#279 THE WONDERS OF HIS LOVE by Philip Bailey (1984)

THE WONDERS OF HIS LOVE by Philip Bailey (1984)
Myrrh - MYR 1181

Producer:

Philip Bailey

File Under: Black Gospel / Soul / R&B

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

I Want to Know You

Earth, Wind and Fire (Philip Bailey is 2nd from Left)

He's one of the founding members of one of the music world’s most influential, respected and internationally acclaimed bands. As a lead vocalist with Earth, Wind and Fire, Philip Bailey sold over 90 million albums worldwide, won eight Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, long ago solidifying his place in music history. 

Oh...and He's also a follower of Jesus.

"God had always been beckoning me," Bailey revealed in a 2014 interview with FOX411. "Early on, as a kid, I just felt a strange and close connection with the Divine and then later on it became a more personal thing through Christian witnesses, people in my life who got a chance to talk to me and bring me to the knowledge of Jesus." 

God used another talented artist to witness to Bailey, one who also knew the ropes of the secular music industry, with its benefits, challenges and temptations. 

His name? Leon Patillo.

Leon Patillo

"Leon, who's a minister and a Gospel singer today, used to be Santana's lead singer," Bailey explained. "Earth, Wind & Fire were touring with Santana and it was just around the time that I had bought a Bible and we were on the road together. We met and he asked us did we know anything about it. On that six week tour, he taught us through the book of John. That's how our relationship began. I have a relationship with Christ and it is ongoing. I study my Bible and I do fellowship at a Church. It's a real-life thing."

Philip Irvin Bailey, born May 8, 1951, was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. 

"Music was the thing that caught my soul’s attention from the earliest I can ever remember,” said Bailey in a 2014 interview with his hometown newspaper, the Denver Post. "The first time I heard a professional jazz quartet practicing in a house down the street, it was almost like an out-of-body experience," he said with a broad grin. 

Bailey attended Denver's East High School, graduating in 1969. While there he studied bass and percussion and sang in gospel groups and choirs before ending up playing gigs at area bars and nightclubs several nights a week before he was even old enough to buy a drink. His musical influences during the high school days were diverse and included jazz greats Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Max Roach, Motown artists like Stevie Wonder, and white singers from the pop and rock worlds, such as Elvis Presley and Three Dog Night. 

Bailey was also influenced by female singers such as Dionne Warwick, Carole King and Sarah Vaughan. In fact, Bailey credits Warwick as the inspiration for his distinctive falsetto register. "I mean, I was like so into listening to her," Bailey told Tavis Smiley in a 2014 sit-down. "And it’s funny now ’cause we worked in a studio together and stuff, and I always told her, you know, how much I just embraced her phrasing, her lyric sense. I was always mimicking, you know, female vocals and stuff, I think, because of the emotion in the singing. There’s a tenderness and a nurturing and a feeling of empathy and compassion that comes across when females sing. You feel that, you know? It’s soothing, healing."

Earth, Wind and Fire

Bailey was invited to join Earth, Wind & Fire when he was still in college in 1972 by then-bandleader Maurice White. In a 2014 conversation with SoulTrain.com, Bailey professed nothing but respect and admiration for White. "Maurice was definitely like my big brother of sorts, a father figure of sorts, and in another way, a best friend and a mentor," Bailey says. "Given the fact that I didn’t have a lot of male counterparts growing up, Maurice ended up being one of the biggest male influences in my life, if not the biggest." 

Bailey (left) in the studio with Maurice White

The popularity and success of EW&F has been well-documented.  

The group gave Bailey (and his incredible four-octave vocal range) a platform and earned him a nice living...but he knew instinctively that there was more to life than hit songs and Grammys. "I always knew that whatever vision or destiny that God had for me, Earth Wind and Fire wasn’t it. That band gave me a platform to meet and help so many people, to learn a lot of new things, and to grow. But the group was a means to an end, a means to whatever my vision and destiny is." 

Bailey (r) on stage with Earth, Wind and Fire

"I still don’t know exactly what that is!" he admits. "It’s interesting that, in my life, it’s always been music. It’s kind of been like the pied piper and in some ways, it’s always been a means to just kind of follow my path to my own personal destiny that God had for me."

Earth, Wind and Fire had always been known for combining a healthy amount of mysticism with their music. "People always associated that image with the whole band," Bailey told The Chicago Tribune in 1985. After all, Maurice White had named the group after elements on his astrological chart and also was prone to spouting "cosmic revelations" about karma and such. Eventually, White's mystical bent didn't really jell with Bailey`s Christian faith.  

Maurice White

"More than anything, Earth, Wind and Fire forced me to become more aligned with the Truth," Bailey said. "After the experience of working in that band, it became clear how fleeting and deceptive fame can be. I realized that there is no better form or reference than the Word of God, and it was my responsibility to be accountable for my faith. That is one reason I became more vocal about what I personally believe."

