Born on July 4th, 1938 in a small mining community in West Virginia, Bill
Withers started writing songs and singing during a nine year stint serving in
the United States Navy. When he left in 1965, he moved to Los Angeles to launch
his music career, working in a factory making toilet seats for 747 aeroplanes by
day, singing in clubs and recording demos by night. He was eventually signed by
Sussex Records, releasing his first album, Just As I Am, in 1971 with Booker T.
Jones as producer and Stephen Stills playing guitar. The track that ensured its
success, though, was “Ain't No Su...