Bill Withers

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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 “Aint 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.

Tagged as:

soul, funk, 70s, rnb, rhythm and blues
See more…

1	Ain't No Sunshine full track	3,864
2	Lean On Me full track	1,529
3	Use Me full track	1,496
4	Lovely Day full track	1,468
5	Grandma's Hands full track	589
6	Just the Two of Us	587
7	Harlem full track	340
8	Who Is He (And What Is He to You)? full track	297
9	Kissing My Love full track	282
10	I Want To Spend The Night full track	245
11	Hello Like Before full track	219
12	Lonely Town, Lonely Street full track	177
13	I Don't Want You On My Mind full track	151
14	Sweet Wanomi	135
15	Who Is He (And What Is He to You?)	133

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aurorapower wrote:
Thursday morning

love

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twmia wrote:
last week

He has been my encounter of the black america in the 70*s. A proud and wonderful black america.

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twmia wrote:
last week

Any LP. As he never did a song wich is bad, never The voice of Funk and Soul

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Aardvarked wrote:
last week

I really need to expand my collection past his greatest hits, any suggestions for which LPs to start with?

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Sandrolo wrote:
13 days ago

ich hasse es, wenn streicher dabei sind! Ohne ist er so funky!

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cutelittlelady wrote:
last month

"Where are the Bill W. in the world today? These guys today just think they can sing and write.

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Weed-N-Rock wrote:
last month

This guy is great he has the most recognisable songs ever, just great!

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arthurmartins wrote:
last month

gostei! ;)

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vedadhodzic wrote:
last month

Legend

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ohmyjulian wrote:
last month

classic.

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kirby_sewell wrote:
last month

Check out my version of Bill Wither's Ain't No Sunshine in my music profile. Share and download if so desired! Appreciate it. Kirby Sewell

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trueiopian wrote:
last month

The BEST!

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BlackSouljah wrote:
last month

@Jelboo - I agree. When I first listened to a lot of his music I was amazed at how familiar I was with so many of the songs before I even knew who was the brilliant man behind them.

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Ivy_Emancipated wrote:
last month

Love the guy, LOVE him! It's a shame tho, that he's not performing anymore, I'd travel thou of miles to go n see him...

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Jelboo wrote:
September 2008

So little plays for such a brilliant artist. So many of his tunes are instantly recognized by even the least interested people. He should deserve more recognition for his contribution to music.

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SanPdro wrote:
September 2008

Bill Withers is the shit.

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CRSMOOTH wrote:
September 2008

"USE ME" IS TIMELESS. I DID FORGET ABOUT IT UNTIL I HEARD IT IN A MOVIE A FEW YEARS AGO CALLED "ANY GIVEN SUNDAY" AND IT WAS A GROOVE ALL OVER AGAIN.

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runargj wrote:
September 2008

Bill is fantastic. If your stress level is high, just kick back and turn on "Grandma's Hands" and you'll instantly feel your pulse calm. This is proper soul!

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Don_Diego wrote:
September 2008

More than just a 4-hit wonder...

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Kardoffel wrote:
September 2008

quite the best !

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