Bill Withers (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) – Lonely Town, Lonely Street (1972)
Bill Withers (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) – Lonely Town, Lonely Street (1972)
The opening cut to Withers' classic second album Still Bill featured James Gadson on drums and was one of its best tracks, but never released as a single.
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Bill Withers was a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and musician who wrote and performed several classic hits of the 70s, including “Ain’t No Sunshine” (1971), “Use Me” (1972), “Lean On Me” (1972), and “Lovely Day” (1977).
William Harrison Withers Jr. was born in small-town West Virginia. His father died when he was 13 years old. At age 17 he enlisted in the navy. When he got out in 1965, after serving for nine years, he decided to pursue a career in the music industry.
Withers moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and released his first single, “Three Nights And A Morning“ on the small label Lotus, which did not chart. Later, Withers re-worked the track, re-titled it “Harlem,” and it appeared on his first album.
He worked on assembly lines at factory jobs while spending nights and weekends recording demo tapes and performing at clubs. In early 1970, he was signed to Sussex Records, a new Los Angeles-based label owned by the future music industry legend Clarence Avant who had heard and liked his demos.
Booker T. Jones produced his first album Just As I Am (1971), which featured Stephen Stills on lead guitar. “Ain’t No Sunshine” was its lead single, and an immediate hit, climbing to #6 R&B and crossing over even higher to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It went gold, eventually winning a Grammy for Best R&B Song of the year.
Withers initially refused to quit his factory job at Weber Aircraft because he feared his time in the spotlight might be short-lived. But he eventually went on the road with a touring band made up of former members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, including Melvin Dunlap on bass, Benorce Blackmon on guitar, Ray Jackson playing keyboards, and James Gadson on drums.
Between touring, Withers went back into the studio at The Record Plant in L.A. to record his second album. Still Bill was released in May, 1972 and co-produced by Withers together with all the members of his band. Its two singles “Use Me” and “Lean On Me” were both huge hits (“Lean On Me” topped both the R&B and pop charts and “Use Me” reached #2 on both), and the LP went gold.
One of the album’s best songs, however, was its opening cut. The superb jam “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” reflected on modern life in a big city through Withers’ poetic and heartfelt lyrics. Sadly never released as a single, it was written and arranged by Withers, with strings and horns arranged by Ray Jackson.
“Lonely Town, Lonely Street” begins at 3:18
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