Barry White

Birthday: 12 September 1944, Galveston, Texas, USA

Birth Name: Barrence Eugene Carter

Height: 192 cm

Barry White first made his mark in the music business in the 1960s as a session musician, even serving for a spell as an A&R man for a small, independent Los Angeles record label. He first hit it big in 1973 with a series of albums and singles emphasizing lush orchestrations and elaborate production values, over which he laid down his big bass voice. In 1973 and 1974 alone, he sold US$16 million worth of records--not only on his own but also as the conductor and composer of instrumental records (as the Love Unlimited Orchestra) and as the primary producer and songwriter of the female vocal trio Love Unlimited (one of whom, Glodean White, became his second wife). 1974 was a prolific year for White, during which he composed the score of Together Brothers (1974) and acted in Coonskin (1975).After a particularly pronounced fallow period in the 1980s, he rebounded in the 1990s with a series of critically and commercially acclaimed records and he beefed up his presence on TV somewhat with a famous guest appearance on The Simpsons (1989), a recurring role on Ally McBeal (1997), and a series of commercials in which he parodied his image and persona. Show less «

I kept my babies fed. I could have dumped them, but I didn't. I decided that whatever trip I was on,...Show more »

I kept my babies fed. I could have dumped them, but I didn't. I decided that whatever trip I was on, they were going with me. You're looking at a real daddy. Show less «

As a boy, I believed freedom for America meant freedom for me. There was a time I believed every wor...Show more »

As a boy, I believed freedom for America meant freedom for me. There was a time I believed every word spoken. Show less «

We forget that this music, music made by my brothers and sisters, is still a baby. It's just beginni...Show more »

We forget that this music, music made by my brothers and sisters, is still a baby. It's just beginning. When I think of the possibilities, it makes me smile. Show less «

The whole system of society tells you what to do.

No one could understand the bond between me and my brother. I struggled to understand the forces tha...Show more »

No one could understand the bond between me and my brother. I struggled to understand the forces that drove his soul in one direction and mine in another. Show less «

I don't know if it's my music, my lyrics, my sound, and knowing the music business the way I do-all ...Show more »

I don't know if it's my music, my lyrics, my sound, and knowing the music business the way I do-all I can say is, my career has lasted way longer than I expected. Show less «

Disco deserved a better name, a beautiful name because it was a beautiful art form. It made the cons...Show more »

Disco deserved a better name, a beautiful name because it was a beautiful art form. It made the consumer beautiful. The consumer was the star. Show less «

I've always loved War's Low Rider and Sly Stone's Thank You, and I just wanted to put my take on the...Show more »

I've always loved War's Low Rider and Sly Stone's Thank You, and I just wanted to put my take on them. Show less «

Most families had four, five brothers. But because it was just me and Darryl, we had to be twice as ...Show more »

Most families had four, five brothers. But because it was just me and Darryl, we had to be twice as strong. Show less «

I'm very happy with this new record. It's dealing with different aspects of love-it's me making a st...Show more »

I'm very happy with this new record. It's dealing with different aspects of love-it's me making a statement about people doing something with their lives. It is about caring for others. Show less «

One preacher turned me on, another turned me off.

I try to tell a story musically in a song.

The cops picked me up for attempted murder. I can still see the detectives, licking their chops. Tho...Show more »

The cops picked me up for attempted murder. I can still see the detectives, licking their chops. Thought they had me. Two weeks later, the cat came out of a coma and told the truth. I was innocent. Show less «

Mama tried to save us from the streets, but the streets were too strong.

I quit high school on my birthday. It was my senior year and I didn't see the point. This was 1962, ...Show more »

I quit high school on my birthday. It was my senior year and I didn't see the point. This was 1962, and I was ready to make music. Show less «

I went to jail at 16 for stealing tires off Cadillacs. When I got out I said, Never again.

When I commit, I commit with my whole heart, my whole being. I know the Bible like the back of my ha...Show more »

When I commit, I commit with my whole heart, my whole being. I know the Bible like the back of my hand. Show less «

There's people making babies to my music. That's nice.

People are always looking for me to be a freak, weird.

Elton John's opinion turned the label's opinion around, all in a day.

We were ready to launch Barry White, but the record company wouldn't put it out. Said it wouldn't se...Show more »

We were ready to launch Barry White, but the record company wouldn't put it out. Said it wouldn't sell. Show less «

When I saw corruption, I was forced to find truth on my own. I couldn't swallow the hypocrisy.