Bill Withers is an American soul musician, songwriter and performer. He enjoyed great popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, when his songs could be heard in almost every corner of the globe. And today (after the death of the famous black artist), he continues to be considered one of the world's stars. Withers remains the idol of millions of fans of African American music, in particular soul.
The Early Years of Bill Withers
The future legend of soul blues was born in 1938 in the small mining town of Slab Fork (West Virginia). He was the youngest child in a large family, where, in addition to Bill, there were 5 more brothers and sisters.
The boy's mother, Mattie Galloway, worked as a maid, and his father, William Users, worked in the face of one of the local mines. Three years after the birth of Billy, his parents divorced, and the boy remained in the upbringing of his mother. In search of a better life, they moved to the city of Beckley, where he spent his childhood.
During his youth, Withers was practically no different from millions of his black peers living in the United States. His only feature was a strong stutter, which the guy suffered from birth. As the singer recalled, he was very worried about his speech impediment.
At the age of 12, he lost his father, which significantly worsened the situation of a large family. The father regularly sent part of his mining earnings to his ex-wife for the maintenance of the children.
The youth of the future star Bill Withers
Billy's youth fell on the turbulent times of the Negro movement (in the 1950s in America) for their civil rights. However, the young man was not attracted by the social and political activities that engulfed his city of Beckley.
Fascinated by maritime romance, in 1955 he signed up for military service in the US Navy, where he spent 9 years. It was here that he became interested in music, for the first time he tried to write his own songs. One of the main reasons for his vocal lessons was the ability to forget about his stutter for a while.
The beginning of the career of musician Bill Withers
In 1965, 26-year-old Withers left the Navy and decided to start a civilian life. Initially, he did not even consider a musical career as the main life path. In 1967, he moved to live on the West Coast, in Los Angeles. In this metropolis, according to the former sailor, it was easier for him to settle down in life. A young black guy worked as an electrician at the aircraft factory of the Douglas Corporation. The specialty acquired during the service in the Navy came in handy.
Despite the fact that Billy did not take music seriously, he did not leave it completely. Moreover, his passion for music gradually occupied most of his free time from work. With the money saved, he recorded demo cassettes with songs of his own composition. In parallel with this, he performed in nightclubs, where he distributed cassettes with records for free to everyone.
Fortune smiled at the young performer in 1970. Then, after watching the movie Days of Wine and Roses, he composed Ain't No Sunshine. With this hit, written under the influence of a dramatic movie, Withers gained wide popularity. Clarence Avant, the owner of the Sussex Records recording studio, played an important role in the fate of the novice performer.
After listening to one of the cassettes of an unknown black singer that accidentally came to him, he immediately realized that this was a future star. Soon, a contract was signed between Bill and the record company to release the artist's first album, Justas I Am. But even after the start of cooperation with Sussex Records, which promised him a significant profit, Bill did not dare to leave his main job as an assembler at an aircraft factory. He judiciously believed that a musical career was a very fickle business and could not replace "real work."
World fame soul artist Bill Withers
Simultaneously with the collaboration with Sussex Records, Bill found a partner for variety performances and recordings. They became T John Booker, who accompanied Bill on keyboards and guitar when recording his debut album.
In 1971, two more songs were released as separate singles - Ain't No Sunshine and Grandma's Hands. The first of these tracks was highly appreciated by both music critics and listeners. The single has sold over 1 million copies in the US alone. He received the prestigious Grammy Award for Best R'n'B Hit of the Year.
A further success for Billy Withers was the single Lean On Me from Still Bill (1972). Sales of the record exceeded 3 million copies, the hit topped the Billboard chart for several weeks. Another indicator of the popularity of the song "Lean on Me" - it sounded at the inauguration of two American presidents - B. Clinton and B. Obama.
During the height of the coronavirus, Americans in self-isolation launched a flash mob where they performed Lean On Me online. President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, wrote on her Twitter page at the time: "Today is the best time to fully appreciate the power of this song."
Artist Achievements
In 1974, Withers, together with J. Brown and BB King, gave a concert in the capital of Zaire, timed to coincide with the historic meeting in the ring of two world boxing legends, Mohammed Ali and J. Foreman. The recording of this performance was included in the movie When We Were Kings, which won the Oscar in 1996.
A year later, the Sussex Records label suddenly went bankrupt, remaining indebted to Withers for the sales of records. After that, the singer is forced to move under the wings of another record label, Columbia Records.
In this studio in 1978, the next album of the soul star Menagerie was recorded. In the song Lovely Day from this album, Bill set a record for vocalists. He held one note for 18 seconds. This record was set only in 2000 by the soloist of the a-ha group.
In 1980, Withers had another achievement. The recording studio Elektra Records released the single Just the Two of Us, thanks to which the musician was awarded the second Grammy Award. Meanwhile, relations with Columbia Records were deteriorating.
The singer accused her of artificially delaying work on new albums. The next collection was released only in 1985 and was marked by a grand "failure", having received negative reviews from critics. Then the 47-year-old musician decided to leave his pop career.
Life of Bill Withers after the big stage
Withers kept his word, and never returned to the big stage. But the same cannot be said about his creations. The songs of the famous soul singer continue to be performed today. They are included in the repertoire of world stars performing jazz, soul, and even pop music, providing the widest field for creative improvisation.
A documentary about Withers was released in 2009. In it, he appeared before the audience as a happy person. According to him, he did not regret leaving the stage. In 2015, in honor of the 30th anniversary of his departure from the stage, Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bill has been married twice in his life. The first short marriage was in 1973 with a sitcom actress. But less than a year later, the couple broke up after the young wife accused Withers of domestic violence. The singer remarried in 1976. His new wife, Marcia, bore him two children, a boy, Todd, and a girl, Corey. In the future, she, like the children, became a close assistant to Withers, taking over the management of publishing houses in Los Angeles.
The famous American performer died in March 2020 from a heart attack. His death was announced to the general public four days later. Withers was buried at the Hollywood Hills Memorial Cemetery, near Los Angeles.
