Bill Withers

Real Name: Bill Withers
Birthday: 4 July 1938
Hometown: Slab Fork, West Virginia
Biggest Hit Single: Lovely Day, number seven, 1978, Lovely Day Remix, number four, 1988
Career Highlights: Three-time Grammy Award winner

Bill could be the most down to earth man in music! He worked almost every job imaginable before becoming famous, including making toilets for jumbo jets and flipping burgers at the local diner! In the evenings he would sing at juke joints – boozy blues cafes that were springing up allover American in the 50s.

With a voice like his, it wasn’t long before he found his calling and went professional. But, even when he’d released the classic hit single Ain’t No Sunshine in the 60s he still kept up his day job, saying the music industry was a fickle place!

In the early 70s he scored a record deal, and though money was tight he managed to fit in three four-hour studio sessions and came up with the amazing Just As I Am album.

He made the album Making Music, Making Friends in 1975, which spawned US hit single She’s Lonely. The song was used in the film Looking For Mr Goodbar.He then focused on joint projects for several years, including the multiple Grammy-nominated Just the Two of Us which he performed with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr, Soul Shadows with The Crusaders, and In The Name Of Love with Ralph MacDonald.

His final new release was 1985's Watching You, Watching Me, with the singles Whatever Happens and You Just Can't Smile It Away. He retired from the music business after the album was released.