Andrew Paul Woolfolk II (October 11, 1950[1] – April 24, 2022) was an American saxophonist. Woolfolk was a longtime member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire from 1973 to 1985, and from 1987 to 1993. He also collaborated with artists such as Deniece Williams, Stanley Turrentine, Phil Collins, Twennynine, Philip Bailey, and Level 42.[2][3]
Andrew Woolfolk | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Woolfolk with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1982 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew Paul Woolfolk II |
| Born | October 11, 1950 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.[citation needed] |
| Died | April 24, 2022 (aged 71) Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Saxophonist |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1973–2022 |
Biography
editWoolfolk attended East High School in Denver, Colorado. In 1972 he joined the band Earth, Wind & Fire as a saxophonist and became a longstanding member. Woolfolk was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire in 2000.[4] In 2017, Woolfolk was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.[2]
Woolfolk died on April 24, 2022, after a long illness.[5]
Collaborations
editAside from his work with EW&F, Woolfolk played the saxophone on Valerie Carter's 1977 album Just a Stone's Throw Away, Deniece Williams' 1977 LP Song Bird, Twennynine's 1979 album Best of Friends, and Stanley Turrentine's 1981 LP Tender Togetherness.[3][6]
He later performed on Level 42's 1983 album Standing in the Light, Philip Bailey's 1984 Grammy-nominated LP The Wonders of His Love, and Bailey's 1986 Grammy-winning album Triumph.[3][7][8][9]
Woolfolk also played the saxophone on Tracie Spencer's 1988 self titled album and on Phil Collins' 1996 album Dance Into the Light.[3]
References
edit- ^ Blistein, Jon (27 April 2022). "Andrew Woolfolk, Earth, Wind, and Fire's Classic-Era Saxophonist, Dead at 71". RollingStone. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ a b Solomon, Jon (November 21, 2017). "Colorado Music Hall of Fame Honors East High School Jazz Greats". westword.com. Westword.
- ^ a b c d "Andrew Woolfolk". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ "Earth, Wind and Fire". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Anna, Anna (27 April 2022). "Death of saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk, member". HavanNews. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ Twennynine with Lenny White: Best of Friends. Elektra Records. 1979.
- ^ Philip Bailey: The Wonders of His Love. Myrrh Records. 1984.
- ^ "Philip Bailey". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- ^ Philip Bailey: Triumph. Word Records. 1986.
External links
edit- Andrew Woolfolk discography at Discogs
- Andrew Woolfolk at IMDb
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