Soul Man

Hey Barry White Fans . . .
It's now autumn, and we are all faced with the daily grind of life again . . . no more vacations and long, sun-filled days lolling about at the beach. It's reality, most of us are not independantly wealthy, capable of doing nothing each day. Now's the time we must harken back to our youth, our carefree days . . remembering what it felt like to spend many hours doing whatever we darn well felt like doing. I can remember endless hours with the record player turning, spinning out the songs of my youth . . . any number of artists voices carrying out from those magic discs . . . unfortunately for me, I hadn't discovered Barry White then. I had heard of him, but I hadn't listened effectively to his wonderful voice, his melodies and compositions so intricate and soulful. Sometimes I really regret that I missed his heydey, the period of life when he was alive and giving us those songs, one after the other. How quickly the lights of life can dim if we aren't paying attention. It reminds me that life's most precious moments are those we get to spend doing just as we please in youthful pursuit . . when time is standing still and we eagerly accept the nothingness for we don't know what lies ahead. In remembrance of Barry White and my youth, I encourage all of you to take a moment to enjoy something carefree . . . do nothing but whatever it is you enjoy doing! That's what Barry got to do all of his life, what he loved! Celebrate the eternal youth of this masterful musician.

Take care,
Cheryl

At the Home . . .

of the #1 fan of Barry White right now . . . around me are the many albums, cds, dvds, and assorted photos and other items in this man's memorabilia. I could say that possibly he has everything, but I know this is not the case! There are so many more things out there in the world which pertain to Barry, left from concerts, or perhaps gathered by adoring fans just like him. But he likes to say, he is the #1 fan, because he has spent his lifetime in adoration of Barry! I hear him sing along to songs I am not even so familiar with, knowing every lyric, every note, every place where Barry worked his magic with composing . . . . each song is his favorite, each melody starts a flood of memories and emotions flowing. Can you compare your personal history to his? I think there are many such fans worldwide who adored Barry White, not to mention those who were actually conceived during one of his marathon recordings. Hmmm, to say BW touched the world is an understatement for sure. Lots of love to all those of you who are right now lost in dreams of another time, a time filled with the delectable sounds of the maestro as he delighted you with endless love and beautiful music!

Another Reference

again today, in an episode of a tv show from the 90's I think . . . I didn't watch the show back when it first aired, but in seeing it's reincarnation on cable today, I was reminded of Barry White's influence yet again. There I was, only "sort of" watching as the comedic cast did their best to entertain . . . I'm not sure of the title even of the show, just remembering the tragic circumstance of the actual cast member who was shot to death unexpectedly by his wife of all people while the show was still in production. His name was Phil Hartman, and he was one of the big stars of this ensemble cast. Anyway, today as he performed his lines, he was doing a deep voice at one moment, and actually pretended to be Barry White. It was charming. I'm wondering how many times Barry was mentioned or imitated by someone in movies or in television programs, or in song lyrics, or how many times he participated in broadcasts which aired during his lifetime. His career was so prolific, how could anyone have kept track of all his appearances much less the times he was given a nod, or a mention within a show??

Ah, Barry, you had so much influence and you were so iconic, everyone seems to have known you. It's sometimes strange how you live on so, beyond the physical limitation of your abbreviated life, just like the actor who pretended to be you in this show. It was sort of ironic . . . time has a way of equalizing us all that way, doesn't it?? We all become memories, but those icons amongst us get to live on through film and video, iconic immortality, thankfully!

Filled With Memories

and playing his songs . . . we all spent a moment basking in the glow of Barry White this 4th of July, didn't we? It is an honor to remember someone so talented, but the very act of this reverence to a master is still not easy to facilitate. It's as if we still find it hard to believe he is gone. I am certain his #1 fan, a man I know quite well, was moved to spend parts of the day longing for another chance to experience Barry White's greatness . . . but not in album or cd form, but rather through a concert. Ah, if only there could be another chance to see him perform, as those who did see him live cannot seem to let the memory of that experience diminish. He must have surely been a tremendous force of nature out on the stage. I ponder the "what ifs" of my life, among the many volumes of things . . .wondering if I had just gotten the chance to see him, just once . . . but unfortunately, some of life's offerings to us have time deadlines, most of which we never consider until they are upon us. Then we lament the lost cause, the missed chance . . the restlessness building as we consider the opportunity that will never be. I probably could have had the opportunity once upon a time, but I was a different person inside then, favoring other performers during those years of Barry White's predominance. I missed the chance to pull the "golden ring" from the merry-go-round . . . just a few years too late with my admiration for this masterful musician to see him perform live.

Welcome to all the Maestro's Fans!!

What do we all have in common? We are the loyal and truest fans of Barry White
. . . the master of music, the producer behind many wonderful works of art, the guru of rhythm and blues . . . the extraordinary musician and artist who graced our world-filling it with heavenly sounds to lift our spirits, delight our senses, and elevate our human condition. He most assuredly was Il Maestro for us!

Our desire with this blog is to enable all of his fans worldwide to access fellow fans . . . to help one another remember, celebrate and inspire with his tremendous talent and divine musical gifts. We all have memories of hearing a special song for the first time, being caught up in a tempo only BW could have composed, to be swept away in a wave of sound and lyrics so uniquely his. He lit this world for such a relatively brief time, but he was most prolific and left a legacy of joy for all of us to reflect upon and enjoy.

Share your memories, your photos, your songs, your memorabilia . . . tell us what you remember, where you were when . . . ., what you loved most. We want to let this be the ultimate celebration for all-things-BW!! Enjoy!

Cheryl