Today, Barry White is remembered as one of the most distinctive vocalists of all time,
and his genre-spanning love ballads are some of the finest of the 20th century. But life
wasn't always easy for the Maestro of Love. This is Barry White's tragic real-life story.
Early years
Barry White was born in Texas on September 12th 1944. He spent a large part of his childhood in
Los Angeles, however, and saw some tough times as a kid. According to his 1999 autobiography,
the musician grew up in a small home with his mother and siblings.
In their youth, White and his brother became involved in local gangs
and often found themselves in trouble. In an interview with Rolling Stone, White said:
"I'm an ex-gang-banger. I come from southeast L.A. I didn't only hear about the 1965 riot,
I was in it. I understand the disappointment, the anger that people have. I had the same.
My brother had the same until he died in 1983.
He was my best friend and my life till he died. He was night, and I was day."
White added that his brother was so caught up in the world of crime
that it was comparable to the way Barry himself grew to love music.
Later in life, the singer chose to be open with fans about his past. He explained:
"So I tell young people the truth, and a lot of them listen. They know I've been to jail.
I've never hid my past, and I never will.
I don't want no young person to think he's stuck in that misery."
The love of music
Even as a child, Barry White was fascinated by music. He was a member of his church choir and
closely followed his local music scene. Hoping to explore more about the world of music,
White would constantly listen to the radio and figure out ways to make his
favorite songs a part of his life. In his autobiography, the singer writes:
"Ever since I was a little boy, whenever I heard a song on the radio I liked, I made it my song.
If I was alone, I immediately formed an attachment to it,
a touchstone to the time and place I first heard it. If I was with a lady, it became a
clear reminder to me of whom I was with, how I felt about her, and how she felt about me."
Unsurprisingly, music also played a major part in White's romantic experiences,
and when he finally started making his own music,
he consciously tried to write his songs to be an inspiration to lovers all around the world.
Finding his voice
Arguably the most instantly iconic aspect of Barry White's career is his
uniquely recognizable bass-baritone voice. White actually remembered the day he found that voice.
During his youth, White's voice had been fairly squeaky, but, out of nowhere, it suddenly deepened
a change that both scared and intrigued him. The change took him totally out of surprise,
seeming to happen almost overnight. In 1990, he explained to Ebony magazine
that the change was the cause of some excitement in the White household. He said:
"It scared me and my mother when I spoke that morning.
It was totally unexpected. My chest rattled. I mean vibrations. My mother was staring at me,
and I was staring at her. The next thing I knew, her straight face broke into a beautiful smile.
Tears came down her face and she said, 'My son's a man now.'"
Career struggles
After his rough childhood, Barry White's journey to redemption was not an easy one.
Still, he knew he needed to change his ways and give up his gang life. As he explains in
his autobiography, White decided to transform himself after spending time in jail. He writes:
"After two months on the inside, it finally started kicking in. I have to change my ways,
because if I don't, I'm going to end up in jail the rest of my life!"
"Fighting, partying, low-riding - what you learn as you get older:
you must become a man one day, and put away childish things."
White knew he'd have a hard time changing his bad habits, but he didn't see any other way out. A few
days after he left jail, however, he received an offer from friends to join a band and sing bass.
Until then, White had never thought of music as a solid career option, but he
agreed. White later credited that opportunity as the moment that changed the course of his life.
Of course, simply deciding to pursue music wasn't enough,
and he spent almost a decade trying to get noticed and make a mark in the industry. Along the way,
White worked on a number of collaborations and slowly but surely fought his way to the top.
Highs and lows
It wasn't until the 1970s that White finally started seeing the fruits of his labor.
In 1969, he founded the girl group Love Unlimited and began his career as a producer,
which marked a significant moment in his career. Through a friend,
he also met a businessman named Larry Nunes, who helped him with the finances for his album.
The album was titled From a Girl's Point of View We Give to You...Love Unlimited. In his memoir,
White explains that he knew that meeting Nunes would be a godsend for him. He writes:
"I couldn't believe it. Here I was, without a dime to my name,
with a group I couldn't afford to record, with nothing but my knowledge of music.
And over there, was Larry Nunes, a millionaire, offering me not just a
way to make a decent living, but the opportunity to make my musical life."
The 1970s were kind to White, who released one of his most popular tracks in 1972:
"Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love." It was his first major hit
and catapulted him into stardom. Around this time,
White also started the Love Unlimited Orchestra, with whom he found even greater success.
In 1973, White released a solo album, I've Got So Much to Give, which became popular
for his hit track, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby." White longed for more,
however, and he eventually founded his own label, Unlimited Gold, with CBS/Columbia Records in 1979.
Over the course of the 1970s, White would release an impressive
10 records. Unfortunately, the 1980s had loss and failure in store for the singer.
