Barry White

If any artist left a legacy beyond his music, Barry White was undoubtedly the one. This legacy is the babies born of parents in luhhve with his deep-dish orchestrations and that voice — a nocturnal bedroom soundtrack for countless couples over the decades of his career.

The boudoir wasn't Barry White's only domain. "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" demonstrates how, for The Dove of Love, the disco floor and the mattress were a continuum — and how he could create one song plush enough to play through the whole scene-shifting night.

If Barry White was all about indulgence, perhaps his greatest was the mostly instrumental albums he produced with his Love Unlimited Orchestra. Wildly layered concoctions like "Satin Soul" and "Midnight and You" are yet another facet of his artistry, bringing damn near everything but a cherry on top.

A one-time street hood whose love of music led him in new career directions, Barry White made his name with lush, seductive soul. Master of rhythm, arrangement, and those untouchable vocal cords, which produced a sound somewhere between a growl and a croon, he proved that mastery again and again. And he did it with a glimmer that suggested a fine sense of humor behind it all. We now present the master and his many wondrous works.