She is the granddaughter of Mattie Rose Withers and William Harrison Withers Sr. She has one sibling, an elder brother, Todd Withers. He liked what he heard, commenting that “Bill Withers is a genius storyteller.” He recruited Booker T Jones, of Booker T & the MGs, to produce an album, and with the aid of musicians including members of the MGs and Stephen Stills on lead guitar, Just As I Am was recorded. We don’t want people to associate, say, ‘Lean on Me’ with violence,” she said. At 17, enlistment in the Navy was Bill’s ticket out. He was the son of Mattie (Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. Wither family announced death of Bill Weathers in a statement which indicates that he died on 30th March, 2020. The youngest of six children, he was raised in nearby Beckley, in coal mining country. “When somebody asks ‘what have you been doing?’ the answer is ‘living’,” he said in 2003. Bill was struggling with heart complications and his cause of death was heart Cardiovascular disease and no coronavirus infection reported at the moment. Bill Withers’s zodiac sign is Cancer. Bill Withers at the 19th Annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards. Anna Sale talks to Bill Withers about his music and growing up in West Virginia. Bill Withers – Lean On Me (1973 live)2019-10-04T15:01:24.000Z, During Withers’ long and successful career, Johnson served as her husband’s manager. He loves to travel to new places just as much as he loves to meet new people. Bill Withers performing in the mid-1970s. Marcia Withers Husband. "Aw man, Bill Withers … Withers’ father, a miner, died when Withers was 13. Withers described the operation as a “mom and pop shop,” adding, “She’s my only overseer. Bill Withers, photographed here in 2006, was an artist more concerned with writing stories about humanity's pain than landing a pop hit. He was the youngest of the six children and was raised in Beckley, West Virginia. And by then I had a family and some kids, so I went about trying to do a good job at that. In October 1974 he performed in Zaire with James Brown, Etta James and BB King, in the run-up to the fabled Rumble in the Jungle world heavyweight fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The training perhaps also helped to give his singing voice its strength and emotional authority. “Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.” Mr. Withers, the youngest of six children, was born July 4, 1938, in the coal-mining town of Slab Fork, W.Va. This segment first aired Dec. 13,…2007-12-14T16:57:49.000Z. Reed Saxon/AP hide caption Johnson also said Withers wrote a song for Denzel Washington to use in a movie but later decided against performing it. He did not enjoy touring, and his marriage to the TV star Denise Nicholas in 1973 brought mostly conflict. However, it was to Withers’ advantage that he had never considered music his sole purpose in life. • Bill Withers (William Harrison Withers Jr) singer and songwriter, born 4 July 1938; died 30 March 2020, American soul singer who enjoyed huge success with hits such as Lean on Me and Ain’t No Sunshine. Before he signed a recording deal he supported himself by working at a variety of aircraft factories in California, paying to make his own demo recordings at night. Bill Withers at Allmusic; Bill Withers on IMDb; Biography at Soultracks.com; Bill Withers Biography with photos; Still Bill documentary; Extensive 2009 audio interview with Withers on public radio program The Sound of Young America Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. Bill was an active father after he left the music biz, and he’s very close to them. After the demise of his original record label, Sussex, Withers was signed to Columbia, where he was never comfortable and felt nothing but contempt for what he considered to be the company’s narrow-minded executives. They divorced when Bill was three, and William Sr died when he was 13. It occurred to Withers that music might be something he could do. Both Withers and Marcia … “If it’s for a scene in a show where somebody is killed or something, we will turn them down. His self-financed demos on which Watts 103rd Street Band member Ray Jackson served as arranger and keyb… Bill Withers at the Our Time Theatre Company honoring of Howard Bingham. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Bill Withers was born on July 4, 1938 in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia and was raised in the nearby town of Beckley. Johnson Is on the Board of the Stuttering Charity, SAY. I never felt like I owned it or it owned me.”. So whatever I could stand to listen to, I listened to.” He remembered singing a capella gospel music, “because that’s something we could do without owning any instruments.”He had been born with a severe stutter: “People laughed right in my face when I was trying to say something.” At 17 he joined the navy and a speech therapy course organised by one of his commanding officers helped him to overcome it. He was 81 years old. Bill Withers, Soundtrack: The Bodyguard. Dates of Cancer are June … -Bill Withers Bill Withers is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Both Withers and Marcia were active in the charity The Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY). On March 30, 2020, Withers passed away in Los Angeles due to heart issues. Withers enlisted in the United States Navyat the age of 17, and served for nine years, during whic… Withers arrived in Los Angeles in 1967. Kori is the daughter of the later American singer and songwriter, Bill Withers and Marcia Withers. He seriously wondered whether anyone would show up.”, Bill Withers ‎– Still Bill (Documentary)Bill Withers ‎– Still Bill (Documentary) DVD Release Date: January 25, 2011 Bill Withers was one of the singular musical artists of the 1970s; an African-American singer/songwriter, Withers embraced elements of soul and funk in some of this hits (most notably "Use Me"), but he also drew from gospel ("Lean on Me"), jazz ("Just the…2019-12-15T09:05:00.000Z. In November, Withers returned to his home state to be inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Singer and songwriter Bill Withers poses for a portrait backstage on September 16, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. Powered