Barrence Eugene Carter, better known as Barry white was born in Galverston Texas (USA) on 12 September 1944. Growing up in the southern suburbs of Los Angeles, he soon learned the harsh law of the street and gangs.
At the age of ten, Barry became a member of one of these gangs, but trouble was around the corner, in fact, at just seventeen, he ended up in prison for stealing tires. After his detention, towards the early seventies, he began a new path starting to perform first in a group with “The Up Front”, with whom he will record six singles. Subsequently he did not have great success as a soloist, but instead established himself as an author.
In 1969 he created the group of “Love Unlimited”, in response to the legendary Supremes. Over the next two years with Barry, as producer, songwriter and arranger, the group secured a deal with 20th Century Fox Record and recorded their first soul ballad: “Walking in the Rain with the One I Love”.
Success came immediately; the record sold a million copies. Few people know that Barry White has always carried out an intense production activity, a behind-the-scenes job that he shared with a passion for singing and solo performance. After the success of Love Unlimited produced by him, the following year he embarks on a solo adventure by turning out the instrumental “Love Theme”, which deserves the merit of having inaugurated the era of Disco Music. In 1974 he brought the album “Can’t get enaugh” to the top of the world charts. He also found the time in 1988 to divorce for the second time Glodeam James who among other things was also the first voice of “Love Unlimited”. The good Barry leaves 4 other children who are added to the other four had by his first wife, eight in all. Quite a prolific guy.
The Eighties were a time of light and shadow; only in 1994 with the piece: “Practice what you preach” Barry White saw the top of the charts again, after almost seventeen years of absence. A curious thing is that although Barry White had his peak of popularity in the 70s, he won his first “grammys” in 2000 for the best overall male performance and also of traditional R&B, thanks to the recent “Staying power” .
Among his successes that have made billions of romantics dance and have accompanied many young lovers, we cannot fail to mention: “I’m Gonna love you just a little more baby (1973)”, “Never, never gonna give you up (1973) ) “,” Can’t enaughof your love, babe (1974) “,” You are my first, the last, my everything “(1974),” Let the music play “(1976),” Change “(1982) for ending with “Practice whath you preach” (1994).
The 1988 concert live in New York’s Central Park, alongside the great Luciano Pavarotti was one of the last events that saw him as a protagonist, more than one and a half billion people followed the event worldwide. Chronically suffering from hypertension, his health is often threatened, also due to his considerable size, he weighed between 120 and 150 kg; suffered a kidney failure in the autumn of 2002 and a heart attack in 2003, which forced him to retire from the stage. He died at the age of 58 on July 4, 2003 (American Independence Day) of another kidney failure at Cedar’s Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood.
A beautiful warm and mellow voice, the true soundtrack of our youth.
Greetings Barry