MUSiC: Bill Withers, BBC, 1973

More musical magic from the early ‘70s. Just sit back and dig it!

Setlist

00:00 Ain't no Sunshine
03:18 Lonely Town, Lonely Street
09:14 Grandma's Hands
11:47 Use Me
16:06 Let Me In Your Life
20:20 Lean On Me
24:43 Harlem

As so many folk note, in relation to Bill Withers, he exemplifies the truth that, in the right hands, a little can really go a long way. Obviously he has a terrific voice. Although it’s not the type of voice you would see winning The Voice (and thank goodness!).

Might have to get me one of these…

As a guitarist, piano player and songwriter, he’s a little bit like Tom Waits, only even more basic. Like Waits, he’s not a virtuoso on these two composers’ tools. But he is most very definitely an artist, wringing a lot of feeling from a limited technique.

As a child he had suffered with a stutter. It’s hard to credit that, watching this intimate soulful concert, where he seems so natural and at ease, despite playing – as he alludes to early on in the set – with a partial scratch/pick-up band.

Personnel

Bill Withers - Vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
John Barnes - Piano
Snuffy Walden - Guitar
Melvin Dunlap - Bass
Fred Casey - Drums

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