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1985 marked Withers’ final project for Columbia with Watching You, Watching Me and the R&B chart single, “Oh Yeah.” “Soul Shadows” with The Crusaders marked an additional collaborative project of the period and “In The Name Of Love” with Ralph MacDonald received a 1984 Grammy nomination for vocal performance. was a career pinnacle, garnering four Grammy nominations with Withers accepting the award for Best R&B Song. “Just the Two of Us” with Grover Washington, Jr. After the release of + ’Justments in 1974, Withers severed ties with Sussex to sign with Columbia (who subsequently re-released his back catalog.) 1975’s Making Music, Making Friends showcased more classics, “Hello Like Before” and “Make Love to Your Mind” 1976’s Naked & Warm, with the idyllic love song to his adopted home, “City of the Angels” 1977’s Menagerie, with the much-covered “Lovely Day” and 1979’s ‘Bout Love, and the single “Don’t It Make It Better,” a top 30 R&B single, continued the run of top-charting releases. The second album, Still Bill, lauded as “a stone-soul masterpiece” by Rolling Stone magazine, delivered soon-to-be standards “Lean on Me” and “Use Me.” Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall followed. This resulted in the album Just As I Am with the Grammy-winning “Ain’t No Sunshine” and the much-loved “Grandma’s Hands.” The pragmatic Withers - who was now able to leave his straight gig at an aircraft company - subsequently assembled the remaining members of the Watts 103rd Street Band for U.S. Hamilton then introduced Withers to Clarence Avant of Sussex Records who tapped Booker T. His self-financed demos on which Watts 103rd Street Band member Ray Jackson served as arranger and keyboardist, led Jackson to introduce him to Forrest Hamilton. At 17, enlistment in the Navy was Bill’s ticket out. Withers’ father, a miner, died when Withers was 13. The youngest of six children, he was raised in nearby Beckley, in coal mining country. Slab Fork, West Virginia, a town of about 200 residents, was Bill’s place of birth. “When you have a talent you know it when you’re five years old– it’s just getting around to it.” ~B.W. Withers’ riveting 1974 concert performance in Zaire preceding the fabled Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” face-off is in the feature film, Soul Power and Withers himself is the subject of the documentary, Still Bill, that debuted at the SXSW Film Festival, is available on DVD. Alternative Rock group Alt-J brings a new interpretation to “Lovely Day” while Justin Timberlake performs a mash-up of the song at the Oscars in 2018 Willie Nelson and Mavis Staples’ duet of “Grandma’s Hands” is a striking rendition on his latest release To All The Girls and at the unveiling of the Bill Russell Legacy Project in Boston, a newly-penned song “I Am My Father’s Son” is performed by Johnny MathisLegacy Recordings’ box set of all nine of Withers albums, The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums, released in late 2012, won a Grammy for Best Historical Recording in 2014. Commercial uses, including the Amazon Prime’s campaign featuring “Lovely Day,” match the music to new markets.
#BILL WITHERS SERIES#
“Ain’t No Sunshine” set the scene for a much talked about episode in the hit series Scandal in 2013. Blige‘s version of “Lean on Me” echoed in Washington D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial at the “We Are One” pre-inaugural festivities for president Barack Obama, just as Withers’ words had similarly honored president Bill Clinton. ( Columbia Records via Wikimedia Commons.His songs speak for themselves. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook ( Live365 Official and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter ( and image: Bill Withers in 1976. ( Bill Withers' Greatest Hits, 1981)įor all your music needs, head over to for the best variety of radio stations around. "Just the Two of Us" with Grover Washington Jr. "Ain't No Sunshine" ( Just as I Am, 1971)
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We've also noted where each track landed on the Billboard Hot 100. Let's remember Bill Withers with just 10 stand-outs from his discography. He released eight studio albums and one live album, seeing chart success with each album.
#BILL WITHERS PROFESSIONAL#
Although he only worked as a professional musician for just 15 years, Withers left an immense mark on music. American soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers passed away at the age of 81 on March 30, 2020.