The Phenix Horns

The Phenix Horns

The Phenix Horns (sic) are Earth, Wind & Fire's famous brass section. Additionally, they have appeared in songs by artists such as Deniece Williams, Phil Collins, the Emotions and Genesis, among others. The four members were Don Myrick on saxophones, Louis "Lui Lui" Satterfield on trombone, Rahmlee Michael Davis on trumpet and Michael Harris on trumpet.

History

The Pharaohs

Both late members and Rahmlee recorded in the early 70's with the formation , The Pharaohs , from which two albums have been re-issued on CD : Awakenings ( 1972 ) and In The Basement - Live ( 1972 ).

Formation

The inception of the group came about through a pair of connections centered around Louis Satterfield. Maurice White, in the process of embarking on a solo career after serving as a sideman for Ramsey Lewis, met Satterfield while doing some early recordings at Chicago's Chess Studios. Satterfield was working primarily as a session bassist at the time, his most memorable contribution being the bassline to Fontella Bass's I'll Take You There. White's brother Verdine soon joined the fledgling group on bass, and Maurice expanded the band's timbral pallete to include horns. Satterfield's bandmates from The Pharoahs, saxophonist Don Myrick and trumpeter Rahmlee Michael Davis, joined the group, along with lead trumpet player Michael Harris and featured flautist/saxophonist Ronnie Laws (Laws's role was often separate from that of the horn section itself, as he was called upon to provide a solo voice rather than serve exclusively in a supporting role).

It was Harris's unique control and precision in the instrument's upper register that helped define the section's sound. The group was less beholden to middle register three and four-part harmonies (the trademark of Chicago's Lee Loughnane, Walter Parazaider, and Jimmy Pankow), instead favoring a more staccato, rhythmic, borderline percussive approach similar to the sound being popularized by trumpeter/arranger Greg Adams in Tower Of Power (though notably excluding the contrapuntal baritone saxophone spits favored by Adams, obviously in deference to the three horn, sax-centric sound of James Brown). This sound was ideally suited for Maurice's increasingly dance-oriented songs. 1974's Mighty Mighty (from Open Our Eyes) provides an early example (as well as a rare glimpse of Myrick's considerable facility on the soprano saxophone, an instrument noted for being inherently difficult to play in tune). The culmination of this sound, however, is best exemplified by 1978's September, which prominently features a fast-moving unison line played in three octaves (Satterfield in the lower octave, Myrick and Davis doubling in the middle octave, and Harris in the upper octave)--for Satterfield and Harris, the line is in a difficult part of their respective instruments' upper registers, and the extreme precision is a testimony to both players's near-virtuosity.

The section also developed a unique approach to ballads. Davis and Harris doubled on the fluegelhorn, an instrument with roughly the same range as the trumpet but with a considerably softer, warmer timbre (the fluegel was a favorite texture of many jazz trumpeters, notably Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard). The softer pallete created by the blend of the two fluegels with Myrick's tenor sax and Satterfield's trombone allowed the section to still play interesting countermelodies and staccato jabs (listen to the post-chorus instrumental breaks of Reasons for a prime example) without being obtrusive or overbearing.

Myrick was also developing a distinctive solo voice. Though Laws and later Andrew Woolfolk, Laws's replacement, were intended to play the featured instrumentalist role in the band's live shows, Myrick eventually won over some of those duties for himself. He was particularly adept on the alto saxophone, distinctly demonstrating the influence of soul-influenced bebop saxophonist Julian 'Cannonball' Adderly. His tour de force is the burning, passionate solo on the 1979 single After The Love Is Gone.

1979 saw the arrival and almost immediate departure of 3rd trumpet Elmar Brown. Aside from the recording of the album I Am, there is very little empirical evidence to suggest that Brown had any career as a musician either before or after this brief stint.

