Bill Withers mawaƙin ruhin Amurka ne, marubuci kuma mawaƙi. Ya yi farin jini sosai a shekarun 1970 da 1980, lokacin da ake jin wakokinsa a kusan kowane lungu na duniya. Kuma a yau (bayan mutuwar shahararren baƙar fata mai zane), ana ci gaba da la'akari da shi daya daga cikin taurari na duniya. Withers ya kasance gunki na miliyoyin masu sha'awar kiɗan Amurkawa, musamman rai.
Shekarun Farkon Bill Withers
An haifi almara na gaba na blues a cikin 1938 a cikin karamin garin Slab Fork (West Virginia). Shi ne ƙaramin yaro a cikin babban iyali, inda, ban da Bill, akwai ’yan’uwa maza da mata guda 5.
Mahaifiyar yaron, Mattie Galloway, ta yi aiki a matsayin kuyanga, kuma mahaifinsa, William Users, ya yi aiki a gaban daya daga cikin mahakar ma'adinai. Shekaru uku da haihuwar Billy, iyayensa sun rabu, kuma yaron ya kasance a cikin renon mahaifiyarsa. Don neman ingantacciyar rayuwa, sun ƙaura zuwa birnin Beckley, inda ya yi ƙuruciyarsa.
A lokacin ƙuruciyarsa, Withers kusan bai bambanta da miliyoyin takwarorinsa baƙar fata da ke zaune a Amurka ba. Siffar sa kawai ita ce mai ƙarfi mai ƙarfi, wanda mutumin ya sha wahala daga haihuwa. Kamar yadda mawakin ya tuna, ya damu matuka game da matsalar maganarsa.
Lokacin da yake da shekaru 12, ya rasa mahaifinsa, wanda ya kara tsananta halin da ake ciki na babban iyali. Uban yakan aika wani sashi na abin da yake samu na hakar ma'adinai zuwa ga tsohuwar matarsa domin kula da yaran.
Matasan tauraron nan gaba Bill Withers
Matasan Billy sun faɗi a cikin lokutan tashin hankali na motsi na Negro (a cikin 1950s a Amurka) don 'yancin ɗan adam. Duk da haka, matashin bai yi sha'awar ayyukan zamantakewa da siyasa da suka mamaye birninsa na Beckley ba.
Soyayyar teku ta burge shi, a shekarar 1955 ya shiga aikin soja a rundunar sojan ruwan Amurka, inda ya shafe shekaru 9. A nan ne ya fara sha’awar waka, a karon farko ya yi kokarin rubuta wakokinsa. Daya daga cikin manyan dalilan da suka sa darasin sautinsa shine yadda ya manta da hargitsinsa na wani lokaci.
Farkon aikin mawaki Bill Withers
A 1965, Withers mai shekaru 26 ya bar sojojin ruwa kuma ya yanke shawarar fara rayuwar farar hula. Da farko, bai ma ɗauki aikin waƙa a matsayin babbar hanyar rayuwa ba. A 1967, ya koma ya zauna a kan West Coast, a Los Angeles. A cikin wannan birni, a cewar tsohon jirgin ruwa, ya fi masa sauƙi ya zauna a rayuwa. Wani matashi baƙar fata ya yi aiki a matsayin mai aikin lantarki a masana'antar jirgin sama na Kamfanin Douglas. Ƙwarewar da aka samu a lokacin hidima a cikin Rundunar Sojan Ruwa ta zo da amfani.
Duk da cewa Billy bai ɗauki waƙa da mahimmanci ba, bai bar ta gaba ɗaya ba. Bugu da ƙari, sha'awar kiɗan a hankali ya shagaltar da yawancin lokacinsa na kyauta daga aiki. Tare da kuɗin da aka ajiye, ya yi rikodin kaset na demo tare da waƙoƙin nasa. Hakazalika, ya yi wasa a gidajen rawan dare, inda ya rarraba kaset tare da bayanai kyauta ga kowa da kowa.
Fortune yayi murmushi ga matashin mai wasan kwaikwayo a cikin 1970. Sa'an nan, bayan kallon fim din Days of Wine and Roses, ya tsara Ain't No Sunshine. Tare da wannan bugun, an rubuta ƙarƙashin tasirin fim ɗin ban mamaki, Withers ya sami shahara sosai. Clarence Avant, wanda ya mallaki gidan faifan rikodin rikodi na Sussex Records, ya taka muhimmiyar rawa a cikin makomar novice.
Bayan ya saurari daya daga cikin kaset din wani mawakin bakar fata da ba a san shi ba wanda ya zo wurinsa da gangan, nan da nan ya gane cewa wannan tauraruwa ce ta gaba. Ba da daɗewa ba, an rattaba hannu kan wata yarjejeniya tsakanin Bill da kamfanin rikodin don fitar da kundi na farko na mai zane, Justas I Am. Amma ko bayan fara haɗin gwiwa tare da Sussex Records, wanda ya yi masa alkawarin samun riba mai yawa, Bill bai yi kuskure ya bar babban aikinsa a matsayin mai tarawa a masana'antar jirgin sama ba. Ya yi imani da adalci cewa aikin kiɗan kasuwanci ne mai rikitarwa kuma ba zai iya maye gurbin "aiki na gaske ba."
