One of my favourite artistes, soul singer and the powerful, emotional voice behind such songs as Ain’t No Sunshine, Lean on Me and Use Me, Bill Withers died last week following heart complications. His deep lyrics and easy sing-along style made you feel as if he was singing in your sitting room.
Born William Harrison Withers Jr on July 4, 1938, the son of a coal miner in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill was one of a family of 13 children, of whom only six survived infancy, in a poor black neighbourhood. His parents divorced when he was three and his father died when Bill was 13.
