Still Bill
Review By: Melody Charles
“Lovely Day.” “Grandma’s Hands.” “Use Me.” “Lean On Me.” If you’ve inhabited plane Earth for at least twenty years, have your sense of hearing and stood still long enough, you’ve heard the simple, yet stirring eloquence of a Bill Withers song. It’s fair to say, in fact, that the terrain of popular music would be more barren without him. And that’s why the upcoming documentary about his life, Still Bill, is such an essential one.
Now 71 years old, it’s probably not surprising to learn that Mr. Withers, who hasn’t toured in decades, isn’t exactly eager to perform again, but that doesn’t mean that he no longer has a passion for recognizing and creating quality music. It hearkens back to his humble days in rural Slab Fork, WV, where he lived as the youngest of 13 children. Ridiculed from an early age thanks to his tendency to stutter (“A teacher once told me ‘you can’t do nothin’. It created a crisis of confidence.”), Mr. Withers left for the Navy at age 17, where he served for nearly a decade before taking a job installing aircraft toilets, writing songs along the way while he saved the money to record demos. In spite of being told he was “too old to be just beginning,” the then-32-year-old moved to Los Angeles and literally struck gold with his debut smash, “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
Other hits soon followed, but some of them weren’t as rewarding, such as back taxes, a collapsed label, and trying to maintain his individuality with A&R reps intent on homogenizing what he was just to move units. So while his personal life flourished (he married, had a son and a daughter and opted to stop touring to cultivate his family), the music receded to the background, but his influence can be heard in commercial jingles, as part of movie soundtracks and yes, even mixed with hip-hop (Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”).
Watching Mr. Withers drop jewels about life and the industry is what makes Still…. a compelling piece of work. Instead of chasing fame or trying to recycle his signature sound, Mr. Withers is comfortable in his skin and with his current station in life as husband, father, mentor and friend. And while the film could’ve elaborated more on the mainstream impact of his music, it remains a fascinating glimpse into the life of a man who still casts a long shadow with or without the glare of the spotlight.
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