Earth, Wind & Fire tribute band that played Delaware loses lawsuit to real band

An Earth, Wind & Fire tribute band that toured to Delaware last fall lost a trademark lawsuit against the legendary R&B group this week in Miami, Florida.  

On Monday in Miami, the Sun-Sentinel reported, U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno ruled that a tribute band named "Legacy Reunion: Earth, Wind & Fire Alumni" was confusing fans into believing they were buying tickets to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers.  

Although the tribute band is named Alumni, there are no original EWF members in the group, Sun-Sentinel wrote.  

The tribute band performed last year at The Grand in Wilmington on Sept. 30. 

Fake Earth, Wind & Fire sued by founding member’s sons 

The Earth, Wind & Fire name, along with its iconic Phoenix logo, is owned by the sons of the late founder Maurice White, who died in 2016.  

Members Philip Bailey, Verdine White (Maurice White's brother), and Ralph Johnson continue to tour as "Earth, Wind & Fire" under license, per the Sun-Sentinel. 

In March 2023, the publication reported, the White sons took legal action against two promoters — Substantial Music Group LLC in Georgia, and Stellar Communications Inc., based in Indiana — that the sons alleged were staging concerts under the "Alumni" name.  

EWF is represented by the high-profile law firm Rimon, which celebrated their client's victory with the statement: "We congratulate our client, Earth Wind & Fire, and Rimon attorneys Mark Lee and David Greenbaum on this significant victory!"

Earth, Wind & Fire stoel fans from SZA at Firefly

The real Earth, Wind & Fire performed in Delaware during the summer 2021 when they headlined the Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville. Prior to that, the band played Firefly Music Festival in 2016.  

The band attracted a big crowd at Firefly. There also was a bit of controversy at the festival because EWF's set time overlapped with Grammy-winning singer SZA, an alum of Delaware State University.  

Music lovers had to choose between seeing the acts, and some revelers made a mad dash through the tens of thousands of Firefly fans to catch both shows, which was especially difficult to do during the more robust, pre-pandemic days.  

Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago tour to New Jersey

EWF is headed on tour with singer Lionel Ritchie in May, followed by tour dates with the rock band Chicago starting in July.  

Earth, Wind & Fire will and Chicago will stop near Delaware on their "Heart & Soul Tour” when they play the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (Camden, New Jersey) at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 31. Tickets are $40 to over $307. Visit earthwindandfire.com. 

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.