Barry White • Ultimate Collection

 

Biography by Ed Hogan
Say the name Barry White and you'd be hard pressed to follow it with the name of any other recording artist with such a huge, cross-sectional following. He was at home appearing on Soul Train, guesting with a full band on The Today Show, and appearing in cartoon form in various episodes of The Simpsons. While there was a period when Barry White wasn't releasing records or making the pop charts, he did stay active touring and appearing on other artists' records, including on Quincy Jones' "The Secret Garden (The Seduction Suite)," Regina Belle's "Quiet Time," and rap star Big Daddy Kane's "All of Me." It's surprising to find out that such an illustrious career almost didn't happen because White wasn't interested in being a recording artist.

Born in Galveston, Texas, Barry White grew up singing gospel songs with his mother and taught himself to play piano. He made his first record when he was 16 with a group called the Upfronts. The song was called "Little Girl" and released on a local L.A. label. Later he worked for various independent labels around Los Angeles, landing an A&R position with Bob Keane, the man responsible for the first pop recordings by Sam Cooke. One of his labels, Mustang, was hot at the time with a group called the Bobby Fuller Four in 1966. White was hired for 40 dollars a week to do A&R for Keane's family of labels: Del-Fi, Mustang, and Bronco. White flirted with the idea of being a recording artist, making a record for Bronco called "All in the Run of a Day." But he chose to stick with his A&R duties. One of the first groups he worked with was the Versatiles, who later changed their name to the 5th Dimension. White's first big hit came from an artist familiar to dancefloor denizens -- Viola Wills, whose "Lost Without the Love of My Guy" went Top 20 R&B. His salary went up to 60 dollars a week. White started working with the Bobby Fuller Four. Keane and Larry Nunes -- who later became White's spiritual advisor and true friend -- wanted to cut a female act. White had heard about a singer named Felice Taylor, and together they had three hit records: "It May Be Winter Outside," "I'm Under the Influence of Love," and "I Feel Love Coming On." They were huge hits in England, and White started making 400 dollars a week.

When Bronco went out of business, White began independently producing. Those were some lean times for him. Veteran arranger Gene Page, who would later arrange or co-arrange White's hits, helped him out, giving him work and non-repayable loans. Three years later, Paul Politti, who also worked at Bronco, contacted him to tell him that Nunes was interested in starting a business with him, and had started cutting tracks for a concept album he was working on. Meanwhile, White had started working with a girl group who hadn't done any professional singing, and they rehearsed for almost a year. White wrote "Walkin' in the Rain (With the One I Love)" with lyrics were inspired by conversations with one of the singers, Glodean James (who would later become White's second wife). White christened the group Love Unlimited.

Nunes took the record to Russ Regan, the head of the Uni label owned by MCA. Love Unlimited's From a Girl's Point of View became a million-seller. Soon after, Regan left Uni for 20th Century. Without Regan, White's relationship with Uni soured. He decided to work with another act. He wanted to work with a male artist, and made three song demos of himself singing and playing the piano. Nunes heard them and insisted that he re-record and release them as a recording artist. They argued about it for days, and Nunes somehow convinced White to do it, although the latter was still hesitant when the label copy was made. He was going to use the name "White Heat," but the record, 1973's I've Got So Much to Give on 20th Century, became the first Barry White album. It included the title track and "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby."

White got a release from Uni for Love Unlimited and they joined him at 20th Century. He had a brainstorm for another concept LP and told Regan he wanted to do an instrumental album billed to the Love Unlimited Orchestra. The single, "Love's Theme," went to number one pop, became million-seller and a worldwide smash, and earned him a BMI award for over three million covers.

For the next five years, from 1974 to 1979, there was no stopping the White Hit Train -- with his own Stone Gon, Barry White Sings for Someone You Love ("It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me," "Playing Your Game Baby"), Let the Music Play (the title track, "You See the Trouble with Me"), Just Another Way to Say I Love You ("I'll Do for You Anything You Want Me To," "Love Serenade"), The Man ("Your Sweetness Is My Weakness," "Sha La La Means I Love You," "September When We Met," a splendid cover of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are"), and Love Unlimited's In Heat ("I Belong to You," "Move Me No Mountain," "Share a Little Love in Your Heart," and "Love's Theme," with lyrics). He also scored a soundtrack for the 20th Century Fox film The Together Brothers, which enjoyed resurgence on home video.

