As the United States Of America were to celebrate their Independance Day a year ago, American dream was going to a dramatic end for one of its children, beaten by the sickness in some California Hospital. A singer and also A producer whose style had sometimes been approached without finding its equivalent (cf. Johnny Bristol and, more recently, Cunnie Williams). A character whose glamourous side would reach its peak during the disco era. But if Barry White reached the status that was his, building his reputation from a repertoire that would always have something to do with that thing called love, it ended up being a sort of antidote to protect him from going back to gangsterism where he'd been at his early years…

Born in Galveston, Texas in 1944 before migrating to California, Barry White has fairly known those interrogations that (still) surround most of the Afro-American people as time comes to make a choice for living and preferably as decent as possible. This said, reality is not necessarily what we would think of when having a black skin in the South… There, the opportunities are far more limited, leaving you choosing between sports (basket or superbawl), muzak or, to a lesser extend, army, when not gangsterism… Barry could have been one of those baaaad boys, eventually spending a few days in jail, but music would save him from this while being taught how to sing and play piano, before making his classes as a member of a college band called the Upfronts. He then would start his official career as an arranger for Bob & Earl, prior to meet Gene Page who himself had arranged the classic "Harlem Shuffle" for the aforementioned pair. He then became A&R director for Bronco Records by the mid-sixties where he produced Viola Vills and Felice Taylor before giving birth to the famous Love Unlimited Orchestra band. I've started doing albums in 1972 (with the latest). Then the year after, as a solo artist signed on 20th Century Records, being litteraly obsessed by everything regarding the women and all those themas related to the question of love. Because, it's the thing that conditions our existence as human beings. A lot of us would like to do as if love didn't exist, forgetting that it is the basement of every civilization…

As a matter of fact a Barry White production was instantly recognizable amongst thousand of others, being one of the very first to point out the necessity of having an own sound (if not a formula), soon followed by a bunch of people including Earth, Wind & Fire's producer Maurice White (no family relations), Chic, Jam & Lewis and the likes, not to mention Masters At Work nowadays… Coz' not having that personal touch doesn't allow you to be recognized, being for much on all these soundalike stuff today. Many are those who've scored hits so far, but they may have got only one or two and no more. And most of the time, they were lucky enough, as they didn't have any personal formula. When asked what is the most important between music and lyrics, our man's answer is as direct as the previous ones… No doubt, music coz' it's what comes first. You may have an instrumental hit, I doubt you would do it as easily with lyrics only ! I may go back any time to my repertoire, select any song and rearrange it. Some people come to me in order to ask me the authorization to use or sample some of my songs. No prob. I would cut them the way it has to be before giving them for use. I'm living a constant relation with my music.

When asked about his heroes, he would have said that he didn't have any in the music field. I've never searched to be like anyone and I have always known that I would have some time to become who I am… A legend, a heroe… an icon. Let the music play !

Barry, you was a friend of mine, MFSB