Bill Withers

Bill Withers moved sideways into music—demo tapes at night, factory shifts at Boeing by day—keeping a distance that never quite closed. At Sussex Records, with Booker T. Jones in the room, 'Just As I Am' arrived fully formed but never overworked. 'Ain't No Sunshine' lingers in its own restraint; 'Lean on Me' carries the memory of a town where help was practical, not poetic. He later recorded for Columbia Records and linked with Grover Washington Jr. , then stepped back, leaving songs that sound direct until you try to replicate them.