White's studio band included such luminaries as guitarists Ray Parker, Jr. (pre-Raydio, co-writer with White on "You See the Trouble with Me"), bassist Nathan East, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker, Dean Parks, Don Peake, bassist Wilton Felder of the Crusaders, Lee Ritenour, drummer Ed Greene, percussionist Gary Coleman, and later keyboardist Rahn Coleman. His hit streak felt limitless but soon faltered. Russ Regan and another ally, Hosea Wilson, left 20th Century, and White was left with management that he thought of in less than glowing terms.

White left after fulfilling his contract with two more album releases, Love Unlimited Orchestra's My Musical Bouquet and his own I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing. He signed a custom label deal with CBS Records. At the time it was touted as one of the biggest deals ever. He started a label called Unlimited Gold. The roster included White, Love Unlimited, the Love Unlimited Orchestra, Jack Perry, and a teenaged singer named Danny Pearson who charted with a song called "What's Your Sign Girl." He also did a duet album with Glodean James called Barry & Glodean. Aside from the gold album The Message Is Love, most of his platters weren't huge sellers. After eight Barry White albums, four Love Unlimited albums, four Love Unlimited Orchestra albums, constant touring, and dealing with the rigors of the music industry, White decided to take a break.

In 1992, White signed with A&M, releasing the albums The Man Is Back, The Right Night & Barry White, and Put Me in Your Mix (which contains a duet with Issac Hayes, "Dark and Lovely"). Including the platinum single "Practice What You Preach," The Icon Is Love became his biggest-selling album since the '70s and went multi-platinum. The production lineup included Gerald Levert and Tony Nicholas, his godson Chuckii Booker, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, White, and his longtime friend Jack Perry. While some later efforts buried his vocals in electronic effects, the original had White's deep steam engine baritone pipes upfront in the mix. Staying Power followed in 1999, showcased in the best tradition of soul music where the focus is the singer and the song. The album earned White two Grammys.

White, who suffered from hypertension and chronic high blood pressure, was hospitalized for kidney failure in September of 2002. He was undergoing dialysis treatment, but the combination of illnesses proved too much and he died July 4, 2003 at a West Hollywood hospital. By the time of his death, Barry White had achieved near-universal acclaim and popularity that few artists achieve, especially in their own lifetime.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/barry-white-mn0000149044#biography

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Biografía de Ed Hogan
Pronuncie el nombre de Barry White y le resultará difícil encontrar a otro artista con tantos seguidores. Se sentía como en casa apareciendo en Soul Train, como invitado con una banda completa en The Today Show y en forma de dibujos animados en varios episodios de Los Simpson. Aunque hubo un periodo en el que Barry White no publicaba discos ni aparecía en las listas de éxitos pop, se mantuvo activo haciendo giras y apareciendo en discos de otros artistas, como en "The Secret Garden (The Seduction Suite)" de Quincy Jones, "Quiet Time" de Regina Belle y "All of Me" de la estrella del rap Big Daddy Kane. Resulta sorprendente descubrir que una carrera tan ilustre estuvo a punto de no producirse porque White no estaba interesada en ser artista discográfica.

