Bill Withers Lives
by Michael A. Gonzales
Like many of us who grew up in the 1970s, Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover, who performed a riveting version of Withers’ jealous guy anthem “Who is He (And What is He to You?)” at a tribute concert in Brooklyn last year, was raised under the spell of Bill.
“When I was a kid, we played that tape in my fathers Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme,” remembers Glover, whose performance was captured in the documentary. “Those are some of my earliest memories of Bill Withers. Driving with my family to cookouts and picnics while everyone sang along to ‘Lean on Me’. His music is literally therapeutic for him and us. To me, he is what Bob Dylan wants to be.”
After writing and recording a classic catalog that includes “Harlem,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Just the Two of Us” and many others, Bill Withers left the industry in 1985 and never looked back. Yet, while his music continues to be sampled by producers like Teddy Riley (“No Diggity”) and used in film soundtracks (Jackie Brown), many seem to have forgotten the man behind songs.
“This is my first tribute concert,” Withers says matter-of-factly in Still Bill as he enters Prospect Park. Produced by Hal Willner in conjunction with Celebrate Brooklyn, the concert featured performances by Angelique Kidjo, Corey Glover, Nona Hendryx, The Swell Season, James “Blood” Ulmer, Sandra St. Victor, The Persuasions, Eric Mingus, Jim James, Howard Tate and Henry Grimes backed by a great band featuring Lenny Pickett, Steven Bernstein and Cornell Dupree.
However, the biggest thrill for the thousands gathered that balmy August night in 2008, was when the man himself stepped to the stage and sang the achingly autobiographical “Grandma’s Hands.”
Lounging in their Chelsea office space laughing at the memory, the Still Bill directors remember well the first time that the singer decided to take to the stage twenty-three years after walking away from the business. “We thought he was going to the bathroom or to get a drink or something,” says Vlack. He and co-director Baker have known each other since they were teenagers growing-up in the Bay Area twenty years ago. “We had no idea that he was headed to the stage.”
Read the Full Essay @ SoulSummer
by Michael A. Gonzales
Like many of us who grew up in the 1970s, Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover, who performed a riveting version of Withers’ jealous guy anthem “Who is He (And What is He to You?)” at a tribute concert in Brooklyn last year, was raised under the spell of Bill.
“When I was a kid, we played that tape in my fathers Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme,” remembers Glover, whose performance was captured in the documentary. “Those are some of my earliest memories of Bill Withers. Driving with my family to cookouts and picnics while everyone sang along to ‘Lean on Me’. His music is literally therapeutic for him and us. To me, he is what Bob Dylan wants to be.”
After writing and recording a classic catalog that includes “Harlem,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Just the Two of Us” and many others, Bill Withers left the industry in 1985 and never looked back. Yet, while his music continues to be sampled by producers like Teddy Riley (“No Diggity”) and used in film soundtracks (Jackie Brown), many seem to have forgotten the man behind songs.
“This is my first tribute concert,” Withers says matter-of-factly in Still Bill as he enters Prospect Park. Produced by Hal Willner in conjunction with Celebrate Brooklyn, the concert featured performances by Angelique Kidjo, Corey Glover, Nona Hendryx, The Swell Season, James “Blood” Ulmer, Sandra St. Victor, The Persuasions, Eric Mingus, Jim James, Howard Tate and Henry Grimes backed by a great band featuring Lenny Pickett, Steven Bernstein and Cornell Dupree.
However, the biggest thrill for the thousands gathered that balmy August night in 2008, was when the man himself stepped to the stage and sang the achingly autobiographical “Grandma’s Hands.”
Lounging in their Chelsea office space laughing at the memory, the Still Bill directors remember well the first time that the singer decided to take to the stage twenty-three years after walking away from the business. “We thought he was going to the bathroom or to get a drink or something,” says Vlack. He and co-director Baker have known each other since they were teenagers growing-up in the Bay Area twenty years ago. “We had no idea that he was headed to the stage.”
Read the Full Essay @ SoulSummer
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