William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. Born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, he is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me" (1972), "Lean on Me" (1972), "Lovely Day" (1977) and "Just the Two of Us" (1980) (recorded in collaboration with Grover Washington Jr.). Withers won three Grammy Awards out of nine total nominations. He largely stopped performing and recording in the mid-1980s, citing burnout and conflicts with record company executives.
His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Still Bill. Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 and the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2025. Two of his songs, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me", were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Early life, family and education
William Harrison Withers Jr., the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938. He was the son of Mattie (née Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. and served for nine years, during which time he became interested in singing and writing songs.
Withers worked as a mechanical assembler for several different companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation, IBM and Ford, On the cover of the album, Withers is pictured at his job at Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California, holding his lunch box.
The album was a success, and Withers began touring with a band assembled from members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Withers won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for "Ain't No Sunshine" at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards in 1972. The track had already sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in September 1971.
During a hiatus from touring, Withers recorded his second album, Still Bill. The single, "Lean on Me" went to number one the week of July 8, 1972. It was Withers' second gold single with confirmed sales in excess of three million. Footage of his performance was included in the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings, and he is heard on the accompanying soundtrack. Other footage of his performance is included in the 2008 documentary film Soul Power.
Withers has said of Sussex Records "They weren't paying me." He claims to have erased an entire album that he had recorded for the label in a fit of pique. "I could probably have handled that differently," he said. Due to a legal dispute with the Sussex company, Withers was unable to record for some time thereafter.
Columbia Records
After Sussex Records folded, Withers signed with Columbia Records in 1975. His first album release with the label, Making Music, included the single "She's Lonely," which was featured in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar along with "She Wants to (Get on Down)". During the next three years he released an album each year with Naked & Warm (1976), Menagerie (1977; containing the successful "Lovely Day"), and Bout Love (1978).
Because of problems with Columbia and being unable to get songs approved for his album, he decided to focus on joint projects from 1977 to 1985, including "Just the Two of Us," with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., which was released during February 1981. The song won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
In 1985 came Watching You, Watching Me, which featured the Top 40-rated R&B single “Oh, Yeah!” and ended Withers' business association with Columbia Records. Withers stated in interviews that a lot of the songs approved for the album—in particular, two of the first three singles released—were the same songs that had been rejected in 1982, contributing significantly to the eight-year hiatus between albums. Withers said that his finding fame at the relatively mature age of 32 was a benefit, as he had been socialized to accept life as a regular middle-class American and did not feel pressured or obligated to continue his music career after experiencing conflicts with record company executives.
At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Withers won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Song as songwriter for the re-recording of "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau. This was Withers' ninth Grammy nomination and third win. In 2006, Sony Music gave Withers’ previously unreleased tapes back to him. In 2007, "Lean on Me" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex & Columbia Albums Collection, a nine-disc set featuring Withers' eight studio albums as well as his live album Live at Carnegie Hall, received the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album (sharing the award with the Rolling Stones' Charlie Is My Darling – Ireland 1965). The award was presented to Leo Sacks, who produced the collection, and the mastering engineers Mark Wilder, Joseph M. Palmaccio, and Tom Ruff.
alt=Withers standing before a small crowd in a suit|thumb|Withers at the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015]]
In 2005, Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Later that year, a tribute concert in his honor was held at Carnegie Hall featuring Aloe Blacc, Ed Sheeran, Dr. John, Michael McDonald, and Anthony Hamilton. The concert recreated Withers' 1973 concert album, Live at Carnegie Hall, along with some of his other material. Withers was in attendance and spoke briefly onstage.
In February 2017, he made an appearance on Joy Reid's MSNBC show to talk about the refugee crisis as well as the political climate in America.
Still Bill documentary
The 2009 documentary, "Still Bill", explored his reasons for quitting the music industry and painted the picture of a fulfilled musician and human being. Roger Ebert said: "[Withers] still lives and survives as a happy man. Still Bill is about a man who topped the charts, walked away from it all in 1985 and is pleased that he did." He wrote some of the most covered songs of the 1970s, including "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine." With "Lovely Day", he set the record for the longest sustained note on an American chart hit, holding a high E for 18 seconds. In Rolling Stone, Andy Greene noted that several of his songs "are embedded in the culture and have been covered countless times."
Writing for The New York Times, Giovanni Russonello considered Withers "[a] soulful singer with a gift for writing understated classics", adding, "the ultimate homespun hitmaker, he had an innate sense of what might make a song memorable, and little interest in excess attitude or accoutrements. Ultimately Withers reminded us that it's the everyday that is the most meaningful: work, family, love, loss." A Billboard article considered that Withers "stands as one of R&B/soul music's most revered singer-songwriters."
Musician and music journalist Questlove referred to Withers' post-breakup 1974 album +'Justments as "a diary [...] [it] was a pre-reality-show look at his life. Keep in mind this was years before Marvin Gaye did it with Here, My Dear." D'Angelo, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Ed Sheeran
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Withers at number 106 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry inducted "Ain't No Sunshine" in the 2024 list of 25 sound recordings. In September 2025, he was selected for induction into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, and was inducted in October. It is located in Bill Withers Plaza.
Personal life and death
alt=Bill onstage hugging his daughter and speaking into a microphone|thumb|Withers with his daughter Kori at a 2008 tribute concert
Withers married actress Denise Nicholas in 1973 during her stint on the sitcom Room 222. In 1976, Withers married Marcia Johnson. They had two children, Todd and Kori.
Withers died from heart complications in a Los Angeles hospital on March 30, 2020, at age 81; his family announced his death four days later.
Discography
;Studio albums
- Just as I Am (1971)
- Still Bill (1972)
- +'Justments (1974)
- Making Music (1975)
- Naked & Warm (1976)
- Menagerie (1977)
- Bout Love (1978)
- Watching You, Watching Me (1985)
;Live albums
- Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
;Compilation albums
- The Best of Bill Withers (1975)
- The Best of Bill Withers (1980)
- Bill Withers' Greatest Hits (1981)
- Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers (1994)
- The Best of Bill Withers: Lean on Me (2000)
- The Ultimate Bill Withers Collection (2000)
- Lovely Day: The Very Best of Bill Withers (2005)
- Ain't No Sunshine: The Best of Bill Withers (2008)
- Playlist: The Very Best of Bill Withers (2009)
- The Essential Bill Withers (2013)
Accolades
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are bestowed by The Recording Academy. Withers has won three Grammys from nine nominations.
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1971
| Bill Withers
| Best New Artist
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| "Ain't No Sunshine"
| Best Pop Vocal Performance Male
|
|-
| Best Rhythm & Blues Song
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1981
| rowspan="4"| "Just the Two of Us"
| Record of the Year
|
|-
| Song of the Year
|
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance Male
|
|-
| Best Rhythm & Blues Song
|
|-
| 1984
| "In the Name of Love" <small>(featuring Ralph MacDonald)</small>
| Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
|
|-
| 1987
| "Lean on Me"
| Best Rhythm & Blues Song
|
|-
Honors
- 2005: Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame
- 2006: ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage award
- 2007: Inducted into West Virginia Music Hall of Fame
- 2015: Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 2017: Honorary degree from West Virginia University
- 2025: Inducted into National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame
References
Further reading
External links
- Biography at Soultracks.com