Nacido en Galveston (Texas), Barry White creció cantando canciones gospel con su madre y aprendió a tocar el piano de forma autodidacta. Grabó su primer disco a los 16 años con un grupo llamado The Upfronts. La canción se llamaba "Little Girl" y se publicó en un sello local de Los Ángeles. Más tarde trabajó para varios sellos independientes de Los Ángeles, y consiguió un puesto de A&R con Bob Keane, el responsable de las primeras grabaciones pop de Sam Cooke. Uno de sus sellos, Mustang, estaba de moda con un grupo llamado Bobby Fuller Four en 1966. White fue contratado por 40 dólares a la semana para hacer A&R para la familia de sellos de Keane: Del-Fi, Mustang y Bronco. White coqueteó con la idea de ser artista discográfico, grabando un disco para Bronco titulado "All in the Run of a Day". Pero prefirió seguir con sus tareas de A&R. Uno de los primeros grupos con los que trabajó fueron los Versatiles, que más tarde cambiaron su nombre por el de 5th Dimension. El primer gran éxito de White vino de la mano de una artista familiar para los amantes de las pistas de baile: Viola Wills, cuyo tema "Lost Without the Love of My Guy" alcanzó el Top 20 de R&B. Su sueldo subió a 60 dólares semanales. White empezó a trabajar con los Bobby Fuller Four. Keane y Larry Nunes, que más tarde se convertiría en el consejero espiritual y amigo de White, querían crear un grupo femenino. White había oído hablar de una cantante llamada Felice Taylor, y juntos consiguieron tres discos de éxito: "It May Be Winter Outside", "I'm Under the Influence of Love" y "I Feel Love Coming On". Fueron grandes éxitos en Inglaterra, y White empezó a ganar 400 dólares a la semana.

Cuando Bronco quebró, White empezó a producir de forma independiente. Fueron tiempos difíciles para él. El veterano arreglista Gene Page, que más tarde arreglaría o co-arreglaría los éxitos de White, le ayudó, dándole trabajo y préstamos a fondo perdido. Tres años más tarde, Paul Politti, que también trabajaba en Bronco, se puso en contacto con él para decirle que Nunes estaba interesado en iniciar un negocio con él, y había empezado a cortar pistas para un álbum conceptual en el que estaba trabajando. Mientras tanto, White había empezado a trabajar con un grupo de chicas que no habían hecho nada de canto profesional, y ensayaron durante casi un año. White escribió "Walkin' in the Rain (With the One I Love)" con una letra inspirada en conversaciones con una de las cantantes, Glodean James (que más tarde se convertiría en la segunda esposa de White). White bautizó al grupo como Love Unlimited.

Nunes llevó el disco a Russ Regan, responsable del sello Uni, propiedad de MCA. From a Girl's Point of View, de Love Unlimited, se convirtió en un éxito de ventas millonario. Poco después, Regan dejó Uni por 20th Century. Sin Regan, la relación de White con Uni se deterioró. Decidió trabajar con otro grupo. Quería trabajar con un artista masculino e hizo tres maquetas cantando y tocando el piano. Nunes las escuchó e insistió en que las volviera a grabar y las publicara como artista. Discutieron durante días y, de alguna manera, Nunes convenció a White para que lo hiciera, aunque éste seguía dudando cuando se hizo la copia para la discográfica. Iba a utilizar el nombre de "White Heat", pero el disco, I've Got So Much to Give de 1973 en 20th Century, se convirtió en el primer álbum de Barry White. Incluía la canción del título y "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby".


White consiguió una cesión de Uni para Love Unlimited y se unieron a él en 20th Century. Tuvo una lluvia de ideas para otro LP conceptual y le dijo a Regan que quería hacer un álbum instrumental facturado a la Love Unlimited Orchestra. El single, "Love's Theme", llegó al número uno del pop, se convirtió en un éxito de ventas millonario y mundial, y le valió un premio BMI por más de tres millones de versiones.

Durante los cinco años siguientes, de 1974 a 1979, no hubo quien detuviera el tren de éxitos de White, con sus propios Stone Gon, Barry White Sings for Someone You Love ("It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me", "Playing Your Game Baby"), Let the Music Play (el tema titular, "You See the Trouble with Me"), Just Another Way to Say I Love You ("I'll Do for You Anything You Want Me To, ", "Love Serenade"), The Man ("Your Sweetness Is My Weakness", "Sha La La Means I Love You", "September When We Met", una espléndida versión de "Just the Way You Are" de Billy Joel) y Love Unlimited's In Heat ("I Belong to You", "Move Me No Mountain", "Share a Little Love in Your Heart" y "Love's Theme", con letra). También compuso la banda sonora de la película de 20th Century Fox The Together Brothers, que resurgió en vídeo doméstico.

