Is Bill Withers one of the best?
Bill Withers had a career spanning 18 years and counting and has been active in the music world since 1967. Bill Withers had an early retirement in 1985 which did come as a surprise to his fans mostly for how great and smooth his baritone vocals and “sumptuous” soul arrangements.
He is known to have written some of the most covered songs of the 1970s, including “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine”, with Lean on Me entering 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.
Indeed Bill Withers is one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived on earth. 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. Editors from The Guardian considered that Withers’s songs are “some of the most beloved in the American songbook,” citing, “‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ is regarded as one of the all-time great breakup tracks, while ‘Lean on Me’ is an ode to the supportive power of friendship.”