Shahararren mai zanen rai Bill Withers
A lokaci guda tare da haɗin gwiwar tare da Sussex Records, Bill ya sami abokin tarayya don wasanni da rikodi iri-iri. Sun zama T John Booker, wanda ya raka Bill akan maballin madannai da guitar lokacin da yake yin rikodin kundi na farko.
A cikin 1971, an sake fitar da ƙarin waƙoƙin guda biyu a matsayin waƙa dabam dabam - Ain't No Sunshine and Grandma's Hands. Na farko na waɗannan waƙoƙin ya sami godiya sosai daga masu sukar kiɗa da masu sauraro. Single ya sayar da fiye da kwafi miliyan 1 a cikin Amurka kaɗai. Ya sami lambar yabo ta Grammy don Mafi kyawun R'n'B Hit na Shekara.
Babban nasara ga Billy Withers ita ce Lean On Me from Still Bill (1972). Tallace-tallacen rikodin ya zarce kwafi miliyan 3, bugun ya kai saman ginshiƙi na Billboard na makonni da yawa. Wata alama ce ta shaharar waƙar "Lean on Me" - an yi ta a lokacin bikin rantsar da shugabannin Amurka biyu - B. Clinton da B. Obama.
A yayin girman coronavirus, Amurkawa a cikin keɓe kansu sun ƙaddamar da gungun masu zanga-zangar inda suka yi Lean On Me akan layi. Diyar shugaba Trump, Ivanka, ta rubuta a shafinta na Twitter a wancan lokacin: "Yau ne lokaci mafi kyau da za a yaba da karfin wannan waka."
Nasarar Mawaƙi
A shekarar 1974, Withers, tare da J. Brown da BB King, sun ba da wani kade-kade a babban birnin kasar Zaire, wanda aka yi daidai da taron tarihi na zoben fitattun jaruman damben duniya guda biyu, Mohammed Ali da J. Foreman. An haɗa rikodin wannan wasan a cikin fim ɗin Lokacin da Muke Sarakuna, wanda ya lashe Oscar a 1996.
Bayan shekara guda, lakabin Sussex Records ba zato ba tsammani ya yi fatara, ya rage bashi ga Withers don siyar da bayanan. Bayan haka, an tilasta wa mawaƙa don motsawa ƙarƙashin fikafikan wani lakabin rikodin, Columbia Records.
A cikin wannan ɗakin studio a cikin 1978, an yi rikodin kundi na gaba na star star Menagerie. A cikin waƙar Lovely Day daga wannan kundi, Bill ya kafa rikodin ga mawaƙa. Ya rike rubutu daya na dakika 18. An saita wannan rikodin ne kawai a cikin 2000 ta soloist na ƙungiyar a-ha.
A cikin 1980, Withers ya sami wata nasara. Gidan rakodin Elektra Records ya fitar da guda ɗaya Just the Two of Us, godiya ga wanda aka ba wa mawaƙin kyautar Grammy na biyu. A halin yanzu, dangantaka da Columbia Records tana tabarbarewa.
Mawakin ya zarge ta da jinkirin aiki a kan sabbin albam ta hanyar wucin gadi. Tarin na gaba ya fito ne kawai a cikin 1985 kuma an yi masa alama ta babban “rashin kasawa”, bayan da ya sami ra'ayoyi mara kyau daga masu sukar. Sa'an nan mai shekaru 47 da haihuwa mawaki yanke shawarar barin pop sana'a.
Rayuwar Bill Withers bayan babban mataki
Withers ya kiyaye maganarsa, kuma bai sake komawa babban mataki ba. Amma ba za a iya faɗi haka ba game da halittunsa. Ana ci gaba da yin wakokin shahararren mawakin ruhi a yau. An haɗa su a cikin repertoire na taurarin duniya waɗanda ke yin jazz, rai, har ma da kiɗan pop, suna ba da fage mafi faɗi don haɓaka ƙirƙira.
An fitar da wani shirin gaskiya game da Withers a cikin 2009. A ciki, ya bayyana a gaban masu sauraro a matsayin mutum mai farin ciki. A cewarsa, bai yi nadamar barin dandalin ba. A cikin 2015, don girmama bikin cika shekaru 30 na tashi daga mataki, an shigar da Withers a cikin Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bill ya yi aure sau biyu a rayuwarsa. Aure na farko ya kasance a cikin 1973 tare da yar wasan kwaikwayo na sitcom. Amma kasa da shekara guda bayan haka, ma’auratan sun rabu bayan matashiyar matar ta zargi Withers da tashin hankalin gida. Mawakin ya sake yin aure a shekarar 1976. Sabuwar matarsa, Marcia, ta haifa masa 'ya'ya biyu, namiji, Todd, da yarinya, Corey. A nan gaba, ta, kamar yara, ya zama mataimaki na kusa ga Withers, yana kula da harkokin wallafe-wallafe a Los Angeles.
Shahararren dan wasan Amurka ya mutu a watan Maris 2020 sakamakon bugun zuciya. An sanar da rasuwarsa ga sauran jama'a bayan kwanaki hudu. An binne Withers a makabartar tunawa da Hills ta Hollywood, kusa da Los Angeles.
