Bill Withers

 Ur. 4.07.1938 r. w Slab Fork w stanie Zachodnia Wirginia. Po dziewięcioletniej służbie w amerykańskiej marynarce wojennej, osiadł w 1967 r. w Kalifornii, proponując swoje utwory licznym lokalnym wytwórniom. W 1971 r. podpisał ostatecznie kontrakt z Sussex Records, debiutując entuzjastycznie przyjętym singlem „Ain't No Sunshine", nagranym pod kierunkiem Bookera  T.Jonesa, z udziałem m.in. Stephena Stillsa (polską wersję tego przeboju zatytułowaną „Sen o dolinie" zaproponowała Budka Suflera). 

Płyta rozeszła się w milionowym nakładzie, a jej sukces utorował drogę na listy przebojów tematom „Lean On Me" i „Use Me". Kontynuacją łączącego pop, folk i soul stylu Withersa były popularne single „Make Love To Your Mind" (z 1975 r.), subtelny „Lovely Day" (z 1977 r., plus zremiksowana wersja z 1988 r.) i „Just The Two Of Us" (z 1981 r.). 

Ten ostatni, wykonywany w duecie z saksofonistą Groverem Washingtonem Juniorem, przyniósł obu muzykom nagrodę Grammy za najlepsze wykonanie tematu rhythm'n'bluesowcgo. Remiks „Lovely Day", wykorzystany wcześniej w telewizyjnej reklamie, trafił w 1988 r. na piąte miejsce listy brytyjskiej. Withers, będący bardziej profesjonalistą, niż charyzmatycznym idolem, cieszy się do dziś renomą utalentowanego autora przebojów.

Single
Tytuł	Wykonawca	Data wydania	UK	US	Wytwórnia [US]	Komentarz
Ain't No Sunshine/Harlem	Bill Withers	07.1971	-	3[16]	Sussex 219	[gold-US][written by Bill Withers][produced by Booker T. Jones][6[16].R&B Chart]
Grandma's Hands/Sweet Wanomi	Bill Withers	10.1971	-	42[8]	Sussex 227	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Booker T. Jones][18[8].R&B Chart]
Lean On Me/Better Off Dead	Bill Withers	04.1972	18[9]	1[3][19]	Sussex 225	[gold-US][platinum-UK][written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers][1[1][17].R&B Chart]
Use Me	Bill Withers	09.1972	-	2[12]	Sussex 241	[gold-US][written by Bill Withers][produced by Booker T. Jones,Bill Withers,Ray Jackson,James Gdson,Melvin Douglas,Benorce Blackman][2[13].R&B Chart]
Let Us Love/The Gift Of Giving	Bill Withers	12.1972	-	47[6]	Sussex 247	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers,Melvin Dunlap,Ray Jackson,James Gadson,Benorce Blackmon][17[5].R&B Chart]
Kissing My Love/I Don't Know	Bill Withers	02.1973	-	31[10]	Sussex 250	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers,Ray Jackson,James Gdson,Melvin Douglas,Benorce Blackman][12[9].R&B Chart]
Friend Of Mine/Lonely Town, Lonely Street	Bill Withers	07.1973	-	80[5]	Sussex 257	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers,Ray Jackson][25[6].R&B Chart]
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh/Make A Smile For Me	Bill Withers	04.1974	-	50[13]	Sussex 513	>[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers,Melvin Dunlap,James Gadson][10[15].R&B Chart]
You/Stories	Bill Withers	07.1974	-	-	Sussex 518	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers, James Gadson, Melvin Dunlap][15[13].R&B Chart]
Heartbreak Road/Ruby Lee	Bill Withers	12.1974	-	89[4]	Sussex 629	[written by Denise Nicholas][produced by Bill Withers, James Gadson, Melvin Dunlap][13[12].R&B Chart]
It's All Over Now	Bobby Womack & Bill Withers	07.1975	-	-	United Artists 674	[written by Bobby Womack,Shirley Womack][produced by Bobby Womack][68[8].R&B Chart]
Make Love To Your Mind/I Love You Dawn	Bill Withers	12.1975	-	76[6]	Columbia 10255	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers, Larry Nash][10[13].R&B Chart]
I Wish You Well/She's Lonely	Bill Withers	03.1976	-	-	Columbia 10308	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers, Larry Nash ][54[8].R&B Chart]
If I Didn't Mean You Well/My Imagination	Bill Withers	11.1976	-	-	Columbia 10420	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers][74[7].R&B Chart]
Close To Me/I'll Be With You	Bill Withers	01.1977	-	-	Columbia 10459	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers][88[2].R&B Chart]
Lovely Day/It Ain't Because Of Me Baby	Bill Withers	12.1977	7[8]	30[12]	Columbia 10627	[2x-platinum-US][written by Bill Withers ,Skip Scarborough][produced by Bill Withers, Clarence McDonald][6[22].R&B Chart]
Lovely Night For Dancing/I Want To Spend The Night	Bill Withers	04.1978	-	-	Columbia 10702	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers, Keni Burke][75[3].R&B Chart]
Don't It Make It Better/Love Is	Bill Withers	02.1979	-	-	Columbia 10892	[written by B. Withers, P. Smith ][produced by Bill Withers, Paul Smith][30[14].R&B Chart]
You Got The Stuff/ Look To Each Other For Love	Bill Withers	05.1979	-	-	Columbia 10948	[written by Bill Withers,Paul Hurriah Smith,Keith Hatchell][produced by Bill Withers,Paul Smith][85[3].R&B Chart]
Just The Two Of Us/Stories	Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers	07.1974	38[1]	2[24]	Elektra 47 103	[gold-US][written by Bill Withers,William Salter,Ralph MacDonald][produced by Ralph McDonald,Grover Washington, Jr.][3[21].R&B Chart]
U.S.A./ Paint Your Pretty Picture	Bill Withers	12.1981	-	-	Columbia 02651	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers, Richard Tee][83[6].R&B Chart]
In The Name Of Love/Stories	Ralph McDonald & Bill Withers	09.1984	-	58[10]	Polydor 881 221	[written by Bill Withers,Ralph McDonald,William Salter][produced by Bill Withers,William Eaton,Ralph McDonald][13[15].R&B Chart]
Oh Yeah!/Just Like The First Time	Bill Withers	07.1974	60[4]	106[2]	Columbia 04841	[written by D. Foster, B. Withers, L. Carlton][produced by Larry Carlton, Bill Withers][22[14].R&B Chart]
Something That Turns You On/You Try To Find A Love	Bill Withers	07.1985	-	-	Columbia 05424	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Bill Withers][46[12].R&B Chart]
Lovely Day/Lovely Night For Dancing	Bill Withers	07.1987	92[1]	-	CBS 650992 7	[written by Bill Withers,Skip Scarborough][produced by Bill Withers,Ben Liebrand,Clarence McDonald]
Lovely Day/Lovely Night For Dancing	Bill Withers	09.1988	4[9]	-	CBS 6530017	[written by Bill Withers,Skip Scarborough][produced by Bill Withers,Ben Liebrand,Clarence McDonald]
Ain't No Sunshine	Bill Withers	12.1988	82[3]	-	CBS 653198 7	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Booker T. Jones]
Harlem	Bill Withers	04.1990	98[1]	-	CBS 6548310	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Booker T. Jones]
Ain't No Sunshine	Bill Withers	05.2009	40[7]	-	Sony Music CATCO 7717	[written by Bill Withers][produced by Booker T. Jones]
Lean On Me	Bill Withers	04.2020	64[1]	-	Sony Music USSM 17200084	-
Lovely Day/Lovely Night For Dancing	Bill Withers	04.2020	73[1]	-	Sony Music USSM 17700714	[written by Bill Withers,Skip Scarborough][produced by Bill Withers,Ben Liebrand,Clarence McDonald]

