Earth, Wind & Fire teams with Chicago for summer outing

Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago--two American groups with a combined 70-plus years of music between them--will link up this summer for a U.S. amphitheater tour.

The groups, both of which emerged from Chicago in the late '60s, will begin and end each three-hour-plus show playing onstage together, and each band will play individual sets in between, according to a press release. Ticket on-sale information for the tour wasn't available at press time.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Earth, Wind & Fire formed in 1969, and have sold more than 30 million albums in the U.S., according to Clear Channel Entertainment. The group has won eight Grammys, and was also the recipient of a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last year, Earth, Wind & Fire issued "The Promise," an album that reunited the group with The Emotions, who also contributed vocals to EWF's 1979 hit "Boogie Wonderland" and 1981's "Let's Groove."

Last October, Chicago issued "Christmas: What's It Gonna Be, Santa?," a remastered and expanded version of the group's 1998 holiday set, "Chicago 25: The Christmas Album." The expanded edition features six newly recorded tracks, including "Winter Wonderland," "Sleigh Ride" and "Jolly Old St. Nicaholas."

On the same date, the group dropped a DVD that captures its 2002 performance on cable-channel A&E's "Live by Request." The 92-minute concert includes 14 fan-requested tracks, including "25 or 6 to 4," "If You Live Me Now," "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away" and "Saturday in the Park."

In 2002, Rhino Entertainment released "The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning," a 2-CD collection that entered the charts at No. 38, making Chicago the first American rock band to chart a Top 40 album in 5 consecutive decades, according to a press release. According to Clear Channel Entertainment, the group has sold 122 million albums over the years, charting 20 Top 10 hits, five No. 1 albums and five No. 1 singles.