by. Bill Withers Death. This segment first aired Dec. 13,…, Bill Withers ‎– Still Bill (Documentary) DVD Release Date: January 25, 2011 Bill Withers was one of the singular musical artists of the 1970s; an African-American singer/songwriter, Withers embraced elements of soul and funk in some of this hits (most notably "Use Me"), but he also drew from gospel ("Lean on Me"), jazz ("Just the…, Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School. The career of Bill Withers, who has died aged 81 of heart complications, followed an unusual trajectory. I had a pretty good run. “Mostly country music,” he recalled. Born in the mid of the year means that he ca… Growing up in poverty, Withers heard whatever music happened to catch his attention. It reached No 4 on the US album chart and gave Withers a No 2 hit with Use Me, as well as his sole chart-topping single, Lean on Me. He had no involvement in music while in the navy, but back in the US he visited nightclubs – “I was only trying to meet girls, I wasn’t looking for any music” – and saw artists such as Lou Rawls. He was the youngest of six children of Mattie (Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. Withers’ family confirmed his death in the following statement: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. However, what looked like incipient megastardom never came to fruition. Bill Withers zodiac sign is a Cancer. Her father Bill, died on April 3, 2020, at the age of 81 years. In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson said she ran the Bill Withers business out of an office on Sunset Boulevard. Bill Withers was the youngest of six children. In 2015 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Stevie Wonder. “When you have a talent you know it when you’re five years old– it’s just getting around to it.”~B.W. I just live and whatever happens, happens.”. His hits include "Lean On Me," "Ain't No Sunshine," and "Just the Two of Us." Bill Withers was born as William Harrison ‘Bill’ Withers Jr. in a small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. Withers said in a 2015 interview with Garden & Gun that the decision was made when record executives pitched him ideas including covering Elvis Presley songs. Their first meeting took place at a Gil Scott Heron concert. On March 30, Withers passed away in Los Angeles due to heart issues. Ed Sheeran and Bill Withers watch as artists rehearse for the "Lean On Him- A Tribute To Bill Withers" show on September 30, 2015 in New York City. His second album, Still Bill (1972), was another formidable collection (Rolling Stone called it “a stone-soul masterpiece”). Donna Denise Nicholas was born on 12 July 1944, in Detroit, Michigan USA, and is an Slab Fork, West Virginia, a town of about 200 residents, was Bill’s place of birth. His parents divorced when he was three, and he was raised by his mother's family in nearby Beckley, West Virginia. Withers grew up with a stutter. In November, Withers returned to his home state to be inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Marcia and her husband Bill invested well in Los Angeles real estate. Bill Withers died on March 30, 2020, aged 81, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Withers, who overcame a childhood stutter, was born the last of six children in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. At the time, Johnson did not know who Withers was. I’m lucky I married a woman with an MBA.”. After his parents divorced when he was 3, Withers … Last modified on Thu 16 Apr 2020 14.57 EDT. Withers, the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938. By the time he released his debut album, Just As I Am, in 1971 he was 33, an age at which many pop careers have already been and gone. Withers won Grammy Awards for Ain’t No Sunshine, Just The Two of Us and Lean on Me, and his songs have been used in major films including Looking for Mr Goodbar, Jerry Maguire, Jackie Brown, Notting Hill, The Bodyguard and American Beauty. He loves to play with inspirational words just to make those around him are happy and focused. He did not try to enter the music industry until after he had spent nine years in the US Navy, leaving the service in 1965 and moving to Los Angeles two years later. A conversation with Bill WithersAnna Sale talks to Bill Withers about his music and growing up in West Virginia. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and in 2006 received ASCAP’s Rhythm and Soul Heritage award. Emerging from the other end of his music career, he never looked back. The tune has been sampled by numerous artists including Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, R Kelly and Maroon 5. Marcia also supervised the running of his music publishing company – “I’m lucky I married a woman with an MBA,” he pointed out. Johnson told the Village Voice that “initially Bill was bemused by the idea. The two are now in their thirties where they have become involved in their parent’s business. According to SAY’s website, Johnson is a board member of the charity. And I don’t need that.’”. Whenever I mention anything, he says, ‘Oh, that’s old news.’” Previously, Johnson told Rolling Stone that Withers no longer even sang in the shower. The couple was married for 44 years. “I was socialised as a regular guy. Withers, who overcame a childhood stutter, was born the last of six children in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. Marcia Withers Children. I got tired of it. Withers and Johnson married on New Year’s Eve in 1976. Kori Withers Parents. In 2015, a tribute concert to Withers was staged at Carnegie Hall in New York City to benefit SAY. Johnson is a graduate of UCLA’s Graduate School of Management. Withers was previously married to actress Denise Nicholas. Marcia Withers Family|Children. At 78 years of age, Bill Withersstill employs freedom in his day to day activities. Musicians and public officials were among the people reacting to his death. “The business came to me in my 30s,” he later reflected. Withers said, “Get the hell out of here. He is survived by his wife Marcia Johnson, and children, Todd and Kori Withers. