Another death to report ...
I just read that Bill Withers has died.
Frank B.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8184937/Lean-On-Me-Lovely-Day-singer-Bill-Withers-dies-81.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR0efsFNgDi5zvBHdhXsNW9yBL8vid9kufzl83NNwjZV6PMc6L6nQU6W4sc&fbclid=IwAR1VK6-1g9yHb1wCBO2QOnGnYq-Q8-4doKbFoMHStYZcf7oIy5F1awuaFCI&fbclid=IwAR0cIMDKUtHZExN3ZnBHKBij_lU-UrxmcoWJsFePzLdONpYyzy-WP63TmD4&fbclid=IwAR1o5GwvSuJ2lsftiO5nu5f-gyIMAJQTmzWLoCr_nux_aXxFy4HBzS4WTAw&fbclid=IwAR2ZxOx8rGnFWN3hNKdGQDOmwgU4Kni7jW6Ji7aoceFa6okB2JR8Ob-H2EU&fbclid=IwAR2emZ7lsvkcJnZKz0zeqrjB-E2CoeSnTyelwLHM7GafmfRyfPxSbZerz1A
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know ... (kk)
Every once in a while a new artist will come along that doesn't sound like anybody else who came before them ...
Someone who is distinctly their own creation.
Bill Withers was such an artist.
The very first time I EVER heard "Ain't No Sunshine" in The Summer of 1971, I was blown away ... what a unique sound ... essentially a stripped down record until the strings came in ... and then that CRAZY "I know, I know, I know" bridge that brought you back into the main crux of the song ... it was perfection ... and sounded as effortless as breathing.
Now Bill Withers would have other hits over the years ... eight Top 40 Hits in all ... but none of them ever again quite captured the innocence of this first record.
Don't get me wrong ... "Lean On Me" was a #1 smash ... and I loved it when it was out ... although this one hasn't aged as well for me. Still, it preaches the gospel to millions of others who have adopted it as their own personal model of inspiration, especially in the most trying of times, such as those that we're all going through today.
I hated "Use Me" when it first came out. Again, I was in the minority, as this record sailed all the way to #2, hot on the heels of "Lean On Me." (In fact, my younger brother Mark played the heck out of this song ... ultimately causing me to hate it even more!) But then, when I heard Hootie and the Blowfish perform it 20-something years later, I was blown away. In the process, I rediscovered Bill's version and have loved it ever since.
There are a lot of fans out there who cite "Lovely Day" (#23, 1977) as their favorite ... it's another smooth-sounding hit that just flows seamlessly along ... and Bill's vocal on Grover Washington, Jr.'s track "Just The Two Of Us" was superb ... the perfect marriage of sound (even if Dr. Evil and Mini-Me's version stole some of its thunder two decades later.)
The documentary "Still Bill" may have exposed Withers' dealing with stuttering, but it also showed how his release through music helped him escape what others may have perceived as a handicap. It also endeared him to many more fans who otherwise might not have discovered his rich music catalog.
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame worthy???
No ... and I adamantly opposed his very nomination, much less his induction ... he just doesn't fit the model of what this foundation was built to recognize.
But an artist worthy of attention ... a deserving Grammy winner ... an artist who carved out his own place on the musical landscape ... yes, most definitely. (kk)
THE BILL WITHERS HIT LIST:
1971 - Ain't No Sunshine (#3)
Grandma's Hands (#31)
1972 - Lean On Me (#1)
Use Me (#2)
1973 - Let Us Love (#39)
Kissing My Love (#26)
1977 - Lovely Day (#23)
1981 - Just The Two Of Us (#2) with Grover Washington, Jr.
