William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, and raised in Beckley, West Virginia. Over an 18-year career, he created several popular songs, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me" (1972), "Lean on Me" (1972), "Lovely Day" (1977), and "Just the Two of Us" (1980), which he recorded with Grover Washington Jr. Withers won three Grammy Awards from nine total nominations.

A 2009 documentary film titled Still Bill focused on his life. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, and the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2025. Two of his songs, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me," were added to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Early life

William Harrison Withers Jr., the youngest of six children, was born on July 4, 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia, a small town known for coal mining. His parents were Mattie, a maid, and William Withers, a miner. As a child, he developed a stutter and later described difficulties in feeling like he belonged. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and he was raised by his mother’s family in Beckley, West Virginia. A statue honoring him was unveiled in 2025 in Beckley. His father passed away when William was 13 years old.

Career

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Bill Withers joined the United States Navy when he was 17 years old and served for nine years. During this time, he became interested in singing and writing songs. He left the Navy in 1965 and moved to Los Angeles in 1967 to begin a music career.

His first song release was "Three Nights and a Morning" in 1967. The song was arranged by Mort Garson and was not widely noticed at the time. Later, Withers reworked the song and released it as "Harlem."

While working as a mechanical assembler for companies such as Douglas Aircraft Corporation, IBM, and Ford, Withers recorded demo tapes with his own money and performed in clubs at night. When his song "Ain't No Sunshine" became popular in 1971, he refused to quit his job because he believed the music industry was unpredictable. He continued to improve his musical skills, including learning how to play the guitar.

In early 1970, Withers sent his demo tape to Clarence Avant, who owned Sussex Records. Avant liked the tape and signed Withers to a record deal. He assigned Booker T. Jones, a former Stax Records producer, to help Withers create his first album. Originally, four three-hour recording sessions were planned, but due to funding issues, the album was recorded in three sessions with a six-month break between the second and final sessions. The album, Just As I Am, was released in 1971 and included the singles "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands." Stephen Stills played lead guitar on the album. The album cover showed Withers holding his lunch box at his job with Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California.

In October 1971, Withers received two letters on the same day. One was from his former employer, Weber Aircraft, offering him his job back with a salary of $3.50 an hour. The other was from Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, inviting Withers to perform "Ain't No Sunshine" on NBC.

The album was a success, and Withers began touring with a band made up of members from the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. In 1972, Withers won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for "Ain't No Sunshine." The song had already sold over one million copies and received a gold disc from the RIAA in September 1971.

During a break from touring, Withers recorded his second album, Still Bill. The single "Lean on Me" reached number one on July 8, 1972. This was Withers' second gold single, with confirmed sales of more than three million copies. His next single, "Use Me," released in August 1972, became his third million-seller and received a gold disc from the RIAA on October 12, 1972. His performance at Carnegie Hall on October 6, 1972, was recorded and released as the live album Bill Withers, Live at Carnegie Hall on November 30, 1972. In 1974, Withers recorded the album +'Justments.

During this time, Withers wrote and produced two songs for the Gladys Knight & the Pips album I Feel a Song. In October 1974, he performed in Zaire with James Brown, Etta James, and B.B. King, four weeks before the Rumble in the Jungle fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Footage of his performance was included in the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings and in the 2008 documentary film Soul Power.

Withers has said that Sussex Records did not pay him well. He claims to have erased an entire album he recorded for the label out of frustration. He later said he could have handled the situation differently. Because of a legal dispute with Sussex Records, Withers was unable to record for a time.

After Sussex Records closed, Withers signed with Columbia Records in 1975. His first album with the label, Making Music, included the single "She's Lonely," which was used in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar along with "She Wants to (Get on Down)." In the next three years, Withers released an album each year: Naked & Warm (1976), Menagerie (1977; which included the successful song "Lovely Day"), and 'Bout Love (1978).

Because of problems with Columbia Records and being unable to get his songs approved, Withers focused on joint projects from 1977 to 1985. One of these projects was "Just the Two of Us," with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., which was released in February 1981. The song won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. Withers also released "Soul Shadows" with the Crusaders and "In the Name of Love" with Ralph MacDonald, the latter of which was nominated for a Grammy for vocal performance.

In 1982, Withers was a featured vocalist on the album Dreams in Stone by French singer Michel Berger. This album included a song co-written and sung by Withers called "Apple Pie," an upbeat disco song about New York City.

In 1985, Withers released the album Watching You, Watching Me, which included the Top 40 R&B single "Oh, Yeah!" This album ended Withers' business relationship with Columbia Records. Withers said that many of the songs approved for the album were the same ones that had been rejected in 1982, which contributed to an eight-year break between albums. He also said it was frustrating to see his record label release an album for Mr. T, an actor, while they prevented him, a songwriter, from releasing his own music. He toured with Jennifer Holliday in 1985 to promote what would be his final studio album.

Withers was upset with Columbia Records' A&R executives, whom he called "blaxperts," for trying to control his music to sell more albums. This influenced his decision not to record or re-sign with a record label after 1985. This effectively ended his performing career, although remixes of his music were released after his retirement. Withers said he found success later in life than most and was socialized as a "regular guy" who had a life before music, so he did not feel a need to keep recording once he fell out of love with the industry. After leaving the music industry, Withers said he did not miss touring or performing live and did not regret leaving music behind.