Collaboration with Phil Collins

In 1981, with EWF's future uncertain, the foursome joined Genesis drummer Phil Collins and producer Hugh Padgam in the studio for the recording of Collins's debut solo album, Face Value. Five of the musically diverse album's 12 tracks featured horns, with a sixth (a rendition of the Beatles's Tomorrow Never Knows) featuring electronically manipulated samples of the section. The group's (and in particular Harris's) extreme precision was put to good use in up-tempo numbers like Behind The Lines and the mostly instrumental Hand In Hand. Myrick's lyrical alto playing is featured prominently on If Leaving Me Is Easy, as are Harris's and Davis's signature fluegelhorn lines. The section also joined Collins's band Genesis on their album "Abacab" featuring on the song "No Reply At All" and also played on the Genesis "Paperlate" EP.

The foursome developed a strong kinship with Collins and elected to join him on tour and for the recording of subsequent albums, while still performing and recording with EWF intermittently. 1982's Hello, I Must Be Going saw a feature instrumental piece, The West Side, penned for Myrick by Collins. Early concert footage shows the section doing considerably more than playing their instruments. Prior to 1989 Collins did not use dedicated backing vocalists in his live band, relying instead on instrumentalists. While guitarist Daryl Stuermer and bassists Jon Giblin and Leland Sklar sing sporadically, the horn section sings and plays percussion on virtually every song that does not feature horns. During the extended intro to Hand In Hand, the foursome join Collins at the front of the stage for a vocal call and response. Harris also contributed a brief co-lead vocal on the closing number, a rendition of the Isley Brothers's It's Alright. Additionally, Satterfield played baritone saxophone to brighten the section's sound for certain parts.

Following the 1985/'86 tour, Michael Harris departed the group and was replaced by Harry Kim. Kim's playing, though equally precise, did not contain the same fire and intensity as Harris's. The horn section also saw a diminished role in the live show. Collins began employing backing vocalists and occasionally dedicated percussionists (legendary bandleader Tito Puente played with the group briefly). Following the 1990 live album/video Serious Hits....Live Don Myrick also departed, largely due to continued struggles with drug addiction. Myrick, sadly, was shot to death by the LAPD in the doorway of his home in 1993. He was replaced by erstwhile EWF co-saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk. By the time of the recording of 1996's Dance Into The Light, the Phenix horns had dissolved. They were replaced by the Vine Street Horns, featuring Phenix Horns replacements Woolfolk and Harry Kim along with 2nd trumpet Daniel Fornero and trombonist Arturo Velasco.

The section suffered a final blow in 1997 in the form of an apparent accounting error. Collins had offered the musicians in his 1990 band residuals from the sales of the Serious Hits....Live CDs and videos. Eight years after the residuals began (aside from Kim, none of the horn players had worked with Collins in the interim), Collins's attorneys and bookkeepers made him aware that the horn players were receiving the same share as the rest of the musicians despite only having played on five of the 15 songs. Without explanation, Collins abruptly stopped payment. Davis and Satterfield had both been inactive in the interim (Satterfield largely due to significant health concerns) and were relying on the residuals to live day to day. Faced with a sudden and unexpected lack of income, Davis was forced to pawn his instruments, although the judge said felt Davis had overstated his case, adding he had earlier admitted his current difficulties were down to "bad business decisions".

Unclear on what had happened, Davis and Satterfield filed suit against Collins (the holders of Myrick's estate chose not to participate, and Kim was still in the employ of Collins). In a surprise move which shocked music journalists, the British press, and fans alike, Collins countersued, demanding a return on the overpayment the four had received. Collins, at the time believed to be worth in excess of $100 million, had no obvious need for the return payment. A personal plea from Satterfield to Collins fell on deaf ears, and the case proceeded to court. Collins was not granted return payment, but no further residuals need be paid out until the adjusted percentage catches up with the amount Collins had already paid out. Collins received a harsh reprimand from the judge for having filed countersuit.

Breakup of the group

Band leader Don Myrick was killed in 1993. Louis Satterfield died in 2004.

Rahmlee Michael Davis ultimately resumed a career as a solo jazz artist and occasional sideman/session player. Louis Satterfield returned to performing until his death in 2004. Don Myrick is buried in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood/Los Angeles, across the street from the Great Western Forum, home of the LA Lakers. Kim and Woolfolk still do session work with Fornero and Velasco under the Vine Street Horns moniker. Ronnie Laws performs primarily as a solo jazz artist. No current information is available on Michael Harris, and no information whatsoever is or probably ever was available on Elmar Brown.