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BIOGRAPHY
If Fred White were to do nothing more in music for the rest of his life, he has already amassed the kind of resume from which dreams are made. Fred has written songs for singing royalty such as Patti LaBelle, Howard Hewett and Oleta Adams. He’s lent his voice to the recordings of such diverse greats as Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross and Kirk Whalum. His voice has graced film soundtracks such as Shrek and Congo. And he has toured the world with Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, LeAnn Rimes and Babyface.
Now, in 2007, Fred White is soaring on eagle wings having penned and co-produced the title track/first single of international superstar Diana Ross’ latest project, I Love You. It is the only original song on an album of otherwise classic love ballads.
Ross – a.k.a. “The Boss†- paid Fred the ultimate compliment when she stated, "From the first time I heard this song I was touched… it moved me immediately. I just knew it was the right song for me." Fred’s mastery is further justified in a review from the All Music Guide stating that of all the CD’s songs, Fred’s “I Love You (That’s All That Really Matters)†“made the most of Ross’ vocal capabilities and range.â€
This uncanny synergy of song and artist occurred because Diana Ross is one of Fred’s favorite artists. “I’ve always loved her tone,†he shares, “the passion, heart and emotion that comes through in anything she sings. When I’m writing, melodies often come to me as I play chords. As I was singing this particular melody, I thought, ‘Boy does this sound like Ms. Ross…’ After listening to her over the years - as a fan as well as night after night touring with her since 2000 – the creation of this song was definitely a spiritual thing. The flow of the melody and the dictation of the lyric was a marriage…a love song sent from Heaven.
The musicians on the demo session commented, ‘That is a great song. Who do you have in mind to sing it?’ Curious, I asked them who they could hear singing it and they named several artists. When I told them it was for Diana Ross, they said, ‘That’s it!’ I'll never forget the moment when Mary Lotta Jacobs (one of Ross' closest creative associates) called me to her home to play me a rough mix of Ms. Ross singing my song. I felt as if I'd come full circle - one of the proudest days of my life."
Fred's special touch with pop songwriting was first apparent when producer Sami McKinney invited him to collaborate with him (along with Denise Rich) on “I’m In Love†for Patti LaBelle's 1994 CD, Gems. Not long after, while working with Oleta Adams, the singer overheard Fred in a rehearsal booth working on a song that caught her ear. A year later she called and asked if he'd done anything with it. When Fred told her, "I've been holding it for you," Adams recorded it as the opening number of her first gospel CD, Come Walk with Me (1997). That song, "Holy is the Lamb," was nominated for a Grammy®. A few years later, Fred’s song “Somebody’s Watching Over Me†on Howard Hewett’s 2001 gospel CD, The Journey, was the most played song from the project at radio…though it was not officially released as a single.
Fred is only just beginning to reveal the breadth of his exceptional musical gifts. His mission is to bring uplifting, loving and reassuring messages to the world through his compositions, his productions and his amazing voice. After years of prayer, hard work and lessons learned from veterans such as Syreeta Wright, Fred White is achieving those dreams in a most magical way.
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Diana Ross video of "I LOVE YOU"!
Fred & Friends