Bailey had been dabbling in gospel music (and the "gospel" side of CCM) for a while. In 1979, he appeared on Andraé Crouch's I'll Be Thinking of You album, and the very next year he joined with Deniece Williams, Billy Davis and Marilyn McCoo to present "Jesus At the Roxy," a gospel show at the famed LA night spot. Deniece Williams would later claim that over 300 people gave their lives to the Lord at that event. It's been said that both Bailey and Williams decided to become more active in Christian music following that event. 

In 1981, Bailey and Maurice White collaborated with The Hawkins Family on a live album, and in 1983 he joined up with Deniece Williams again for They Say, an atmospheric, slow praise song that became popular on Urban and black gospel radio and was later covered by inspirational gospel artist Sandi Patti.

Bailey in the studio with Phil Collins

Bailey had already stepped out from under the group umbrella with two mainstream solo projects - 1983's Continuation and Chinese Wall in 1984. Easy Lover, a duet with Phil Collins went to number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the U.K. Chinese Wall, the album on which Easy Lover appeared, peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. 

The stage was set for Philip Bailey to "come out" and record a full-length CCM album. The Wonders of His Love, on Myrrh Records, climbed as high as #13 on the Top Contemporary Christian chart and #17 on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Produced by Bailey himself, the album was engineered by Jack Joseph Puig, and was recorded at Bill Schnee Studio, Mama Jo's Recording Studio and Hollywood Sound Recorders. The Wonders of His Love was mixed by Ross Palone at Hollywood Sound Recorders, and was mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab in Los Angeles.

The album owes a lot to black gospel/CCM pioneers like Andrae Crouch, Walter and Edwin Hawkins, and Jessy Dixon. Their influence can be heard in the grooves of The Wonders of His Love.

As a result of Bailey's connections in the secular music world, any number of excellent session players were available to him for this project. In addition to musicians like keyboardist George Duke, bassist Freddie Washington and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, there were also a handful of artists who gave a helping hand who are familiar to Christian audiences - people like guitarist Dann Huff, bassist Abraham Laboriel and vocalist Teri DeSario. Bailey also employed the talents of several Earth Wind and Fire bandmates on The Wonders of His Love, most of them horn players.

The Wonders of His Love made Philip Bailey's faith in Christ known beyond any shadow of doubt. This wasn't just an album of vague references or spiritually-aware platitudes. It was clear that "this guy knows the Lord."

The record's opener is a standout track. I Will No Wise Cast You Out is a gospel/pop ballad that features a rock-solid rhythm section and Bailey's unmistakable falsetto. Don Myrick turns in a pitch-perfect saxophone solo and Bailey comforts the listener with words like these, written and delivered as if they came from God Himself:

Oh, I will no wise cast you out
My friend, why is it you doubt?
You doubt My love for you
Come on and take my hand
I will be with you
I will see you through   

The late George Duke's deliciously-80s synthesizer part kicks off I Want to Know You. The tempo picks up quite a bit here as Bailey presents the Gospel message in clear terms and expresses a longing to be closer to God in every way. This time, it's Andrew Woolfolk's tenor sax that's featured. One reviewer wrote that I Want to Know You was "a polished, glossy song that came radio-ready." The track fades out with Bailey asking the Scriptural question, "Oh, can't you see that the Lord, He is good?"

Bailey and Jeanette Hawes (more about her later) trade off vocal lines on God is Love, a testimony-type song in the traditional black gospel vein. This one, as well, boldly shares the Gospel message in unmistakable terms.

Sing A New Song goes even more traditional, opening with what sounds like a full-on black church choir. Interestingly, Bailey comes in about a third of the way into the song and uses his trademark falsetto to deliver these lines:

When I think about the songs I used to sing
Old sounds that don't mean a thing
Those memories sing silently behind me
Jesus gave me a brand new song
One I can sing my whole life long
Those melodies mean everything
And that is why I sing

Sing A New Song transitions through two different rhythmic changes, ending up in a fast "praise break" tempo that no self-respecting African American Church Lady would be able to resist.

Leonard Caston's piano shines on Safe In God's Love. Caston wrote this song, an ultra-traditional tribute to the love of God. This is another one that was probably sung by many black church choirs back in the day.

Side Two of The Wonders of His Love opens with one of the record's true highlights. I Am Gold is a funky, R&B masterpiece about perseverance. Bailey puts on a clinic with his voice on this track. Philip Bailey is credited as a co-writer on four of the album's nine songs, including this one:

Count it all joy
When you're feeling the pain
For new wisdom you'll gain
Tribulation worketh patience in your life


I've been tried in the fire
And the flames get so high
That I can't see the sky 
For the smoke in my eyes

But each time I survive
Makes me not ashamed to stand and testify

Little child
You've had more than you share
Of all the heartache you can bear
And it seems that life is so unfair

Through it all
You'll learn to stand up tall
'Cause God above won't let you fall
'Cause He hears His children when they call

I am gold
I've been tried in the fire
I've been tried in the fire
I can climb higher and higher

Side Two of The Wonders of His Love could only contain four songs, as each track clocked in at 5 minutes or longer.