In 1988, a new version of "Lovely Day" from the 1977 Menagerie album, called "Lovely Day (Sunshine Mix)" and remixed by Ben Liebrand, was released. The original version had reached number 7 in the UK in early 1978, and the re-release reached number 4.

At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Withers won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Song as a songwriter for the re-recording of "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau. This was Withers' ninth Grammy nomination and third win. Withers contributed two songs to Jimmy Buffett's 2004 release License to Chill. Following the reissues of Still Bill on January 28, 2003, and Just As I Am on March 8, 2005, there was speculation that previously unreleased material might be released as a new album. In 2006, Sony Music returned Withers' previously unreleased tapes to him. In 2007, "Lean on Me" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex & Columbia Albums Collection, a nine-disc set featuring Withers' eight studio albums and his live album Live at Carnegie Hall, received the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album (shared with the Rolling Stones' Charlie Is My Darling – Ireland 1965). The award was presented to Leo Sacks, who produced the collection, and the mastering engineers Mark Wilder, Joseph M. Palmaccio, and Tom Ruff.

In 2005, Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In April 2015, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Stevie Wonder. He described the honor as "an award of attrition" and said, "What few songs I wrote during my brief career, there ain't a genre that somebody didn't record them in. I'm not a virtuoso, but I…"

Legacy

Withers is known for his smooth deep voice and rich soul music arrangements. He wrote many songs that were covered by other artists in the 1970s, including "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine." The song "Lean on Me" reached the Hot 100 chart through different versions, such as Club Nouveau's 1987 cover. This made the song one of nine to reach the top of the chart through different artists. With "Lovely Day," he set a record for holding a high E note for 18 seconds on an American chart hit.

Editors from The Guardian said Withers' songs are among the most loved in American music. They noted that "Ain't No Sunshine" is considered one of the greatest breakup songs, while "Lean on Me" celebrates the importance of friendship. Alex Petridis from the same newspaper wrote that Withers combined deep emotions like pain and worry with his gentle music, and he stopped performing early after exploring many musical styles, including gospel, funk, blues, and disco. Andy Greene from Rolling Stone said many of Withers' songs are deeply connected to culture and have been covered by many artists.

Giovanni Russonello from The New York Times described Withers as a singer with a talent for creating simple but memorable songs. He added that Withers focused on everyday themes like work, family, love, and loss, rather than showing off or using extra elements. A Billboard article said Withers is one of the most respected singer-songwriters in R&B and soul music. The same magazine noted that Withers' influence has grown over time, as many artists have covered, sampled, or cited him as an inspiration.

Questlove, a musician and journalist, called Withers' 1974 album Justments a personal diary, comparing it to Marvin Gaye's later work Here, My Dear. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys called Withers "a songwriter's songwriter." Many musicians, including Sade, D'Angelo, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, and Ed Sheeran, have said Withers influenced their music.

Withers' songs have been used by many hip hop and pop artists, such as Basehead, Blackstreet, Kendrick Lamar, DMX, Tupac Shakur, Jennifer Lopez, and Aaliyah.

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Withers at number 106 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2024, the Library of Congress added "Ain't No Sunshine" to its National Recording Registry. In September 2025, Withers was chosen for induction into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and was honored in October.

Personal life

Withers married actress Denise Nicholas in 1973 during her time on the sitcom Room 222. They divorced in 1974.

In 1976, Withers married Marcia Johnson. They had two children, Todd and Kori. Marcia later took charge of managing his publishing companies. As they grew older, his children also helped with these businesses.

Withers passed away from heart problems in a Los Angeles hospital on March 30, 2020, at age 81. His family announced his death four days later.

The family statement said:

He was cremated at Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery in its crematory. His ashes were later buried in an unmarked grave.

Discography

Here is a list of Bill Withers' original studio albums and compilation albums, along with their release years:

Studio Albums:
• Just as I Am (1971)
• Still Bill (1972)
• +'Justments (1974)
• Making Music (1975)
• Naked & Warm (1976)
• Menagerie (1977)
• 'Bout Love (1978)
• Watching You, Watching Me (1985)

Live and Compilation Albums:
• Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
• The Best of Bill Withers (1975)
• The Best of Bill Withers (1980)
• Bill Withers' Greatest Hits (1981)
• Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers (1994)
• The Best of Bill Withers: Lean on Me (2000)
• The Ultimate Bill Withers Collection (2000)
• Lovely Day: The Very Best of Bill Withers (2005)
• Ain't No Sunshine: The Best of Bill Withers (2008)
• Playlist: The Very Best of Bill Withers (2009)
• The Essential Bill Withers (2013)

Accolades

The Grammy Awards are awarded by The Recording Academy. Withers has won three Grammy Awards out of nine nominations.

• 2005: Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• 2006: Received the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award
• 2007: Inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame
• 2015: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• 2017: Received an honorary degree from West Virginia University
• 2025: Inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame