I Am is the ninth studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire. It was released in June 1979 by ARC/Columbia Records. The LP rose to number one on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and number three on the Billboard 200 chart. I Am has been certified Double Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA, Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and Platinum in Canada by Music Canada.
I Am was produced by Maurice White. The album features guest appearances by the Emotions and Toto's Steve Lukather.
Maurice White – lead vocals, backing vocals, drums, kalimba Fred White – drums Philip Bailey – lead vocals, backing vocals, congas, percussion Ralph Johnson – percussion Paulinho da Costa – percussion Verdine White – bass Johnny Graham – guitars (1–9, 11) Al McKay – guitars Marlo Henderson – guitars Steve Lukather – guitars Larry Dunn – acoustic piano, Oberheim synthesizers, Moog synthesizers David Foster – keyboards Eddie del Barrio – keyboards Bill Meyers – keyboards Junior Wells – harmonica (11), additional lead vocals (11) The Emotions – additional backing vocals (5) Andrew Woolfolk – tenor saxophone Steve Porcaro – synthesizer programming Richard Lepore – timpani Sir Alexander Dutkewych – harp (12)
EWF horns Don Myrick – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, sax solo (3) Louis Satterfield – trombone Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet, trumpet solo (6)
plus: Jerry Hey – horn arrangements (1, 3, 8, 10–12) David Foster – string arrangements (1, 3, 8, 10) Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington – horn arrangements (2, 4, 6, 9), string arrangements (2, 4, 6, 7, 9) Benjamin Wright – horn and string arrangements (5) Janice Gower – concertmaster
Fred Jackson, Jr., Jerome Richardson and Herman Riley – saxophones George Bohanon, Garnett Brown, Benny Powell, Bill Reichenbach Jr. and Maurice Spears – trombone Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, Michael Harris, Jerry Hey and Steve Madaio – trumpet Barbara Korn, Sidney Muldrow, Richard Perissi and Marilyn Robinson – French horn
