June 18, 2026 11:59 am ET Earth, Wind & Fire in the mid-1970s. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Even the picturesque beaches and striking sunsets couldn’t dispel the tension among the members of Earth, Wind & Fire. While the group was recording on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in 1980, keyboard player Larry Dunn remembered guitarist Al McKay arguing with band leader Maurice White, pressing him for a more equitable financial arrangement with the other musicians.