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He no longer had complete control over his music and chafed when it was suggested he do an Elvis cover.
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And Bill seemed to understand, intrinsically and instinctively, how to do that,” Sting said in “Still Bill,” a 2010 documentary of Withers.īut Withers’ career stalled when Sussex Records went bankrupt and he was scooped up by Columbia Records. “The hardest thing in songwriting is to be simple and yet profound. His “Live at Carnegie Hall” in 1973 made Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time. Later would come the striking “ Lovely Day,” co-written with Skip Scarborough and featuring Withers holding the word “day” for almost 19 seconds, and “Just the Two Of Us,” co-written with Ralph MacDonald and William Salter. It had the hits “Grandma’s Hands” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which was inspired by the Jack Lemmon film “Days of Wine and Roses.” He was photographed on the cover, smiling and holding his lunch pail. In 1971, signed to Sussex Records, he put out his first album, “Just As I Am,” with the legendary Booker T. After his discharge, he moved to Los Angeles, worked at an aircraft parts factory, bought a guitar at a pawn shop and recorded demos of his tunes in hopes of landing a recording contract. He joined the Navy at 17 and spent nine years in the service as an aircraft mechanic installing toilets. After his parents divorced when he was 3, Withers was raised by his mother’s family in nearby Beckley. Withers, who overcame a childhood stutter, was born the last of six children in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. He was a beautiful man with a stunning sense of humor and a gift for truth.” “Bill Withers’ songs are among the most treasured and profound in the American songbook - universal in the way they touch people all over the world, transcending genre and generation. “We lost a giant of songwriting today,” ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams said in a statement.
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“It added to my joy in the good times, and also gave me comfort and inspiration when I needed it most,” she tweeted.īilly Dee Williams tweeted “your music cheered my heart and soothed my soul” and Chance the Rapper said Withers’ songs are “some of the best songs of all time” and “my heart really hurts for him.” Lenny Kravitz said “My soul always has and always will be full of your music.”
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His death caused a torrent of appreciation on social media, including from former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who said Withers’ music has been a cherished part of her life. “Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.” “He’s the last African-American Everyman,” musician and band leader Questlove told Rolling Stone in 2015. “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me” are among Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. “Lean on Me,” a paean to friendship, was performed at the inaugurations of both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They have powerful melodies and perfect grooves melded with a smooth voice that conveys honesty and complex emotions without vocal acrobatics. Withers’ songs during his brief career have become the soundtracks of countless engagements, weddings and backyard parties.