'Lean on me, when you're not strong and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on'.
The immortal words of legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers, who has died due to heart complications at the age of 81.
Withers is notable not only for his music career, but for his stand against music executives in the mid-80s. His disdain for the Columbia Records hierarchy, calling them 'blaxperts', led to Withers no longer recording or re-signing with label past 1985.
In his career, Withers had a plethora of timeless hits, including the aforementioned 'Lean On Me'.
The two that exemplify Withers' soulful voice and glowing thematics are 'Ain't No Sunshine' and 'Lovely Day', tunes that subtly grab you and cast a spell.
Furthermore, Withers songs have been covered and sampled an innumerable amount of times. According to Secondhand Songs, 'Ain't No Sunshine' has been covered by whopping 277 artists. Also, 'Grandma's Hands' was sampled by Dr Dre on Blackstreet's seminal anthem 'No Diggity', so even Withers secondhand tunes are bangers.
In 2015, Withers was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame by Stevie Wonder. Withers called the nod an 'award of attrition before adding 'hat 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 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.'
People from the world of music and beyond took to Twitter to pay tribute to Withers.
Ah. Bill Withers. To whom was he not a revelation?
Go well, old love x— Alison Moyet (@AlisonMoyet) April 3, 2020
RIP Bill Withers! The day our daughter Kaavia James came into this world-“Lovely Day” was our song of choice for her entry into the world. Thank you Bill Withers for creating a song that will forever be apart of our lives ❤️ 🙏🏾
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 3, 2020
So sad to hear Bill Withers has passed. If you’ve never heard it, listen to Live at Carnegie Hall. ♥️https://t.co/id5hgGuk3O
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) April 3, 2020
Mourning the loss of my friend and inspiration, Bill Withers. 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.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 3, 2020
Shout out to the magic of recorded music. Imagine if the transcendent Bill Withers died and we never heard his voice again
— Flea (@flea333) April 3, 2020
One of the musical cornerstones of my life...
Rest Easy Bill Withers! We so need yours songs right now!#RIPBW— DJ Jazzy Jeff the Tutor (@djjazzyjeff215) April 3, 2020
Now that we have a bit of time on our hands to delve into some culture, may we suggest one of the greatest live albums of all time.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Stnb66v5cibvR22sFdLYx?si=gmQOGNsYTx6CfGG3zAmf2A
