Sederholm, Jillian; Alba, Monica (October 4, 2015). "Hillary Clinton tends bar, impersonates Trump in 'SNL' cameo". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015 . Retrieved November 24, 2019.

Kennedy, John R. (April 26, 2020). "Canadian Artists Join Voices For 'Lean On Me' ". Iheartradio.ca . Retrieved January 6, 2021. Hermann, Andy (January 23, 2003). "Bill Withers: Still Bill". PopMatters . Retrieved September 10, 2019.Grein, Paul (April 3, 2020). "Bill Withers Set This Grammy Record in 1988 -- And It Took More Than 25 Years to Break". Billboard . Retrieved January 29, 2021. a b Zellner, Xander (April 3, 2020). " 'Lean On Me,' 'Use Me,' 'Just the Two of Us' & More: Bill Withers' Biggest Billboard Hits". Billboard . Retrieved November 17, 2020.

a b c d e f g h i j k l Greene, Andy (April 14, 2015). "Bill Withers: The Soul Man Who Walked Away". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 26, 2015. Hale, Mike (January 26, 2010). "Still Bill (2009) A Singer Who Stopped His Showing Off". The New York Times. May 2017 CCA Commencement". WVU.edu. College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University. May 8, 2017 . Retrieved April 3, 2020. Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17 [10] and served for nine years, during which time he became interested in singing and writing songs. [11] He left the Navy in 1965, relocating to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a music career. [8] [10] Lean On Me singer Bill Withers dies at 81", BBC News, April 4, 2020, archived from the original on April 3, 2020 ; "Bill Withers, 'Lean On Me,' 'Ain't No Sunshine' singer, dies at 81". WSOC-TV.

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Several members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band [9] were used for the recording session in 1972. A string section was also included. Withers' disdain for Columbia's A&R executives—or "blaxperts" as he termed them—trying to exert control over his sound to sell more albums played a part in his decision to not record or re-sign to a record label after 1985. This effectively ended his performing career, though remixes of his previously recorded music were released well after his "retirement." [8] [11] [26] [27] [28] Finding musical success later in life than most, at 32, he said he was socialized as a "regular guy" who had a life before the music, so he did not feel an inherent need to keep recording once he fell out of love with the industry. [8] After he left the music industry, he said that he did not miss touring and performing live and did not regret leaving music behind. [8] [11] Post-Columbia career [ edit ] He then poured his experiences of growing up in Slab Fork, a tough coal-mining town with a strong community ethos, into Lean on Me. Mike Hale of The New York Times also thought the film was well done and mirrored Ebert's position on the interview with West and Smiley: Withers is known for his "smooth" baritone vocals and "sumptuous" soul arrangements. [38] He wrote some of the most covered songs of the 1970s, including "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine." [4] The former entered the Hot 100 chart through multiple versions, including Club Nouveau's 1987 cover, which made the composition one of nine songs to have led the chart via different acts. [39] With "Lovely Day", he set the record for the longest sustained note on a chart hit on American charts, holding a high E for 18 seconds. [38]

Due to problems with Columbia and being unable to get songs approved for his album, he decided to focus on joint projects from 1977 to 1985, including " Just the Two of Us," with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., which was released during February 1981. [21] The song won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. [22] Withers next released "Soul Shadows" with the Crusaders, and "In the Name of Love" with Ralph MacDonald, [23] the latter being nominated for a Grammy for vocal performance. [22] Miller, Derek (July 26, 2005). "Bill Withers - Still Bill - On Second Thought". Stylus Magazine . Retrieved September 10, 2019. Withers comes face-to-face with his discomfort on the blues-raked “I Don’t Want You on My Mind.” Like a long drag from a cigarette, this tune takes its sweet time to stretch out as Withers grapples with vulnerability after love has gone (“I believe it shows a sign of weakness / I don’t want no lonely nights to catch me crying”). And yet its third act finds his impassioned yelps and wails doing the work tears otherwise might. When done, one may pour a drink or make a psychotherapy appointment—either is appropriate. Still Bill is a 2009 documentary film about musician Bill Withers. It received its world premiere at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. [1] The title is a reference to Withers' 1972 album of the same name. Do you know how unhappy you would be if you thought that the way you are is not okay?” Withers asked in the Still Bill documentary (2009). “I started out my life like that. I don’t wanna end up like that.” Withers was certain that when his entanglement with fame was done, he could return to being Bill.My most lasting memory of Withers' music is actually a memory of my father. It was a rainy summer afternoon in the mid-1970s, and I know it was a Sunday because my dad worked six days a week. As I sat on the living room floor, my dad sat in the dark on the couch — a glass of dark liquor nearby — and listened to Bill Withers' Live at Carnegie Hall. The album was recorded in October of 1972, just after the release of Still Bill's second single, "Use Me," and released as a double album in the spring of 1973. I remember little about hearing the album that day, except Withers telling the audience how much percussionist Bobbye Hall reminded him of his grandmother.

However, what looked like incipient megastardom never came to fruition. After the demise of his original record label, Sussex, Withers was signed to Columbia, where he was never comfortable and felt nothing but contempt for what he considered to be the company’s narrow-minded executives. Though he notched up two more definitive hit singles, the serene and mantra-like Lovely Day (1977) and the hook-up with the saxophonist Grover Washington Jr on Just the Two of Us (1981), his sales tailed off.RPM 100 Albums". RPM. archived at Library and Archives Canada. 18 (14). November 18, 1972 . Retrieved October 23, 2011.