La banda de estudio de White incluía a luminarias como los guitarristas Ray Parker, Jr. (antes de Raydio, coguionista con White de "You See the Trouble with Me"), el bajista Nathan East, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker, Dean Parks, Don Peake, el bajista Wilton Felder de los Crusaders, Lee Ritenour, el batería Ed Greene, el percusionista Gary Coleman y, más tarde, el teclista Rahn Coleman. Su racha de éxitos parecía ilimitada, pero pronto flaqueó. Russ Regan y otro aliado, Hosea Wilson, abandonaron 20th Century, y White se quedó con una dirección que no le parecía muy buena.

White se marchó tras cumplir su contrato con dos álbumes más, Love Unlimited Orchestra's My Musical Bouquet y su propio I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing. Firmó un contrato a medida con CBS Records. En su momento se consideró uno de los mayores acuerdos de la historia. Creó un sello llamado Unlimited Gold. La lista incluía a White, Love Unlimited, la Love Unlimited Orchestra, Jack Perry y un cantante adolescente llamado Danny Pearson, que llegó a las listas con una canción llamada "What's Your Sign Girl". También hizo un álbum a dúo con Glodean James llamado Barry & Glodean. Aparte del álbum de oro The Message Is Love, la mayoría de sus discos no fueron grandes éxitos de ventas. Después de ocho álbumes de Barry White, cuatro álbumes de Love Unlimited, cuatro álbumes de Love Unlimited Orchestra, constantes giras y lidiar con los rigores de la industria musical, White decidió tomarse un descanso.

En 1992, White firmó con A&M y publicó los álbumes The Man Is Back, The Right Night & Barry White y Put Me in Your Mix (que contiene un dueto con Issac Hayes, "Dark and Lovely"). Incluyendo el single de platino "Practice What You Preach", The Icon Is Love se convirtió en su álbum más vendido desde los años 70 y obtuvo varios discos de platino. En la producción participaron Gerald Levert y Tony Nicholas, su ahijado Chuckii Booker, Jimmy Jam y Terry Lewis, White y su viejo amigo Jack Perry. Mientras que algunos trabajos posteriores enterraron su voz en efectos electrónicos, el original tenía la profunda voz de barítono de White en primera línea de la mezcla. Staying Power llegó en 1999, en la mejor tradición de la música soul, en la que el cantante y la canción son el centro de atención. El álbum le valió a White dos Grammys.

White, que padecía hipertensión e hipertensión crónica, fue hospitalizado por insuficiencia renal en septiembre de 2002. Se sometió a un tratamiento de diálisis, pero la combinación de enfermedades resultó ser demasiado y falleció el 4 de julio de 2003 en un hospital de West Hollywood. En el momento de su muerte, Barry White había alcanzado una fama y popularidad casi universales que pocos artistas consiguen, especialmente en vida.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/barry-white-mn0000149044#biography

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Tracklist:
01. Barry White / You’re The First, The Last, My Everything [00:03:24]
02. Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe [00:04:03]
03. Let The Music Play [00:03:32]
04. Don’t Make Me Wait Too Long [00:03:20]
05. I’ll Do For You Anything You Want Me To [00:04:12]
06. Sho’ You Right [00:04:34]
07. What Am I Gonna Do With You [00:03:36]
08. Come On [00:05:51]
09. I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Babe [00:04:00]
10. Never, Never Gonna Give You Up [00:04:09]
11. Baby We Better Try And Get Together [00:04:24]
12. Just The Way You Are [00:04:49]
13. I’m Qualified To Satisfy You [00:04:23]
14. Dark And Lovely [Over There] ‘Radio Edit’ [00:04:55]
15. You See The Trouble With Me [00:03:30]
16. It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me [00:06:59]
17. The Right Night [00:04:06]
18. Loves Theme [00:04:10]   

Performer:
Barry White, Lisa Stansfield, Isaac Hayes

1999

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