White Barry Knihy

When Barry White, a young plumber, leaves Australia for Canada in 1960, he has no idea that his travels will take him from the freezing wastes of the Canadian North West to the searing heat of Qatar where he works in some of the toughest conditions in the world, or to a London basement flat where a group of intellectuals introduce him to a level of thought and culture previously unknown to him. Written with self-depreciating humour in a uniquely Australian voice, The Rat Catcher's Grandson not only chronicles Barry's most entertaining adventures but also gives insight into life during the cold war era and an appreciation for Australian resourcefulness and humour. Warning: Heavy use of profanities and Australian slang-glossary included.

Barry White is instantly recognisable for his size and his deep voice and had a reputation as one of R&B's most romantic singers. Growing up in Los Angeles, he ventured into the music business at an early age. By the late 1960s he organized and produced a girl group called Love Unlimited, and his own debut album, I've Got So Much To Give (1973), included the hit I'm Gonna Love Ya Just a Little More, Baby. White's distinctive, smooth bass voice was backed by the Love Unlimited Orchestra, and during the '70s he had several hits, including Love's Theme, a soul song that signalled the beginning of the disco era. As disco ended, and the '80s began, White could not match the successes of his earlier career, yet in the '90s, thanks in part to appearances on the TV shows Ally McBeal and The Simpsons, White saw renewed success. After selling millions of records over three decades, White won his first Grammy with his album Staying Power (1999). This songbook, arrqnged for voice and piano with guitar chord boxes, features a siginificant number of his hits from three decades of music making.