He Don't Lie gives us a chance to enjoy Bailey's lower vocal register. Extolling the character and attributes of God, it's a smooth, gospel R&B track that would've been right at home on Andrae Crouch's Don't Give Up record.

The title track, with its complex rhythm and melody, is another high point...and a perfect vehicle for the great bassist Abraham Laboriel to show off a bit. Rahmlee Michael Davis is also featured on trumpet on this song. Lyrically, it's another testimony to the love of God, as it is experienced by people around the world. 

The beating drums in deep forgotten forest floors
A rhythm dance in tribal doors
Reach the river shore
Pounding the wonders of His love

A samba sways in cooling rain when sun gets hot
Siesta time they close the shop
The guitars gently rock
Strumming the wonders of His love

Oh, eyes have seen 
All the ordinary things of every day

They're more than what they seem

Yes, ears have heard 
All the symphonies of sounds in every way
Telling all the world
The wonders of His love

It's Mardi Gras
A band is playing in the street
An easy syncopated beat
Hear the trumpet sing
Wailing the wonders of His love

Graffiti walls
A crowd is gathered round to watch
The kids are breakin' and they pop
The blaster never stops
Blaring the wonders of His love

Come everyone
We'll sing a song
We'll celebrate the love
And greatness of the Holy One
In every place, in every face
Shine the wonders of His love

'Wonders' is one of those happy songs...just a joy to listen to, rarely failing to bring a smile.

The album wraps with a moving ballad called Make Us One, an epic plea for unity that lasts nearly 6 minutes.  

The Wonders of His Love made it to #18 on the CCM charts and is said to have "paved the way for other black artists to break an unwritten CCM color barrier." 

It was not a one-off attempt by Bailey to exploit the Christian marketplace. His second Christian album, Triumph, was released two years later, and it won a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Male and reached number 18 on the Top Contemporary Christian charts. In 1989, he released a third Christian album, Family Affair. Bailey also played percussion and sang on a King Baptist Church Mass Choir album in 1990 (Holding On To Jesus' Hand).

Philip Bailey is the father of seven children. One of his children, Pili Bailey, is the daughter of Jeanette (Hawes) Hutchinson of the R&B hit group The Emotions. Bailey revealed his affair with Hutchinson in a 2014 autobiography titled Shining Star: Braving The Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire. Bailey says he confessed the affair to his then-wife Janet, took care of his responsibilities and became a constant figure and loving father to his daughter Pili. Philip and Pili are said to be very close to this day. Of course, this episode was not without negative fallout. In response to the hurt of this news and the stress of being essentially a single mom (while Bailey was always on the road), Janet developed a drug and alcohol addiction. Philip and Janet remained married for many years but eventually divorced. Bailey is currently married to singer/songwriter Valerie Bailey (formerly Valerie Davis).

While promoting the autobiography in 2014, Bailey was asked if he still goes to church. "I sure do," he answered. 

Although his definition of "church" is a little creative. 

"I have a group of guys, friends of mine that I have been praying with on Saturday mornings at 6 o'clock for over 35 years. Even when I'm going through airports, whatever, 6 o'clock West Coast time, wherever I am, they're going to call and I'm going to know that they're going to be on the line. They happen to be my best friends. Two of them are pastors. One of them is an attorney and an elder at his church. Fellowship really is about loving all people of like mind, affirming your faith in that relationship." 

When told that 6 a.m. on Saturdays seems a little extreme, Bailey laughed and said, "Six o'clock happens to be the time we chose because it's before everything else gets started. It's when you first wake up in the morning. The best and freshest time of your day. We chose 6 o'clock because in all likelihood all the different households wouldn't be up yet and we get a chance to talk. We talk about everything. We need to write a book about our men's fellowship because we've seen each other go through so many different things in these 35 years. It's really very interesting."

In May 2008, Bailey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music at Berklee's commencement ceremony where he was the commencement speaker. 

"I still love music," he said in a 2014 interview. "It still really gets me high, you know, to hear the chord changes in music and all the harmonies and overtones and to feel, you know, the magic of the rhythms and just to play."

As for the future? 

"The story continues," Bailey smiles. "I never put a ceiling on what I’m going to do or where I’m going or where God’s going to lead me.”

Fun Fact:

Earth, Wind and Fire never made a live appearance on Soul Train. Why not? "We didn’t want to lip sync," explained Philip Bailey, "and Don Cornelius didn’t let you have set-ups so that you could play live. Maurice didn’t want us to lip sync so we never did Soul Train. I did perform as a soloist on the show, though."