#333 Bill Withers, 'Still Bill' (1972)

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Frustrated with how many black artists were pushed to perform “standards” written by white people who would make all the money, Bill Withers decided to write his own standards. And succeed he did, most notably with the iconic ‘Lean On Me;’ a song that has been covered by multiple artists and is, in fact, only 1 of 9 songs in history that has hit #1 in the States with versions recorded by different artists. The song was written after Withers moved to LA from Slab Fork, West Virginia. He found he was missing the strong community of his childhood hometown. A town in which he lived in a decrepit house. He kept it simple and had a massive hit. The gold-selling single became the only #1 song in his career, but sometimes all you need is one.

Elsewhere on the record we find ‘Use Me,’ one of my favourite drum performances of all-time. An incredible groove, I could listen to it on repeat for the rest of my life. ‘Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?,’ another song that’s been covered multiple times and was featured in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Jackie Brown.’ ‘Kissing My Love,’ another amazing drum groove by James Gadson. These songs feel like they’ve been around forever. Bill Withers succeeded in writing an album filled with modern day standards. Bill Withers sadly passed away at the age of 81 in March of last year.

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