Withers, Bill, 1938-2020

Songwriter/singer/guitarist Bill Withers is best remembered for the classic "Lean on Me" and his other million-selling singles "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Use Me," but he has a sizable cache of great songs to his credit. Al Jarreau recorded an entire CD of Withers' songs on Tribute to Bill Withers (Culture Press, 1998). His popular radio-aired LP track from Still Bill, "Who Is He? (And What Is He to You?)," was a 1974 R&B hit for Creative Source.

Born July 4, 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Withers was the youngest of six children. His father died when he was a child, and he was raised by his mother and grandmother. After a nine-year stint in the Navy, Withers moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career in 1967. He recorded demos at night while working at the Boeing aircraft company, where he made toilet seats. His recording career began after being introduced to Clarence Avant, president of Sussex Records.

Stax Records stalwart Booker T. Jones produced Withers' debut album, Just As I Am, with some co-production by Al Jackson, Jr. The LP included his first charting single, "Ain't No Sunshine," which went gold and made it to number six R&B and number three pop in summer 1971 and won a Grammy as Best R&B Song. Its follow-up, "Grandma's Hands," peaked at number 18 R&B in fall 1971. The song was later covered by the Staple Singers and received airplay as a track from their 1973 Stax LP Be What You Are. Just As I Am featured lead guitar by Stephen Stills and hit number five R&B in summer 1971.

Withers wrote "Lean on Me" based on his experiences growing up in a West Virginia coal mining town. Times were hard and when a neighbor needed something beyond their means, the rest of the community would chip in and help. He came up with the chord progression while noodling around on his new Wurlitzer electric piano. The sound of the chords reminded Withers of the hymns that he heard at church while he was growing up. On the session for "Lean on Me," members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band ("Express Yourself," "Loveland") were used: drummer James Gadson, keyboardist Ray Jackson, guitarist Benorce Blackmon (who co-wrote "The Best You Can" from Making Music with Withers), and bassist Melvin Dunlap. His second gold single, "Lean on Me" landed at number one R&B and number one pop for three weeks on Billboard's charts in summer 1972. It was included on his Still Bill album, which went gold, holding the number one R&B spot for six weeks and hitting number four pop in spring 1972. "Lean on Me" has become a standard, with hit covers by the U.K. rock band Mud and Club Nouveau. The song was also the title theme of a 1989 movie starring Morgan Freeman. In addition, Still Bill included "Use Me" (gold, number two R&B for two weeks and number two pop for two weeks in fall 1972).

Withers' Sussex catalog also included Live at Carnegie Hall, +'Justments, and The Best of Bill Withers. He contributed "Better Days" to the soundtrack of the Bill Cosby 1971 Western Man and Boy, released on Sussex. There was a duet single with Bobby Womack on United Artists, "It's All Over Now," from summer 1975.

After a legal battle with Sussex, Withers signed with Columbia Records. Columbia later bought his Sussex masters when the label went out of business. Withers was briefly married to actress Denise Nicholas (ABC-TV's Room 222 and the 1972 horror film Blacula) in the early '70s. His releases on Columbia were Making Music ("Make Love to Your Mind," number ten R&B), which hit number seven R&B in late 1975; Naked & Warm, released in 1976; Menagerie ("Lovely Day," a number six R&B hit), which went gold in 1977; and 'Bout Love from spring 1979.

Teaming with Elektra Records artist Grover Washington, Jr., Withers sang the crystalline ballad "Just the Two of Us," written by Withers, Ralph MacDonald, and William Salter. It went to number three R&B and held the number two pop spot for three weeks in early 1981. "Just the Two of Us" was redone to hilarious effect in the Mike Myers movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in summer 1999. Withers teamed with MacDonald for MacDonald's Polydor single "In the Name of Love" in summer 1984.

Withers' last charting LP was Watching You Watching Me in spring 1985. He occasionally did dates with Grover Washington, Jr. during the '90s. His songs and recordings have been used as both the source of numerous covers (Aaron Neville's "Use Me") and sampled by a multitude of hip-hop/rap groups. Withers resurfaced in the 21st century, playing concerts and having his albums reissued in various countries. He was also the subject of the 2010 bio-documentary Still Bill, by filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack. Bill Withers died in Los Angeles on March 30, 2020, due to complications from heart disease; he was 81 years of age.