Bill Withers
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Slab Fork WV, United States (July 4, 1938 – present)
Bill Withers (born July 4, 1938 in Slab Fork, West Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter who performed and recorded from the late 1960s until the mid 1980s.
Bill’s father died when he was thirteen. He joined the US Navy at seventeen, and stayed there for nine years, before he moved to Los Angeles in 1967. While in Los Angeles, he worked full-time in a Lockheed assembly plant in the day, making toilets for Boeing 747 airliners, then recorded demo tapes and performed in juke joints during the night. When he debuted on the music scene with “Ain’t No Sunshine,” he refused to give up his job at Lockheed because of his belief that the music business was a fickle industry and that he was still a novice compared to other working acts like The Temptations or Sammy Davis, Jr.
His first success was with the company Sussex Records in 1971 with his debut hit singleAin’t No Sunshine on the album Just as I Am. He assembled a touring band made up of: drummer James Gadson, guitarist Bernoce Blackmon, keyboardist Ray Jackson, and bassist Melvin Dunlap.
His second album Still Bill also did well on the charts. It was recorded during a break in the “Just As I Am” tour and included the well-known single “Lean On Me,” which went to #1 on the charts on July 8, 1972. His live album, “Bill Withers, Live at Carnegie Hall,” released in 1973, was one of the best live albums to be released during the 1970s. Other popular songs he sings are “Use Me” and “Lovely Day,” as well as “Just The Two Of Us,” which he performed with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.
Bill’s father died when he was thirteen. He joined the US Navy at seventeen, and stayed there for nine years, before he moved to Los Angeles in 1967. While in Los Angeles, he worked full-time in a Lockheed assembly plant in the day, making toilets for Boeing 747 airliners, then recorded demo tapes and performed in juke joints during the night. When he debuted on the music scene with “
Ain’t No Sunshine,” he refused to give up his job at Lockheed because of his belief that the music business was a fickle industry and that he was still a novice compared to other working acts like The Temptations or Sammy Davis, Jr.His first success was with the company Sussex Records in 1971 with his debut hit single
Ain’t No Sunshine on the album Just as I Am. He assembled a touring band made up of: drummer James Gadson, guitarist Bernoce Blackmon, keyboardist Ray Jackson, and bassist Melvin Dunlap.His second album Still Bill also did well on the charts. It was recorded during a break in the “Just As I Am” tour and included the well-known single “
Lean On Me,” which went to #1 on the charts on July 8, 1972. His live album, “Bill Withers, Live at Carnegie Hall,” released in 1973, was one of the best live albums to be released during the 1970s. Other popular songs he sings are “Use Me” and “Lovely Day,” as well as “Just The Two Of Us,” which he performed with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.
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Top Albums
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Lean On Me: The Best of Bill Withers
Bill Withers
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Still Bill
Bill Withers Buy- Download Album
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Just as I Am
Bill Withers Buy- Download Album
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The Best Of Bill Withers: Lean On Me
Bill Withers Buy- Download Album
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Shoutbox
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JesseMeeusen wrote:
"8000th track: (07 Oct 2011) Bill Withers - Use Me"
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SunMan24 wrote:
Очень крутой дядька!
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academyofrock wrote:
Bill Withers gets a mention as a source of inspiration in this blog http://humandynamics.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/rnr-xmas/
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voxer67 wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN1fLATzBQk
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guima93 wrote:
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, he is awesome!
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tahiti_808 wrote:
lovely day! [2]
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deenichelle08 wrote:
I concur that all Bill Withers' fans should watch "Still Bill." It gives some insight into his awesomeness, quite touching. Fave songs: Just the Two of Us, Ain't No Sunshine, Lovely Day, Who Is He (And What is He To You).
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seyma__ wrote:
everyone should watch Still Bill, and get to know this great man better, listen him more..
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cristiedlr wrote:
absolutely love listening to him
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kusechka wrote:
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bwanaDik wrote:
lovely day!
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Alyx90 wrote:
I discovered Lovely Day in "127 Hours" movie. It's great song to start lovely day.
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FerociousPanda wrote:
I think Grandma's Hands might be my favorite Withers song. It's hard to decide with so many quality songs.
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JeremyKonk wrote:
ooooooooooooooooooooooh,,,,,yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee no comment
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IDissappear wrote:
Lean On Me
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ferdka97 wrote:
Ain't no sunshine♥
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ChrisSabbath wrote:
I respect the hell out of Bill, especially after watching "Still Bill". Great man, great musician.
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feevie wrote:
just the two of us ♥
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HeyYouBitch wrote:
ain't no sunshine when she's gone it's not warm when she's away ♥
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Akayz7 wrote:
Reckon he'll make a comeback? :)
Videos
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Play
Lean On Me [with lyrics]
2 shouts
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Play
Lean On Me (Live)
2 shouts
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Play
Ain't No Sunshine
16 shouts
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Play
Ain't no sunshine when she's…
1 shout
News
A Review of STILL BILL by KEXP
18 May 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/billwitherslegacy
This week I saw the new film documentary on soul legend Bill
Withers called Still Bill. Part of my job at KEXP is to
make short radio documentaries. Out of the 150 we’ve
…
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A Review of STILL BILL by KEXP
18 May 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/billwitherslegacy -
18 May 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/billwitherslegacy -
18 May 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/billwitherslegacy
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Skovsnobben and hunnybeez_49 added Bill Withers to their libraries. just now
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PEPSI-C tagged Bill Withers with ‘rhythm and blues’. Saturday morning
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mecago1 wrote about Bill Withers – Still Bill in 2011: Oldies vs. Batallas. December 2011
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countyhell21 wrote about Bill Withers – Live at Carnegie Hall in Albums of the Week. November 2011
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trentfong wrote about Various Artists – 127 Hours in CD Collection (as of 2012.02.07). February 2011
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