Bill Withers

CTL-E-5279 · Person · musician · 1938–2020

VERIFIED evidence grade of this record

Bill Withers (born William Harrison Withers Jr., July 4, 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia; died March 30, 2020, in Los Angeles, California) was an American singer-songwriter whose plainspoken songs became standards. Raised in Beckley, West Virginia, he served nine years in the U.S. Navy, moved to Los Angeles in 1967, and worked assembly jobs while recording demos at night — refusing, even after his first hit, to quit the job he trusted more than the music business. Signed to Clarence Avant’s Sussex Records, he released Just As I Am (1971), containing “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Grandma’s Hands,” and Still Bill (1972), containing “Lean on Me” and “Use Me.” Later work for Columbia included “Lovely Day” (1977), and his songwriting on “Just the Two of Us” (1980), recorded with Grover Washington Jr., won a Grammy. Withers largely retired in the mid-1980s. He won three Grammy Awards from nine nominations, entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

The record

• Also known as: William Harrison Withers Jr.

Notes

Staged 2026-10-15 under CTL-GOV-006 (Next Slate D2); Gate A clear; Gate B met (3 sources incl. West Virginia Encyclopedia, authoritative state reference); Gate F: target of Still Bill authored_by edge. Statistics carried: 3 Grammy Awards / 9 nominations (Wikipedia, checked 2026-10-15). Deceased — tribute record; “people who have passed get their flowers” (founder doctrine, 2026-10-15). PHOTO SLOT: HELD — Wikimedia Commons holds photographs of Withers, but no file’s license was verified from Commons metadata at staging; visual pass must verify before any use (never assumed).

Referenced by

• Still Bill — authored by → this record

Sources

• West Virginia Encyclopedia (e-WV), “Bill Withers” — birth/death, Navy service, Sussex signing, “Lean On Me” topped the charts July 8, 1972 for three weeks; Grammy wins 1972/1982/1988; Songwriters Hall of Fame 2005; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2015 — https://wvencprod.wvnet.edu/entries/1276 (primary source)
• Encyclopaedia reference via Wikipedia, “Bill Withers” — three Grammy Awards from nine nominations; inducted by Stevie Wonder, 2015; songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Withers
• Associated Press obituary via NME, “Iconic soul singer Bill Withers has died,” April 2020 — died March 30, 2020, aged 81, heart complications (family statement); Sussex debut 1971; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2015 — https://www.nme.com/news/music/iconic-soul-singer-bill-withers-has-died-2640639

Record CTL-E-5279 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: VERIFIED · 3 sources (1 primary) · 1 mapped relationship · CTL research: PPL-001.
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