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Bill Withers was born on July 4, 1938 in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia and was raised in the nearby town of Beckley. His father died when Withers was thirteen. Bill Withers Death. Withers launched a lawsuit to get out of his Columbia contract. Johnson spoke about some of the rationales for licensing Withers’ music. “And there was music in church, and whatever they taught you at school. The couple had two children together, Todd and Kori. They divorced after barely a year and his album +’Justments (1974) was released in the aftermath. Their children, Todd and Kori, are both in their thirties and live nearby. Bill Withers, former soul singer behind hits Ain’t No Sunshine and Lean On Me died on March 30, 2020, from heart complications aged 81. Marcia Johnson Withers is an American citizen and best known as the wife of the legendary singer and song writer Bill Withers. Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine2018-01-26T15:20:25.000Z, Withers said he withdrew from music and public life in the 1980s in order to spend more time with his family. Marcia Johnson was Bill Withers’ wife for 44 years. Bill moved to California in 1967 after nine years in the U.S. Navy, posted in Guam and other parts of the Far East. View Bill Withers’ profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. In the 2015 Rolling Stone interview, Johnson described her husband’s hobbies, saying, “I really have no idea what he does all day. In 2017 he was given an honorary degree from West Virginia University. Born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill was the youngest of six children of William Harrison Withers Sr, a coal miner, and his wife, Mattie. But Withers made up for lost time. “I probably had some kind of hidden poet buried in my soul somewhere,” he reflected. His father died when Withers … “His voice and guitar was all he had, and that was almost all that was necessary,” said Jones. He was born with a stutter and later said he had a hard time fitting in. Marcia was married to Bill Withers an American former singer-songwriter and musician from 1976 till the time of his death on April 3, 2020. His hits include "Lean On Me," "Ain't No Sunshine," and "Just the Two of Us." He was 81 years old. He focused on building a property portfolio in partnership with his second wife, Marcia, whom he married in 1976, while raising their children, Todd and Kori. In 1975 Sussex went bankrupt, and Withers signed his ill-fated deal with Columbia. Marcia Johnson pictured at the 2014 Grammy Awards. He was 13 years old when his father died. Most of my dreams came true and some of my nightmares, too. He did not release any new recordings after 1985, but Lovely Day, which reached No 7 in the UK in 1977, hit No 4 when it was reissued in 1988. Bill Withers and Rosie Perez at the Our Time gala. According to the 2009 documentary Still Bill, produced by Johnson, the couple met the same year they got married, in 1976. Without even thinking about it, I just went ahead with my life.”, READ NEXT: Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School, Marcia Johnson: Bill Withers Survived by His Wife of 44 Years, Copyright © 2021 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. The couple had two children together, Todd and Kori. He was the youngest of six children of Mattie (Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. Withers was also previously married to actress Denise Nicholas before they divorced and he proceeded to marry Marcia. Prior to running Withers’ music business, she worked for Management III and Concerts West. He is survived by Marcia and their children. But he does a lot on his iPad. He was raised by his mother and grandmother after his father died. Withers was previously married to actress Denise Nicholas. Born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill was the youngest of six children of William Harrison Withers Sr, a coal miner, and his wife, Mattie. Inspired by Blake Edwards’ gruelling 1962 film about alcoholism, Days of Wine and Roses, it has become an enduring anthem of loneliness and heartbreak. Stream Bill Withers' best songs via Spotify or Apple Music. Bill Withers at the 2005 Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. As a wife she has played vital role in the life of Bill when he retired from his career in late 80’s. Bill Wither’s Death. He also likes to get involved in more than one project as long as he doesn’t take long to complete. “I have no bitterness. Marcia Johnson was Bill Withers' wife for 46 years. William Harrison Withers was born July 4, 1938 in Slab Fork, West Virginia, the youngest of six children. The son of a West Virginia coal miner, William Harrison Withers, Jr. was born July … The duo was blessed with two kids, Todd Withers (Son) and Kori Withers (Daughter). Johnson said, “When I say that millions of people would love to see him perform those classic tunes, he says, ‘Yeah, and if I wasn’t very good, they’d tear into me. Bill has 10 jobs listed on their profile. He recorded nine albums which produced a number of hits and has been the recipient of three Grammy Awards for “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me,” and “Just the Two of Us.” Withers is survived by his wife, Marcia, and children, Todd and Kori. Bill Withers died on March 30, 2020, in Los Angeles due to heart complications. And then there was the old Frank Sinatra – Nat King Cole genre type music. Though he notched up two more definitive hit singles, the serene and mantra-like Lovely Day (1977) and the hook-up with the saxophonist Grover Washington Jr on Just the Two of Us (1981), his sales tailed off. He always knows exactly what’s going on in the world. Ain’t No Sunshine, his first single, reached No 3 and became one of the landmark songs in his career, despite lasting a scant two minutes. Bill Withers Dead. Marcia Withers Networth. The couple has two children Todd and Kori. Marcia married Bill in 1997. This was an ode to the power of friendship conceived with the simplicity of a gospel classic, apparently the work of an artist in complete control of his music and his destiny. Communication is also his best cup of tea. His final album for them, Watching You Watching Me, only reached 143 on the US chart. 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