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Topic: Bill Withers dies aged 81Posted By: snobb
Subject: Bill Withers dies aged 81
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2020 at 12:50pm
The highly influential soul singer Bill Withers has died aged 81
Bill Withers, who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the
1970s that have stood the test of time, including “ Lean On Me, ”
“Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” has died from heart complications,
his family has said.
The three-time Grammy Award winner, who
withdrew from making music in the mid-1980s, died on Monday in Los
Angeles, the statement said. His death comes as the public has drawn
inspiration from his music during the coronavirus pandemic, with health
care workers, choirs, artists and more posting their own renditions on
“Lean on Me” to help get through the difficult times.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and
father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at
large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and
connected them to each other,” the family statement read. “As private a
life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever
belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers
comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones.”
Withers’
songs during his brief career have become the soundtracks of countless
engagements, weddings and backyard parties. They have powerful melodies
and perfect grooves melded with a smooth voice that conveys honesty and
complex emotions without vocal acrobatics.
“Lean
On Me,” a paean to friendship, was performed at the inaugurations of
both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me”
are among Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Withers, who overcame a childhood stutter, was born the last of six
children in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. After his
parents divorced when he was 3, Withers was raised by his mother’s
family in nearby Beckley.
He joined the Navy at 17 and spent nine
years in the service as an aircraft mechanic installing toilets. 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.
In 1971, signed to
Sussex Records, he put out his first album, “Just As I Am,” with the
legendary Booker T. Jones at the helm. 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.
But Withers’ career when Sussex Records
went bankrupt and he was scooped up by Columbia Records. He no longer
had complete control over his music and chaffed when it was suggested he
do an Elvis cover. His new executives found Withers difficult.
None
of his Columbia albums reached the Top 40 except for 1977’s
“Menagerie,” which produced “Lovely Day.” (His hit duet with Grover
Washington Jr. “Just the Two of Us” was on Washington’s label). Withers’
last album was 1985′s “Watching You Watching Me.”
Though his
songs often dealt with relationships, Withers also wrote ones with
social commentary, including “Better Off Dead” about an alcoholic’s
suicide, and “I Can’t Write Left-Handed,” about an injured Vietnam War
veteran.
He was awarded Grammys as a songwriter for “Ain’t No
Sunshine” in 1971 and for “Just The Two Of Us” in 1981. In 1987, Bill
received his ninth Grammy nomination and third Grammy as a songwriter
for the re-recording of the 1972 hit “ Lean On Me” by Club Nouveau.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 by Stevie Wonder. Withers thanked his wife as well as the R&B
pioneers who helped his career like Ray Jackson, Al Bell and Booker T.
Jones. He also got in a few jabs at the record industry, saying A&R stood for “antagonistic and redundant.”
He is survived by his wife, Marcia, and children, Todd and Kori. Our
thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.