Artists & Bands

The Emotions | Tunes + Guitar Lessons

The Emotions brought gospel roots and soulful harmonies to the disco era, crafting timeless hits with Earth, Wind & Fire. Their blend of R&B, pop, and funk made dancefloor classics that still shine today!

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From Stax to Earth, Wind & Fire: The Emotions’ Disco Breakthrough

In 1977, The Emotions had a worldwide hit with Best of My Love, followed two years later by another global smash, Boogie Wonderland.

Best of My Love was no debut—it took years of development for the sisters to get there.

Starting out as a gospel group, the women who would become The Emotions toured with their father as teenagers. Eventually, they transitioned from their gospel roots into an R&B and soul vocal group.

Their first break came on Volt, a subsidiary of Stax Records—home to legends like Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Albert King, McFadden & Whitehead, and the iconic house band Booker T. & the M.G.’s.

Under the guidance of Isaac Hayes, The Emotions released several albums and singles with modest success.

Unfortunately, as Stax began to decline, the group’s time there never yielded any major hits. After about six years of development, Stax folded in 1975, prompting the group to move on to Columbia Records.

It was here they began working with members of Earth, Wind & Fire. The emerging disco sound clearly suited the sisters better than Stax’s grittier soul vibe, and Earth, Wind & Fire certainly helped bring out their full potential.

Together, they would go on to release two of the biggest disco anthems of all time: Best of My Love and Boogie Wonderland. Decades later, both songs continue to receive radio play, fill dance floors, and remain staples in the repertoires of soul and disco bands around the world.

The late ’70s marked their peak, but even as the cultural backlash against disco intensified—with events like 1979’s “Disco Demolition Night” declaring the genre dead—The Emotions continued to release albums into the mid-1980s.