Bill Withers in 250 words (ish)
Bill Withers was an American singer/songwriter, self-taught guitarist and keyboard player (1938 – 2020).
His music fitted many genres including soul, blues, R&B and funk. Bill never had a number one single in the UK. His song ‘Lovely Day’ was in the UK Top 10 twice (1978, 1988).
Bill won three Grammy Awards (1971, 1981, 1987). His major hits included ‘Lean On Me’, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘Just The Two Of Us’, ‘Lovely Day’ and Grandma’s Hands’. He released 8 studio albums, 1 live album and 34 singles.
‘Just As I Am’ was his first album released in 1971 and produced by Booker T Jones. It features two of his hit singles and he wrote 10 out of the 12 songs on the album. It reached number 5 on the U.S Billboard chart. His second album ‘Still Bill’ explored soul, funk and blues. The hit single ‘Lean On Me’ sold over 3 million copies and became an anthem during the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak as people sang it from balconies throughout Italy.
Bill performed and recorded from 1970 to 1985 when he retired from music after a growing disdain for the industry. He has since been dubbed as a ‘soul legend’, having had a major influence on other R&B artists. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
His singles have been sampled by Blackstreet (Grandma’s Hands in No Diggity 1996) and Shawn Mendes (Ain’t No Sunshine in I Know What You Did Last Summer 2015).