Albumy
Tytuł	Wykonawca	Data wydania	UK	US	Wytwórnia [US]	Komentarz
Just as I Am	Bill Withers	06.1971	-	39[33]	Sussex 7006	[produced by Booker T. Jones]
Still Bill	Bill Withers	05.1972	-	4[43]	Sussex 7014	[gold-US][produced by Benorce Blackmon,Withers,James Gadson,Melvin Dunlap,Ray Jackson]
Live at Carnegie Hall	Bill Withers	04.1973	80[1][04.2020]	63[21]	Sussex 7025	[produced by Benorce Blackmon, Bill Withers, James Gadson, Melvin Dunlap, Ray Jackson]
+'Justments	Bill Withers	04.1974	-	67[21]	Sussex 8032	[produced by Bill Withers,Melvin Dunlap,James Gadson]
The Best of Bill Withers	Bill Withers	05.1975	-	182[2]	Sussex 8037	-
Making Music	Bill Withers	11.1975	-	81[15]	Columbia 33 704	[produced by Bill Withers, Larry Nash]
Naked & Warm	Bill Withers	11.1976	-	169[4]	Columbia 34 327	[produced by Bill Withers]
Menagerie	Bill Withers	10.1977	27[4]	39[26]	Columbia 345 903	[gold-US][produced by Bill Withers, Keni Burke, Clarence McDonald, Cliff Coulter]
'Bout Love	Bill Withers	03.1979	-	134[9]	Columbia 35596	[produced by Paul Smith]
Bill Withers' Greatest Hits	Bill Withers	05.1981	-	183[3]	Columbia 37199	[gold-US][produced by Paul Smith]
Watching You, Watching Me	Bill Withers	05.1985	60[1]	143[9]	Columbia 39887	[produced by Larry Carlton, Michel Colombier, Denny Diante, Don Freeman ,Ralph MacDonald ,Bill Withers]
Bill Withers' Greatest Hits	Bill Withers	09.1988	90[4]	-	CBS 32343 [UK]	[gold-UK]
Lovely Day: The Very Best of Bill Withers	Bill Withers	08.2006	35[2]	-	Columbia 82876845522 [UK]	-
The Ultimate Collection	Bill Withers	08.2017	10[4]	-	Sony Music CG 88985465862 [UK]	[gold-UK]