William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. Born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, he became known for a series of major hits over an 18‑year career, including “Ain’t No Sunshine” (1971), “Grandma’s Hands” (1971), “Use Me” (1972), “Lean on Me” (1972), “Lovely Day” (1977) and “Just the Two of Us” (1980), the latter recorded in collaboration with Grover Washington Jr. Withers won three Grammy Awards out of nine nominations. He largely stopped performing and recording in the mid‑1980s, citing burnout and conflicts with record company executives. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary Still Bill. Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 and the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2025. Two of his songs, “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me,” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. William Harrison Withers Jr., the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal‑mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938. He was the son of Mattie (née Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. He developed a stutter as a child and later said he struggled to fit in. His parents divorced when he was three, and he was raised by his mother’s family in nearby Beckley, West Virginia. He was 13 years old when his father died. Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at age 17 and served for nine years, during which he became interested in singing and songwriting. He left the Navy in 1965 and relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 to pursue a music career.
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Ain’t No Sunshine
Just the Two of Us
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
Lovely Day
You
You Got the Stuff
lonely town lonely street
Use Me
Who Is He (And What Is He to You)
Lean on Me
Let Me In Your Life
City Of The Angels
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