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Bill Withers

At The D.C. Protests, A 'Lean On Me' Singalong Offered A Moment Of Solace

Protesters in Washington, D.C., hold up their phones during a demonstration outside the White House over the death of George Floyd. Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

America Reckons With Racial Injustice

At The D.C. Protests, A 'Lean On Me' Singalong Offered A Moment Of Solace

This week at the protests in Washington, D.C., thousands of voices joined spontaneously in singing the Bill Withers classic "Lean on Me," led by local musician Kenny Sway.

At The D.C. Protests, A 'Lean On Me' Singalong Offered A Moment Of Solace

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Bill Withers Can Still Bite

Bill Withers will be honored Thursday night with a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall, which will recreate his celebrated 1973 live album. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Bill Withers Can Still Bite

"I wasn't socialized as a musician. It wasn't the only way I knew how to live," says the celebrated songwriter. Withers came to music late and left early, but his brief career is still making waves.

Bill Withers Can Still Bite

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Bill Withers: The Everyman Singer With A Poet's Soul

Bill Withers onstage in 1973. Fin Costello/Redferns hide caption

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Fin Costello/Redferns

Review

Music Reviews

Bill Withers: The Everyman Singer With A Poet's Soul

Since the singer's first single became a breakout hit in 1971, he's recorded nine albums, and all of them are now available on a new box set.

Bill Withers: The Everyman Singer With A Poet's Soul

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'Still Bill': Documenting A Soul Icon

A new documentary explores what happened to Bill Withers when he stepped off the stage. Andrew Zuckerman hide caption

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Andrew Zuckerman

Music Interviews

'Still Bill': Documenting A Soul Icon

Bill Withers was working as an airline mechanic, installing toilets on 747s, when his song "Ain't No Sunshine" was released. It was the first in a string of simple, soulful hits, including "Lean on Me," "Lovely Day" and "Just the Two of Us." Though his music is still heard everywhere, Withers himself retreated to a private life more than two decades ago. A new documentary explores what happened to the hit maker when he stepped off the stage.

'Still Bill': Documenting A Soul Icon

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Summer Songs: 'Lean On Me,' 'Fight The Power'

Melissa Block circa 1974 at Camp Kokosing Courtesy of Melissa Block hide caption

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Courtesy of Melissa Block

New Music

Summer Songs: 'Lean On Me,' 'Fight The Power'

All summer long, NPR's Melissa Block has been asking musicians, listeners and a novelist about their favorite summer songs and what kind of memories they evoke. During those conversations, Block has been flooded with memories of her own. She and Madeleine Brand pick their own summer songs.

Summer Songs: 'Lean On Me,' 'Fight The Power'

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Author Interviews

A Peek at a Girlhood Diary: 'Miss American Pie'

Margaret Sartor offers an account of growing up in 1970s Louisiana in Miss American Pie, a memoir of adolescence told through diary entries written during Sartor's girlhood.

A Peek at a Girlhood Diary: 'Miss American Pie'

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