They're "shining stars," indeed!

Earth, Wind & Fire have been crowned the greatest R&B group of all time by Billboard. The "Shining Star" hitmakers took the top spot out of 50, followed by The Temptations, Sly and the Family Stone, The Isley Brothers and The Supremes.

"The band's innovative mélange of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, rock and world rhythms have kept its legion of fans mesmerized, while simultaneously luring next-gen fans over the last half century," the outlet wrote.

The top 10 also consist of New Edition, Boyz II Men, The Jackson 5 and Destiny's Child.

Earlier this month, band member Philip Bailey opened up the band's iconic 1978 single, "September," revealing that at first, he wasn't convinced it would be a hit.

"We used to do listening sessions after we finished doing all the tracks," Bailey explained to PEOPLE on June 13. "Before they were mixed properly, we would listen to all the different songs. That was one of them, and I just thought it was kinda corny. I was like, 'Bah-bee-ah? What's this?' But I was definitely wrong!"

The iconic group's formation and rise to fame is detailed in the new documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World), now streaming on HBO Max.

Glenn Hamilton

Follow

Call

Text