Biography
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Born
13 May 1965
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Born In
Dunedin, Pinellas County, Florida, United States
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Died
23 January 2018 (aged 52)
Lari White (born Lari Michele White on May 13, 1965, in Dunedin, FL; died January 23, 2018) was an American country music artist and actress. She first gained national attention in 1988 as a winner on You Can Be a Star, a talent competition which aired on The Nashville Network. A recording contract with RCA Records Nashville followed a year later, producing three studio albums, a greatest hits package, and several chart singles. Three of her singles reached the US Top Ten: "That's My Baby" and "That's How You Know (When You're In Love)" at No. 10, and "Now I Know" at No. 5. A fourth studio album was released in 1998 on Lyric Street Records, followed by two more releases on White's own label, Skinny White Girl. Overall, White charted 12 times on the Billboard country music charts.
White began performing when she was a child, singing in a gospel group with her parents and brother. The group, called the White Family Singers, sang at local church and community gathering. After a while, the children began working pop music into the act, most notably Elvis Presley. As a teenager, Lari sang show tunes at talent contests and sang with a local rock & roll band. She earned a scholarship to the University of Miami, where she studied vocals and music engineering. After a while, she began writing her own songs, singing in local clubs at night and taking professional singing jobs. Upon graduating from college, she travelled around the United States, looking at various local music scenes. In 1988, she decided to move to Nashville and try to become a professional.
Later in 1988, she appeared on the Nashville Network's You Can Be a Star and won the first prize. The award led to a record contract with Capitol. Before the end of the year, she had released a single on Capitol, "Flying Above the Rain," which became a regional hit in the South but failed to break into the big time. Later that same year, she joined Ronnie Milsap's publishing house and began taking acting lessons. For the next few years, White continued in this vein, choosing to hone her talent, sing in local dinner theaters and wait for another break. That break arrived in 1991, after an ASCAP showcase revived interest in her talents. Following the showcase, Rodney Crowell asked her to sing backup vocals in his live band. In 1992, White signed a record contract with RCA and Crowell produced her debut album, Lead Me Not, which was released the following year.
Lead Me Not received strong reviews and produced three minor hit singles: "What a Woman Wants," "Lead Me Not," and "Lay Around and Love You." Wishes, White's second album, became her breakthrough release, producing the Top Ten singles "That's My Baby," "Now I Know," and "That's How You Know (When You're in Love)." Don't Fence Me In, White's third album, wasn't quite as successful as its predecessor, but it continued her success. Stepping Stone followed in 1998. In 2004, after a lenghty hiatus that found the artist building her own home studio, White released the self-produced Green Eyed Soul on the UK based Mesmerizing Records.
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