Philip Bailey

Biography

Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his four-octave vocal range and distinctive falsetto register, Bailey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Bailey was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work with the band.

Bailey has released several solo albums, the most notable being Chinese Wall, released in 1984, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. This LP included the hit single, "Easy Lover", a duet with Phil Collins, who also produced the album. The track won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video in 1985, was nominated for an American Music Award in the category of Favorite Pop/Rock Video, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. Bailey has in all won seven Grammys out of 21 nominations.

In May 2008, Bailey was bestowed with an honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. During the 2008 commencement ceremony at Berklee, he gave the commencement speech. He was later inducted, in November 2017, to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

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