In the little coal mining community of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Withers was born on July 4, 1938, the sixth child. His parents were miner William Withers and maid Mattie (née Galloway). He later said that he had a difficult time blending in because he was born with a stammer.
He was reared by his mother’s family in nearby Beckley, West Virginia when his parents split when he was three years old. Upon the passing of his father, he was 13 years old. At the age of 17, Withers joined the United States Navy, where he served for nine years and developed a passion for songwriting and singing.
Following the demise of Sussex Records, Withers signed with Columbia Records in 1975. His first album release with the label, Making Music, included the single “She’s Lonely”, which was featured in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar along with “She Wants to (Get on Down)”. During the next three years, he released an album every year, beginning with Naked & Warm (1976), Menagerie (1977), and ‘Bout Love (1978).
Due to problems with Columbia and being unable to get songs approved for his album, he decided to focus on joint projects from 1977 to 1985, including “Just the Two of Us,” a June 1980 release with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song. Withers then recorded “Soul Shadows” with the Crusaders and “In the Name of Love” with Ralph MacDonald, the latter of which received a Grammy nomination for vocal performance.
Did Bill Withers serve in Vietnam?
There is no information available about Withers’ service in Vietnam.
