Barry White: Remembering the 'maestro of love' 10 years after his death

Barrence Eugene Carter, a.k.a. Barry White, is a monument to Rhythm and Blues, the musical genre that emerged in the USA in the 70s. Born into a single-parent family on September 12, 1944 in Galveston, Texas, he spent his teenage years in a Los Angeles suburb. The interpreter of You're the One I Need has an atypical background, which has made him a pioneer of Rhythm and Blues.

Barry White was saved by music

The '40s may have been prosperous for the United States, but the social situation was deplorable. Racial segregation was rampant, leading to the creation of ghettos, increased crime and police violence. Barry White grew up in this climate of hatred and distrust of the authorities. Raised by his mother after his father's departure, she gave him piano lessons. Barry White developed his artistic soul through music, but it didn't last, as he gave up music and turned to crime. He joined a gang in his teens. Barry White was arrested and convicted of theft at the age of 17.

While serving his sentence in 1960, Barry White decided to change his lifestyle after hearing Elvis Presley's song It's Now or Never. He wanted to devote his life to his first love, music. To this end, he began working with artists as a producer. He produced for the all-girl group Unlimited Love for several years before embarking on a solo career in 1970.

Barry White took the stage name Gene West and covered Elvis Presley songs, and was spotted by Gene Page, who trained him on classical instruments. Later, the singer met other artists such as Paul Leo Politi, Wah Wah Watson, Billy Sepe, and Tony Sepe, with whom he works to produce his first song You Are the First, the Last, My Everything.

Throughout his career, Barry White performed and written love anthems for artists. His instrumental compilation The Love Unlimited Orchestra reached number one in the US charts. His hit singles such as My Sweet Summer Suiteearned him the title of 'maestro of love'. In all, Barry White produced 21 albums in the space of 3 years, a record unheard of in the music world, and sold over 116 million records worldwide.

Barry White's fight against illness

Barry White was a man of great stature: he was one hundred and ninety-two meters tall and weighed one hundred and fifty kilos. His health began to deteriorate in 1999, when he was hospitalized for high blood pressure. This put a pause to his tour. He then returned to hospital to await a kidney transplant, as his own were failing due to multiple hypertensive crises. In May 2003, Barry suffered a stroke while on dialysis, which left him with serious consequences, and forced him to withdraw from public life. He died on Friday July 4, 2003, after a long battle with the disease.

He left behind his second wife Glodean White and their child, and his partner Katherine Denton, with whom he has a daughter, Barrianna, born after the singer's death.

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

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