Barry White(1944-2003)
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
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 (1974).
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.
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.
