Barry White

Real name: Barrence Eugene Carter
Date of birth: 21 September 1944
Died: 4 July 2003
Place of birth: Galveston, Texas
Highest charting single: You’re The First, My Last, My Everything, Number 1, 1974

The Walrus of Love has influenced everything from '70s soul to '90s dance in his long and successful career, and was even sampled on Rock DJ by Robbie Williams.

Born into a religious family, Barry learned piano and sang gospel songs with his mother. At the age of 11 he embarked on his recording career, playing piano on a Jess Belvin track. But this promising beginning in the music industry stopped abruptly when the he moved to LA and fell in with the wrong crowd, eventually being jailed for four months after stealing $30,000 worth of Cadillac tyres!

Convinced it was time to go straight, Barry worked for years in music production, before taking centre stage in the ‘70s with a string of hits, including I’m Gonna Love You A Little Bit More Baby and You’re The First, My Last, My Everything – his only British number one.

Barry suffered from high blood pressure for many years, and his hectic lifestyle eventually took its toll in July 2004 when he suffered from kidney failure and died at a Hollywood hospital.