A conversation with Bill Withers
By Anna Sale
At 69, Bill Withers proudly points out that he’s the youngest member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Withers was born in Slab Fork in Raleigh County, the youngest of six children. His father, a coal miner, died when Withers was 12. He was raised by his mother and grandmother, and then entered the Navy after high school. That’s when Withers started writing and recording.
His hits include “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Just the Two of Us,” and “Lean On Me.” Anna Sale spoke to Withers about growing up in West Virginia as an African American in the era of segregation. Below are radio and television versions of the interview.
