Bill Withers-The Music Man

Still Bill Trailer from B-Side Entertainment on Vimeo.

Bill Withers has made music that transcends race and time, which is obvious by how much his music is played today. He was born William Harrison Withers on July 4th, 1938. Yes Independence Day, not surprising for a man that was definitely an independent thinker, true to himself and what he believes in.

It was during his nine year stint in the U.S. Navy that he decided to pursue a musical career, and upon discharge, he moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1971 he debut with " Ain't No Sunshine" which was an immediate success, but he refused to quit his day job.

In 1971, 1981, and 1987 he won a Grammy Award for the same category, 'Best Rythm and Blues Song'. Then he dropped out of site.

There were quite a few of us that wondered why Bill drop out of view. After listening to his being interviewed on the Jesse Thorn Radio Show, I now know.

Bill basically talked about the demands of being a performer and that there were some real mean people in the business, he called them "cold pimps". He said that there is a poem that he always kept in his head;

The Manager's son goes to Yale
The Blues Man's son goes to Jail

As he expressed in this interview, he had responsibilities that required that he be available.


Below is the interview with Bill Withers and Jesse Thorn.

The Sound of Young America