Barry White

A giant both artistically and physically, Barry White had a basso profundo voice and lusty, soulful songs that are probably responsible for more procreation than a thousand fertility clinics. Songs like "Never Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" brought an epic, orchestral sensibility to R&B, and White was one of the musical bridges between soul and disco in the 1970s. While he had considerable chart success, White was not much of a critics' favorite. In subsquent decades, however, he came to be taken more seriously, and respected as a soul music giant. He even managed a comeback in the '90s before his death in 2003.

• pop
• r&b/soul
• 1970s
• 1990s
• 1980s