Ted White
Born
Theodore Richard White

(1931-03-25)March 25, 1931
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedOctober 26, 2020(2020-10-26) (aged 89)[1]
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupations
  • Music manager
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • businessman
Years active1960s–1970s
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1961; div. 1969)​
Children1

Theodore Richard White (March 25, 1931 – October 26, 2020) was an American businessman, songwriter, music manager and producer from Detroit, Michigan.[1]

White was the manager and first husband of soul singer Aretha Franklin. As a songwriter, White wrote or co-wrote songs for Franklin, including "I Wonder (Where You Are Tonight)", "Lee Cross", "Dr. Feelgood", and "Think".

Life and career

White was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 25, 1931.[2] He was described in 1968 as a dabbler in Detroit real estate and wheeler-dealer.[3] He owned a chain of jukeboxes. White described himself as a sandlot promoter before he took over managing the career of singer Aretha Franklin in 1961.[4][2]

White was introduced to Franklin by singer Della Reese at the Twenty Grand Club in Detroit.[5][6] After a few weeks of dating, they were married by a justice of the peace while touring Ohio in 1961, when Franklin was 19 and White was 30. Franklin's father, C.L. Franklin, opposed the union. White was described as a pimp by Motown producer Harvey Fuqua.[6]

In 1964, White formed the record label Ston-Roc and produced the single "Talking About the People" / "Don't Ever Leave Me" by Tony & Tyrone. That year, Franklin recorded "Lee Cross" written by White, but it was released as a single by singer Walter Jackson instead. Franklin's version wasn't released until the album Take It Like You Give It in 1967. By that time, Franklin had parted ways with her first label Columbia Records and White negotiated a deal with Atlantic Records.[5] White and Franklin co-wrote "Dr. Feelgood" and "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream" from her 1967 album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, both of which have been covered by various artists. They also co-wrote a few songs from her albums Lady Soul (1968) and Aretha Now (1968) before their separation.

After White and Franklin separated in 1968, her brother, Cecil Franklin, took over managing her career.[7] White was abusive during their marriage, having abused Franklin publicly at Atlanta's Regency Hyatt House Hotel.[8][9][3] Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson said the Regency incident was not the first in which White was violent toward Franklin.[3] Violence between White and Franklin was not unusual.[10] In December 1969, White shot Charles Cook, younger brother of musician Sam Cooke, in the groin at Franklin's Detroit home during Cook's visit with Franklin.[11][12] White and Franklin's divorce was finalized in 1969.[6]

Ted White Jr.

White and Franklin had one son, Ted "Teddy" White Jr., born in February 1964.[9] After the divorce, Teddy was raised by his father's family in Oak Park, Michigan.[13] He spent holidays and weekends with his mother in Detroit.[14] He played guitar for his mother before becoming a singer-songwriter, under the name Teddy Richards.[9]

Death and in pop culture

White died on October 26, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan, aged 89.[1] White was portrayed by Malcolm Barrett in the third season of the anthology series, Genius, and by Marlon Wayans in the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect.[15][16]

Songwriting credits

  • 1963: Aretha Franklin – "I Wonder (Where You Are Tonight)"
  • 1964: Aretha Franklin – "Lee Cross"
  • 1967: Aretha Franklin – "Dr. Feelgood"
  • 1967: Aretha Franklin – "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream"
  • 1968: Aretha Franklin – "Think"
  • 1968: Aretha Franklin – "Good To Me As I Am To You"
  • 1968: Aretha Franklin – "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kemp Funeral Home, Mr. Theodore White, March 25, 1931 - October 26, 2020
  2. 1 2 Werner, Craig (2007). Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul. Crown/Archetype. ISBN 978-0-307-42087-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Waxman, Olivia (August 16, 2018). "The Trauma and Resilience Behind Aretha Franklin's Soul Music". Time.
  4. ↑ Garland, Phyl (October 1967). "Aretha Franklin – Sister Soul". Ebony: 50.
  5. 1 2 Bego, Mark (2018). Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5107-4508-7.
  6. 1 2 3 Gilmore, Mikal (September 27, 2018). "The Queen: Aretha Franklin". Rolling Stone.
  7. ↑ Ochs, Ed (October 12, 1968). "Soul Sauce" (PDF). Billboard. p. 21.
  8. ↑ IV, James T. Jones (March 1994). "Aretha Franklin: Soul Of the Queen". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Mizoguchi, Karen (August 16, 2018). "How Aretha Franklin Survived Domestic Abuse: Inside Her First Marriage to Ted White". People.
  10. ↑ Maslin, Janet (October 29, 2014). "Seeking the Queen's Soul (Just a Little Bit)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  11. ↑ "Jet", Jan 15, 1970
  12. ↑ Vanity Fair, Aretha Franklin: Soul Of the Queen, She’s got fame, furs, 15 Grammys, and a whole lot of attitude. Now Miss Aretha Franklin is back, demanding R-e-s-p-e-c-t, with a hot song, a new album, and the urge for a deeper love, BY JAMES T. JONES IV, March 1994
  13. ↑ Sisario, Ben; Friess, Steve (August 21, 2019). "A Year Later, the Fight Over Aretha Franklin's Estate Deepens". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  14. ↑ "Growing Up with a Famous Mother". Ebony: 122. May 1989.
  15. ↑ Victorian, Brande (March 23, 2021). "Malcolm Barrett Explains Not Talking With Aretha Franklin's Ex-Husband Before 'Genius' Role". Essence. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ↑ Moore, Sam (August 10, 2021). "Aretha Franklin biopic avoided depicting husband Ted White as 'a monster'". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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