The boy whose voice dropped overnight

Barry White was born Barry Eugene Carter in Galveston, Texas, in 1944, and grew up in Watts, in South Los Angeles. His mother's classical records filled the house. One day he came through the front door and heard her playing Beethoven, which he later called the most amazing thing he had ever experienced. It made him sit down at the piano. His voice changed at 13 or 14, almost overnight. He woke one morning, spoke to his mother, and scared them both.

The road was not smooth. At 16 White spent four months in jail for stealing tires, and there he heard Elvis Presley singing “It's Now or Never” on the radio, which he later credited with turning his life around. On his 18th birthday he skipped class and walked to Capitol Records in Hollywood, then stood across the street and stared at the building for hours. He wanted to work in entertainment, even though he could not read or write music.

After his release he left that life behind and started in vocal groups. His first release, “Too Far to Turn Around”, came in 1960 with the Upfronts, and he drifted through small Los Angeles labels. His greatest success came as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, whose No. 1 hit “Love's Theme” he wrote. His two biggest hits were “Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” and “You're the First, the Last, My Everything”.

What followed was a body of work built on a bass voice and a romantic image. “I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby”, “It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me” and “September When I First Met You” show how patiently it moves, lush strings under a murmur that takes its time. White sold more than 100 million records, won two Grammys, and died in July 2003.