In the late '80s, he attempted and failed to replicate his earlier triumphs with albums such as
The Right Night & Barry White and The Man is Back! Things proved tough until the 1990s,
when he managed a career resurgence with his 1994 album The Icon Is Love. He also
went on to rack up two Grammy awards in 1999 for his song "Staying Power."
Mocked
Sadly, Barry White wasn't always understood by the wider public and often found himself
the target of mockery in the press. The media looked down on White because of his steamy lyrics,
and often portrayed him as a musician who only made trashy music. Luckily, White himself was
more than willing to shrug off this image though he also embraced it, on occasion.
"Mr. White, can we borrow you for a minute?"
"Anything… for a lady."
In an interview with Rolling Stone, White was asked about his thoughts
on being a generation-defining sex symbol. The singer explained, in his own unique way:
"It never gets in my way. I'm none of that. I'm Barry White. Calling
me different nicknames doesn't bother me one bit. I'm Barry White. Have a sip of champagne.
Women are not into fish eggs, they have a different nature. Men love it."
The lost dream
While White racked up several honors and successes in the course of his career, there was one dream
he never got the chance to see come true. In his autobiography, he writes about having missed the
opportunity to work with one of his favorite musicians ever: Marvin Gaye. Sadder still, they
were actually discussing a project together when the singer unexpectedly passed away. White writes:
"His passing hit me so hard and deep. It broke my heart. He was looking to make an even bolder leap,
to stretch, to work himself to a new level. Now he is gone forever. It is everybody's loss."
The loss was particularly personal for White, however, who had spoken
to Gaye just days before he died when Gaye had asked the musician to produce his next album.
White had told Gaye that he didn't need a producer to make a great album,
adding that he'd nonetheless happily brainstorm with him. White explains:
"I can never produce Marvin Gaye. Marvin is the only one that can produce Marvin."
Sadly, the duo never got to put out their project together.
Love life
Despite being known for his smooth love songs, White's own love life was fraught with difficulty.
None of his romances had happy endings, and both his marriages ended in divorce.
White's first wife was a childhood friend, who is identified only as "Mary" in his autobiography.
The pair had four kids together before they decided to go their separate ways in 1969.
His next wife was Glodean James, a member of Love Unlimited; they married in 1974,
and worked together over the next decade or so, even putting out the 1981 album Barry & Glodean.
"You make very special music. Why, all of a sudden,
did you decide to release an album with Glodean?"
"Dick, that's been in the works since 1974."
Ultimately, however, they divorced in 1988.
Fortunately, on the surface, White didn't seem too distraught about all this. In 1995,
he was asked about his love life for an interview with Rolling Stone. White simply said:
"I'm relaxing, I'm enjoying my life, and I let things do what they do.
I've already got one lady music."
Health issues
Barry White's health was never stellar, and he suffered from his fair share of problems
over the course of his life. In the docuseries Autopsy: Barry White, the singer's half-sister,
Sandra, elaborated on some of his health concerns he experienced
during the later days of his life. She explained:
"The last concert that I saw of Barry's [...] he could barely stand up.
He managed to get through it and then I understand he almost collapsed after he walked offstage."
She added that despite the scare, White was not keen on the idea of seeking help.
White had dealt with weight issues for most of his life, and he suffered a stroke in 2003 that
affected his speech. He'd also been dealing with a failing kidney and had acute blood pressure
issues, facts which had forced him to back out of many live shows. Unfortunately, Barry White's
health issues became worse over time, and he was unable to recover. During his final days,
he was even unable to stand. White passed away in July 2003, at the age of 58.
His last days
As his health waned during his final days, White faced ridicule from the audiences at his concerts.
During these performances, he was struggling to stay animated as he fought ever-worsening
exhaustion. Ned Shankman, White's manager, revealed in Autopsy:
Barry White that people didn't take kindly to the singer's physical struggles. Shankman said:
"He had to perform sitting down. It infuriated the crowds,
they wanted Barry playing the piano and moving around."
This thought was echoed by White's biographer, Marc Eliot, who said:
"The show was in the round and he wouldn't turn,
so half the audience saw only his back, and they booed him!"
White's son felt that his father was doing the best he could,
considering the circumstances, explaining:
"He wasn't able to stand up,
he was trying. He was struggling, but he was trying, and God bless him for that."
A painful legacy
Ultimately, Barry White left behind a rich but painful legacy for his fans. There was a lot
more that he had wanted to do with his career, and he left behind much unfinished work and unrealized
plans. White's death left fans heartbroken, and friends and fans alike paid tribute to him in the
following days. One of White's friends, Mohammed Mubarak, remembered his old friend, saying:
"He truly was the maestro of love."
And in his own words? During one interview, White himself said:
"I sleep music, I eat music, I'm never without it, I'm never without music, that's my first lady."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Grunge videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.