AIN’T NO SUNSHINE, HE’S GONE
Bill Withers, giant of soul, is dead at 81
“Lean on Me” legend Bill Withers, whose blend of southern folksy philosophy and soulful fiery funk topped the R&B charts for decades, died Monday, according to his family. He was 81.
Relatives said the singer-songwriter died from heart complications.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father,” the family said in a statement. “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.
“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,” the statement concluded.
With staples such as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Just the Two of Us” and “Lovely Day,” Withers sang about everything from friendship to infidelity, filling each song with rich emotion and relatable simplicity.
“Only darkness every day,” he sings about the time spent away from his lover. And when he suspects the woman is cheating on him, as he does in t “Who Is He (And What Is He to You),” Withers reminds the flirt that she is “too much for one man, but not enough for two.”
The three-time Grammy Award winner’s brief and inspiring career ended in the mid-1980s when he decided to stop making music.
But Withers had already written some of the most loved and covered songs in history. His music became the soundtrack of numerous weddings, engagements and other events across the world over the years.
“What few songs I wrote during my brief career, there ain’t a genre that somebody didn’t record them in,” Withers told Rolling Stone magazine. “I’m not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with. I don’t think I’ve done bad for a guy from Slab Fork, West Virginia.”
But it was his brotherhood anthem “Lean on Me,” with its biblical message of being your brother’s keeper, that resonated most with fans. The song helped inspire a movie about a New Jersey urban school principal, and was performed at the presidential inaugurations of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Most recently, residents in Boston, Dallas and other cities took to their windows and balconies to sing his classic to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic.
“Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me” are on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Tributes poured in from across the social media and music spectrum.
“One of my favorite people,” tweeted singer Anthony Hamilton. “Such an inspiration. Ain’t no sunshine… Rest in peace Bill Withers.”
“Mourning the loss of my friend and inspiration, Bill Withers,” tweeted singer John Legend. “He was such an incredible songwriter and storyteller. I’m so glad he shared his gift with the world. Life wouldn’t be the same without him.”
“We lost a giant of songwriting today,” Paul Williams, president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, said in a statement. “Bill Withers’ songs are among the most treasured and profound in the American songbook — universal in the way they touch people all over the world, transcending genre and generation. He was a beautiful man with a stunning sense of humor and a gift for truth.”
Withers was born on Independence Day in 1938 in a West Virginia coal mining town. He was the youngest of six children, and overcame a childhood stutter.
He joined the Navy at 17 and spent nine years in the service as an aircraft mechanic installing toilets. After the military 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, Withers was signed to Sussex Records, where he put out his first album, “Just As I Am.” It had the hits “Grandma’s Hands” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” He was photographed on the cover, smiling and holding his lunch pail.