Profile of Barry White on Famous Like Me

Barry Eugene White (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American record producer and singer responsible for the creation of numerous hit soul and disco songs. He conducted the Love Unlimited Orchestra, which consisted of live musicians, including string and percussion players. Records featuring White's deep voice and suave delivery were often used by couples wishing to create a romantic ambience. He was often affectionately referred to as the "Maestro".

Though he was born in Galveston, Texas, he grew up in the high-crime areas of South Central Los Angeles, California, where he joined a gang at the age of 10, and subsequently, at 17, was jailed for four months for theft of $30,000 worth of Cadillac tires.

After being jailed, 17-year-old White left gang life and began a musical career at the dawn of the 1960s in singing groups before going out on his own in the middle of the decade. What marginal success he had during the 1960s would be as a songwriter; his songs were recorded by rock singer Bobby Fuller and TV bubblegum act The Banana Splits. In 1969, he found his break backing up three talented female singers into a girl group called Love Unlimited.

Formed to be another version of the legendary Motown girl group The Supremes, the group would mold their talents with White for the next two years until the group and White were signed to contracts to 20th Century Fox Records. White produced, wrote and arranged the classic soul ballad, "Walking in the Rain (With The One I Love)". The song hit the Top 20 of the pop charts.

The group would score more hits throughout the '70s and White eventually married the lead singer of the group - Glodean James. While working on a few demos for a male singer to sing, the record label suggested White step out in front of the mic and not so much in the background. White reluctantly agreed and the rest, as they say, is music history.

His hits included "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" (1973), "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (1973), "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (1974), "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (1974), "What Am I Gonna Do With You" (1975), "Let the Music Play" (1976), "Your Sweetness is My Weakness" (1978), "Change" (1982), "Sho' You Right" (1987), and "Practice What You Preach" (1994), among others.

He had been ill with chronically high blood pressure for some time, which resulted in renal failure in the autumn of 2002. He suffered a stroke in May 2003, after which he was forced to retire from public life. On July 4, 2003, he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles. White was just 58. His death was reported as being from renal failure.

Late in his life, White wished to be remembered as a good person who happened to be able to sing.

White's autobiography, Barry White: Love Unlimited, was written with Marc Eliot and published by Broadway Books in 1999.

Barry White's music was frequently showcased on the late-1990s television show Ally McBeal; the show often used esoteric references to what was going on inside character's heads. In this case, John Cage (played by Peter MacNicol) would hear Barry White sing whenever he was sexually aroused. The use of his music on the show served to revitalize his career, and White eventually made a guest appearance in the show.

White was the model for the character of Chef in the cartoon series South Park. He was offered the role , but declined: as a devout Christian, White was uncomfortable with South Park's often irreverent humor.

Barry had also made a few appearances on The Simpsons.

He was affectionately parodied by the British comedian Lenny Henry's character "Theophilus P. Wildebeest" (pronounced "wilder beast"), a crooner who "lurved" the ladies but tended to suffer from embarrassing "flat batteries". Another British parody was the character "Fat Harry White" whose innuendo-laden anecdotes used to be a regular feature of Mark Radcliffe's radio show on BBC Radio 1.

Discography

Albums

Love Unlimited & Love Unlimited Orchestra:

• 1972: From a Girl's Point of View We Give to You
• 1973: Under the Influence Of
• 1974: Rhapsody in White
• 1974: Together Brothers
• 1974: In Heat
• 1974: White Gold
• 1975: Music Maestro Please
• 1976: My Sweet Summer Suite
• 1977: He's All I've Got
• 1978: My Musical Bouquet
• 1979: Super Movie Themes, just a little bit different
• 1979: Love Is Back
• 1981: Let 'Em Dance!
• 1981: Welcome Aboard
• 1983: Rise

Barry White:

• 1973: I've Got So Much to Give
• 1973: Stone Gon'
• 1974: Can't Get Enough
• 1975: Just Another Way to Say I Love You
• 1976: Let the Music Play
• 1976: Is This Whatcha Want?
• 1977: Barry White Sings for Someone You Love
• 1978: The Man
• 1979: The Message Is Love
• 1979: I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing
• 1980: Sheet Music
• 1981: Barry & Glodean
• 1981: Beware!
• 1982: Change
• 1983: Dedica Ted
• 1987: The Right Night & Barry White
• 1989: The Man Is Back!
• 1991: Put Me In Your Mix
• 1992: Just For You (20-Jahre-Edition mit 3 CD?s)
• 1994: The Icon Is Love
• 1999: The Ultimate Collection
• 1999: Staying Power

Singles and US chart placings

Pop chart peaks: Billboard 100; Dance chart peaks: Hot Dance Music/Club Play.

Love Unlimited:

• 1972 "Walkin' In the Rain With the One I Love (#14 US)
• 1973 "It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring) (#83 US)
• 1974 "Under the Influence Of Love" (#76 US)
• 1975 "I Belong To You (#27 US)

Love Unlimited Orchestra:

• 1974 "Love's Theme" (#1 US)
• 1974 "Rhapsody In White" (#63 US)
• 1975 "Satin Soul" (#22 US, #11 Dance)
• 1976 "My Sweet Summer Suite" (#48 US) / "Brazillian Love Song" (#1 Dance - charted as double-sided hit on dance chart)
• 1977 "Theme From King Kong" (#68 US, #7 Dance)
• 1981 "Welcome Aboard" (#59 Dance)

Barry White:

• 1973 "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" (#3 US)
• 1973 "I've Got So Much Love To Give" (#32 US)
• 1974 "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (#7 US)
• 1974 "Honey Please, Can't Ya See" (#44 US)
• 1974 "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe" (#1 US)
• 1975 "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (#2 US, #2 Dance)
• 1975 "What Am I Gonna Do With You" (#8 US)
• 1975 "I'll Do For You Anything You Want Me To" (#40 US)
• 1976 "Let the Music Play" (#32 US)
• 1976 "Baby, We Better Try To Get It Together" (#92 US)
• 1977 "I'm Qualified To Satisfy You" (#30 Dance)
• 1977 "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me" (#4 US, #5 Dance)
• 1978 "Oh What a Night For Dancing" (#24 US)
• 1978 "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" (#60 US, #16 Dance)
• 1990 "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)" (Quincy Jones with Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge and Barry White) (#31 US)
• 1994 "Practice What You Preach" (#18 US)
• 1995 "Come On" (#87 US)
• 1996 "Slow Jams" (Quincy Jones featuring Babyface, Tamia, Portrait and Barry White) (#68 US)

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