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Bill Withers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bill Withers was born in 1938 in Slab Fork, a mining town in West Virginia, the youngest of six children. As a child he stuttered and felt like an outsider. At seventeen he joined the navy, where he stayed for nine years and began to sing and write songs. In 1967 he moved to Los Angeles. By day he worked in factories, including for aircraft manufacturers, and he recorded demos with his own money.

Music and breakthrough

In 1970 he signed with Sussex Records. Booker T. Jones produced his debut Just As I Am (1971); on the cover Withers stands at his workplace with his lunch pail. Ain't No Sunshine became a hit and won a Grammy. Even so, he at first did not want to give up his job, because he did not trust the music world. Still Bill (1972) included Lean on Me, which reached number 1, and Use Me. Later, at Columbia, came Lovely Day (1977), among others, and, with the saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., Just the Two of Us (1980), which again won a Grammy.

Influence

Withers wrote simple, warm soul songs about ordinary people, love and friendship. His singing was understated and direct, without big flourishes. In the mid-1980s he largely stopped, tired of the hassle with record companies. His songs remained and are still widely covered. In 2015 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died in 2020.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington Jr. with Bill Withers. Notice the soft, smooth saxophone and the relaxed groove, and the warm, easy voice of Withers singing over it without effort.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists