He’s an amazing soul artist influential US soul singer, a talented singer and performer who wrote the following songs : Lean on Me, Ain’t No Sunshine and Lovely Day .
Today (3.4.20) , We reminiscence his legacy on Soul\R&B Music , This post is dedicated to Withers Family and his Fans like me .
May God Bless his soul and all of us .
R.I.P
Here’s The Story Of Bill Withers .
He wrote and recorded several other major hits including Use Me and Just the Two of Us, before retiring in the mid-1980’s and staying out of the public eye .
Full Name : William Harrison Withers Jr. (born July 4, 1938)
He recorded several major hits, including “Lean on Me“, “Ain’t No Sunshine“, “Use Me“, “Just the Two of Us“, “Lovely Day“, and “Grandma’s Hands“. Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for four more. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Still Bill. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Withers is the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia.He was born with a stutter and has said he had a hard time fitting in. Raised in nearby Beckley, He was 13 years old when his father died. Withers enlisted with the United States Navy at the age of 18 and served for nine years, during which time he overcame his stutter and became interested in singing and writing songs.
He left the Navy in 1965. Using the $250 he received from selling his furniture to IBM co-worker Ron Sierra, he relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a musical career. Withers worked as an assembler for several different companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation, while recording demo tapes with his own money, shopping them around and performing in clubs at night. When he debuted with the song “Ain’t No Sunshine”, he refused to resign from his job because he believed the music business was a fickle industry.
He died of heart complications during COVID-19 period , The family statement reads:
We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other. As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones.
More Information :
Bill Withers Dies At The Age Of 81
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [26] |
US R&B [26] |
CAN [27] |
UK [28] |
||||
| 1971 | Just as I Am | 35 | 9 | 37 | — | — | Sussex |
| 1972 | Still Bill | 4 | 1 | 71 | — |
|
|
| 1974 | +’Justments | 67 | 7 | — | — | — | |
| 1975 | Making Music | 81 | 7 | — | — | — | Columbia |
| 1976 | Naked & Warm | 169 | 41 | — | — | — | |
| 1977 | Menagerie | 39 | 16 | 55 | 27 |
|
|
| 1978 | ‘Bout Love | 134 | 50 | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | Watching You Watching Me | 143 | 42 | — | 60 | — | |
| “—” denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | |||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [26] |
US R&B [26] |
||||
| 1973 | Live at Carnegie Hall | 63 | 6 | Sussex | |
| “—” denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [26] |
US R&B [26] |
UK [28] |
||||
| 1975 | The Best of Bill Withers | 182 | 33 | — | — | Sussex |
| 1980 | The Best of Bill Withers | — | — | — | — | Columbia |
| 1981 | Bill Withers’ Greatest Hits | 183 | 58 | 90 |
|
|
| 1994 | Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers | 131 | — | — | — | Legacy |
| 2000 | The Best of Bill Withers: Lean on Me | — | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | The Ultimate Bill Withers Collection (2CD) | — | — | — | — | Sony Music |
| 2005 | Lovely Day: The Very Best of Bill Withers | — | — | 35 | — | |
| 2008 | Ain’t No Sunshine: The Best of Bill Withers | — | — | — | — | Music Club Deluxe |
| 2009 | Playlist: The Very Best of Bill Withers | — | — | — | — | Sussex/Columbia/Legacy |
| 2013 | The Essential Bill Withers | — | — | — | — | Columbia/Legacy |
| “—” denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [30] |
US R&B [30] |
US A/C [30] |
AUS [31] |
CAN [27] |
UK [28] |
||||
| 1967 | “Three Night and A Morning” b/w “What I’ll Do” |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| 1971 | “Harlem” b/w “Moanin’ and Groanin’” |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Just As I Am | |
| “Ain’t No Sunshine” [A] b/w “Harlem” |
3 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 40 |
|
||
| “Grandma’s Hands” b/w “Sweet Wanomi” |
42 | 18 | 16 | — | 37 | — | |||
| 1972 | “Lean On Me” b/w “Better Off Dead” (from Just As I Am) |
1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 18 |
|
Still Bill |
| “Use Me” b/w “Let Me In Your Life” |
2 | 2 | 14 | — | 33 | — |
|
||
| “Let Us Love” b/w “The Gift Of Giving” |
47 | 17 | 33 | — | 75 | — | Non-album tracks | ||
| 1973 | “Kissing My Love” b/w “I Don’t Know” |
31 | 12 | — | — | 65 | — | Still Bill | |
