to actually happen,” Richie said in avideoshared to social media alongside the tour announcement in March. “This is the place you need to be.”
source: people.com
