Over 100 Million Served

09/08/1999 2:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
David Nathan

"I'm very fortunate to have a career that has lasted as long as it has. Did I think it would last this long? No way!" Barry White chuckles, his deep bass tones resonating through the phone lines. "I don't know if it's my music, my lyrics, my sound, and knowing the music business the way I do--all I can say is I never knew how long my career would continue and it's lasted way longer than I expected."

It seems fitting that the man known as "The Maestro Of Love" is celebrating an incredible 40 years in the music industry with the release of a new album entitled Staying Power. Two years in the making, the album is a follow-up to White's triple-platinum 1994 The Icon Is Love set and represents a switch from A&M Records--with whom he recorded for eight years--to Private Music. "A lot of business things held up finishing the new record," says White, recuperating from exhaustion that resulted in the rescheduling of dates on an international tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. "After I left A&M, I was with Interscope for a quick minute before we signed with Private Music, who have been very supportive and easy to work with."

White's new 11-track CD is already getting plenty of attention, and he's heartened by the reaction. "I'm very happy with this new record," says White, whose recorded works have topped 100 million in sales since he burst onto the music scene in 1973 with "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby," the first in a string of massive pop and R&B hits. (Previously, he groomed several hit-making groups as an A&R exec.) "It's dealing with different aspects of love--even 'Get Up,' which is me making a statement about people getting up off their asses and doing something with their lives. It is about love and it's about caring for others."

The album's highlights include two versions of "The Longer We Make Love," one done with soul siren Chaka Khan and the other with British vocalist Lisa Stansfield, a dedicated Barry White fan. "We did the song with Lisa in England and then we did the one with Chaka and I decided to keep both of them. It's the same track with different mixes." In addition to trademark bedroom-flavored slow-jams like "Don't Play Games" and "Slow Your Roll," White covered two songs made famous by others. "I've always loved War's 'Low Rider' and Sly Stone's 'Thank You,' and I just wanted to put my take on them," explains the multi-faceted artist, producer, and songwriter who co-produced Staying Power with longtime associate Jack Perry.

Aside from his upcoming tour with EW&F ("It's our first time touring together and we'll be in the U.S. for about a month-and-a-half before we hit Europe for three months"), White is eagerly awaiting the publication of his autobiography, named after his new album. "The biggest problem I had was remembering accurately. The book is about the lessons I've learned, things I went through and endured. After reading the book, I hope young people will see how I changed my life and how it's up to them to make changes in their own lives to succeed."