wow, saw the documentary 'Still Bill' on BBC4 here in the UK and I was blown away. The man is simply amazing, such humility, so deep and with just a few albums to his name has impacted music massively. If you ain't got any Bill in your collection then please keep away from the greatest hits , just buy the first 2 albums - they are simply amazing. A combo of soul, funk, folk and blues mixed to perfection.

This article , from the Telegraph makes good redaing but if you can see the documentary [it must up on youtube] then please check it out. Let's hope that this wonderful man is appreciated now whilst he's still here. Maybe P will work with him one day?!.

http://www.telegraph.co.u...rview.html

Enjoy.

[Edited 3/12/12 10:01am]

ooops, wrong forum!

...

Ndeed!!

Actually, my favorite Withers album is + 'Justments', from 1974....

Heartbreak Road

Can We Pretend (w/Jose Feliciano, Guitar)

Make A Smile For Me

...

My favorite:

One word... GENIUS

very gifted and very, very unusual man, most artists don't just pick up an instrument at the age of 30 and start writing brilliant music. I saw his docu, still bill, great one. I'm a bit troubled by the rumours he beat women, a man should never ever lay a finger on a woman in anything other than with full respect.

petes2 said:

very gifted and very, very unusual man, most artists don't just pick up an instrument at the age of 30 and start writing brilliant music. I saw his docu, still bill, great one. I'm a bit troubled by the rumours he beat women, a man should never ever lay a finger on a woman in anything other than with full respect.

i pray that it was just a rumour. Not to make excuses but in this doc' he seemed to have a great relationship wiht his wife and daughter so perhaps he's changed. I found myself hanging on his every word.

[Edited 3/12/12 15:37pm]

Bill is the truth

funkyhead said:

petes2 said:

very gifted and very, very unusual man, most artists don't just pick up an instrument at the age of 30 and start writing brilliant music. I saw his docu, still bill, great one. I'm a bit troubled by the rumours he beat women, a man should never ever lay a finger on a woman in anything other than with full respect.

i pray that it was just a rumour. Not to make excuses but in this doc' he seemed to have a great relationship wiht his wife and daughter so perhaps he's changed. I found myself hanging on his every word.

[Edited 3/12/12 15:37pm]

ya who knows, his generation of black man (and I say that as a stepson of a black man) thought it perfectly normal to beat women and children. No one's perfect and it doesn't detract from his accomplishments or his redeeming qualities.

petes2 said:

funkyhead said:

i pray that it was just a rumour. Not to make excuses but in this doc' he seemed to have a great relationship wiht his wife and daughter so perhaps he's changed. I found myself hanging on his every word.

[Edited 3/12/12 15:37pm]

ya who knows, his generation of black man (and I say that as a stepson of a black man) thought it perfectly normal to beat women and children. No one's perfect and it doesn't detract from his accomplishments or his redeeming qualities.

as per Prince - enoy the gifts and ignore the personality!.

I know it's cliche, but Bill Withers is one of the most underrated living artists around... I don't know what he did in his personal life, but he has made some incredibly honest and simple songs that touch you a whole lot more than many extravagant overworked tunes I've heard.

Use me Love dis track so much. Such a funky man

Did they say how/why Bill fell off? The guy has such a gorgeous voice, but I know very little about his career path. Could anyone who saw the doc fill us in on what details they gave?

Thanks in advance.

thekidsgirl said:

I know it's cliche, but Bill Withers is one of the most underrated living artists around... I don't know what he did in his personal life, but he has made some incredibly honest and simple songs that touch you a whole lot more than many extravagant overworked tunes I've heard.

brooksie said:

Did they say how/why Bill fell off? The guy has such a gorgeous voice, but I know very little about his career path. Could anyone who saw the doc fill us in on what details they gave?

Thanks in advance.

he didn't fall off really, there is a great docu on him called "Still Bill" that was made 2 or3 years ago. I think he was just disillusioned with the business and just sort of let it go. There are anectdotes too that his record company was trying to get him to cover songs by Elvis to which he said "Elvis covers us, we don't cover Elvis" of somesuch thing and how a little white girl was running around a studio naked trying to get close to him and he freaked out thinking the company was trying to get blackmail material.

When I saw that Bobby Womack is coming back, I immediately thought wow, could we possibly ever hear new music by Bill Withers. For some reason, the two of them are interconnected in my mind.

controversy99 said:

When I saw that Bobby Womack is coming back, I immediately thought wow, could we possibly ever hear new music by Bill Withers. For some reason, the two of them are interconnected in my mind.

They sang together in Its All Over Now. Not in youtube btw.