104.3, broadcasting from Radio Free Elsewhere. Your glitch in the airwaves.
The Elsewhere GazetteExtra
Bill Withers
American musician (1938–2020)
William Harrison Withers Jr. 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).
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.
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. Withers developed a stutter as a child and later said that he had a hard time fitting in. Withers' parents divorced when he was three, and he was raised by his mother's family in nearby Beckley, West Virginia. Withers was 13 years old when his father died in 1951.
Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17 and served for nine years, during which time he became interested in singing and writing songs. Withers left the Navy in 1965 and relocated to Los Angeles two years later to start a music career. His debut release was "Three Nights and a Morning" in 1967. Arranged by Mort Garson, the song went unnoticed at the time but was later reworked by Withers as the track "Harlem."
In 1988, a new version of "Lovely Day" from the 1977 Menagerie album, entitled "Lovely Day (Sunshine Mix)" and remixed by Ben Liebrand was released. The original release had reached number 7 in the UK in early 1978, and the re-release climbed higher to number 4.
Withers is known for his "smooth" baritone vocals and "sumptuous" soul arrangements. He wrote some of the most covered songs of the 1970s, including "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine." The former entered the Hot 100 chart through multiple versions, including Club Nouveau's 1987 cover, which made the composition one of nine songs to have led the chart via different acts. With "Lovely Day", Withers set the record for the longest sustained note on an American chart hit, holding a high E for 18 seconds.
Born: July 4, 1938 in Slab Fork, West Virginia, USA
Died: March 30, 2020 In Los Angeles, CA.
Soulful singer and songwriter. A late starter musically, he cut his first demos while working as a mechanic for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation and released his debut album "Just As I Am" in 1971 at the age of 33.
Father of Kori Withers
Also known as: *Bill Withers, B Withers, B, Withers, B- Withers, B. WIthers
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Bill Withers, the records, oldest first
Just As I Am
1971 album
wanted
Still Bill
1972 album
wanted
+’Justments
1974 album
Making Music
1975 album
Naked & Warm
1976 album
Menagerie
1977 album
’Bout Love
1979 album
Watching You Watching Me
1985 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Lean on Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the lead single from his second album, Still Bill.
The song was a No. 1 single on both the soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts, the latter chart for three weeks in July 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 7 song of 1972.
Background and writing
Bill Withers' childhood in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, was the inspiration for "Lean on Me", which he wrote for his album Still Bill after he moved to Los Angeles, and found himself missing the strong community ethic of his hometown. Withers had lived in a decrepit house in the poor section of his town.
In popular culture
The song is used in the ending scene of the 1995 season 7 episode of The Simpsons titled "Radioactive Man".
Notable cover versions
In 1989, remakes of "Lean on Me" by the Winans and Sandra Reaves-Phillips provided the emotional uplift for the film Lean on Me. For the same film, the song was adapted by Big Daddy Kane in "hip hop" form.
"Use Me" is a song composed and originally recorded by Bill Withers. It was included on his 1972 album Still Bill and was released as a single.
An eight-minute live version opens the 1973 album Live at Carnegie Hall.
Reception
It was Withers' second-biggest hit in the United States, released in September 1972 and later reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was kept from No. 1 by both "Ben" by Michael Jackson and "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry. "Use Me" also peaked at No. 2 on the soul chart for two weeks. Withers performed it on Soul Train on November 4, 1972. Billboard ranked "Use Me" as the No. 78 song for 1972. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA.
