Barry Eugene White (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring soul, funk, and disco songs such as his two biggest hits: "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything".
White recorded 20 studio albums during the course of his career, but multiple versions and compilations were released worldwide that were certified gold, 41 of which also attained platinum status. White had 20 gold and 10 platinum singles, with worldwide record sales in excess of 100 million records, and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His influences included James Cleveland, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, the Supremes, the Four Tops and Marvin Gaye.
Links to Peel[]
Peel was not a fan of the singer's work complaining in his 4th January 1975 Sounds article that Barry White was bursting in the charts and was one of the most uninteresting artists:
"Why is that the least interesting artistes are the ones who burst again and again into the charts. With the extraordinary wealth of creative and exciting Black music coming from America and Jamaica during the year, it is positively mortifying that Barry White is the most successful of that music's interpreters."[1]
In other Sounds music articles in the 70's[2][3], he would mention how at his gigs, many of the audience were requesting Barry White's songs, which he found disappointing. Nonetheless he did play a track from the singer called 'You're The First, The Last, My Everything' on his Where It's At series, first broadcast on radio in 1976.
Shows Played[]
- Where It's At: You're The First, The Last, My Everything