Bill Withers (1938–2020) was an American soul singer-songwriter from Slab Fork, West Virginia who started at 32 after nine years in the Navy — and still gave us Ain't No Sunshine, Lean on Me, and Lovely Day. Still Bill and Live at Carnegie Hall are the essentials. Browse Bill Withers vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
William Harrison Withers Jr. was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia on July 4, 1938. He served in the U.S. Navy for nine years before beginning a music career relatively late, signing with Sussex Records and releasing his debut album Just as I Am in 1971 at age 32. The album was produced by Booker T. Jones and produced the hit Ain't No Sunshine. He continued with Still Bill (1972, including Lean on Me and Use Me) and Live at Carnegie Hall (1973). After Sussex's dissolution he moved to Columbia, where he released material through 1985 including the duet Just the Two of Us with Grover Washington Jr. He effectively retired from the music industry in the mid-1980s and remained largely out of public life until his death on March 30, 2020.
Withers's sound combined soul, folk, and R&B with his deeply expressive baritone vocals, plainspoken lyrics, and arrangements drawing on Memphis soul, country, and gospel traditions. His songwriting was direct and unornamented, focused on universal themes of love, friendship, and dignity.
Original Sussex pressings of Just as I Am and Still Bill are widely collected. Multiple anniversary reissues and audiophile editions have been released, including 50th anniversary editions of Just as I Am and the Live at Carnegie Hall recording.
Listeners new to Bill Withers typically start with Still Bill (1972) or Live at Carnegie Hall (1973). Just as I Am (1971) is a common entry point.