| “Friend Of Mine” b/w “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” |
80 | 25 | — | — | — | — | Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall | ||
| 1974 | “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh” b/w “Make A Smile For Me” |
50 | 10 | — | — | 39 | — | +’Justments | |
| “You” b/w “Stories” |
— | 15 | — | — | — | — | |||
| “Heartbreak Road” b/w “Ruby Lee” |
89 | 13 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1975 | “It’s All Over Now” (with Bobby Womack) B-side by Bobby Womack: “Doing It My Way” |
— | 68 | — | — | — | — | Non-album track | |
| “Harlem” b/w “Who Is He (and What Is He To You)” (from Still Bill) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Just As I Am | ||
| “Make Love To Your Mind” b/w “I Love You Dawn” |
76 | 10 | — | — | — | — | Making Music | ||
| 1976 | “I Wish You Well” b/w “She’s Lonely” |
— | 54 | — | — | — | — | ||
| “Hello Like Before” b/w “Family Table” |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| “If I Didn’t Mean You Well” b/w “My Imagination” |
— | 74 | — | — | — | — | Naked & Warm | ||
| 1977 | “Close To Me” b/w “I’ll Be With You” |
— | 88 | — | — | — | — | ||
| “Lovely Day” b/w “It Ain’t Because Of Me Baby” |
30 | 6 | 25 | — | 23 | 7 | Menagerie | ||
| 1978 | “Lovely Night For Dancing” b/w “I Want To Spend The Night” |
— | 75 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | “Don’t It Make It Better” b/w “Love Is” |
— | 30 | — | — | — | — | ‘Bout Love | |
| “You Got The Stuff” — Part 1 b/w Part 2 |
— | 85 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | “Just the Two of Us” (with Grover Washington Jr.) B-side by Grover Washington Jr.: “Make Me A Memory” |
2 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 10 | 34 | Bill Withers’ Greatest Hits | |
| “I Want To Spend The Night” b/w “Memories Are That Way” (from ‘Bout Love) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Menagerie | ||
| “U.S.A.” b/w “Paint Your Pretty Picture” (from Making Music) |
— | 83 | — | — | — | — | Non-album track | ||
| 1984 | “In The Name Of Love” (with Ralph MacDonald) B-side by Ralph MacDonald: “Play Pen” |
58 | 13 | 6 | — | — | 95 | Non-album track | |
| 1985 | “Oh Yeah!” b/w “Just Like The First Time” (Non-album track) |
106 | 22 | 40 | — | — | 60 | Watching You Watching Me | |
| “Something That Turns You On” b/w “You Try To Find A Love” |
— | 46 | — | — | — | — | |||
| “We Could Be Sweet Lovers” b/w “You Just Can’t Smile It Away” |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1987 | “Lovely Day” (re-release) b/w “Oh Yeah” (from Watching You Watching Me) |
— | — | — | — | — | 92 | Menagerie | |
| 1988 | “Lovely Day” (Sunshine mix) b/w “Lovely Day” (Original version from Menagerie) |
— | — | — | — | — | 4 | Lovely Days (UK release only) | |
| “Ain’t No Sunshine” (The Total Eclipse mix) b/w “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Original version from Just As I Am) |
— | — | — | — | — | 82 | |||
| 1990 | “Harlem” (Street mix) b/w “Harlem” (Original version from Just As I Am) |
— | — | — | — | — | 98 | ||
| “—” denotes the release did not chart | |||||||||
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | “Apple Pie” | Dreams in Stone[32][33] |
| 2011 | “Use Me” (live November 4, 1972) | The Best of Soul Train Live[34][35] |
- The original version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” did not chart on the UK Singles Chart until 2009, 38 years after its release.
Awards
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Grammy Award | Win | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | “Ain’t No Sunshine” |
| 1972 | Nominated | Grammy Award for Best New Artist | ||
| 1981 | Win | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | “Just the Two of Us” (Shared with songwriters Ralph MacDonald and William Salter) | |
| 1982 | Nominated | Grammy Award for Song of the Year | “Just the Two of Us” | |
| 1982 | Nominated | Grammy Award for Record of the Year | “Just the Two of Us” | |
| 1984 | Nominated | Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | “In the Name of Love (feat. Ralph MacDonald)” | |
| 1987 | Win | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | “Lean on Me” (as covered by Club Nouveau) | |
| 1972 | NAACP Image Awards | Win | Male Singer of the Year |
Honors
- 2002: Honorary doctorate from Mountain State University
- 2005: Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee
- 2006: ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage award
- 2007: Inducted into West Virginia Music Hall of Fame
- 2015: Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
References : Bill Withers
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