UBill Withers ungumculi womculo waseMelika, umbhali wamaculo kanye nomculi. Wajabulela ukuthandwa okukhulu ngeminyaka yawo-1970 nawo-1980, lapho izingoma zakhe zazizwakala cishe kuwo wonke amagumbi omhlaba. Futhi namuhla (emva kokushona komculi omnyama odumile), usaqhubeka nokubhekwa njengenye yezihlabani zomhlaba. I-Withers isalokhu iyisithombe sezigidi zabalandeli bomculo wase-Afrika waseMelika, ikakhulukazi i-soul.
Iminyaka Yokuqala KaBill Iyabuna
Inganekwane yekusasa ye-soul blues yazalwa ngo-1938 edolobheni elincane lezimayini laseSlab Fork (eNtshonalanga Virginia). Wayenguthunjana emkhayeni omkhulu, lapho, ngaphezu kukaBill, kwakunabazalwane nodade abangu-5 abengeziwe.
Unina womfana, uMattie Galloway, ubesebenza njengenceku, kanti uyise, uWilliam Users, wasebenza ebhekene nenye yezimayini zendawo. Eminyakeni emithathu ngemva kokuzalwa kukaBilly, abazali bakhe bahlukana, futhi umfana wahlala ekukhulisweni kukanina. Befuna impilo engcono, bathuthela edolobheni laseBeckley, lapho achitha khona ebuntwaneni bakhe.
Ngesikhathi sobusha bakhe, u-Withers wayengafani neze nezigidi zontanga yakhe abamnyama abahlala e-United States. Isici sakhe kuphela kwakuyi-stutter enamandla, umfana ahlupheka ngayo kusukela ekuzalweni. Njengoba umculi ekhumbula, wayekhathazeke kakhulu ngokungakwazi ukukhuluma kwakhe.
Lapho eneminyaka engu-12 ubudala, washonelwa uyise, okwaba sibi kakhulu isimo somkhaya omkhulu. Ubaba wayehlale ethumela ingxenye yeholo lakhe lezimayini kowayengumkakhe ukuze anakekele izingane.
Intsha yenkanyezi yesikhathi esizayo uBill Withers
Intsha kaBilly yawela ezikhathini ezineziyaluyalu zenhlangano yamaNigro (ngawo-1950 eMelika) ngenxa yamalungelo abo omphakathi. Kodwa-ke, le nsizwa ayizange ikhangwe yimisebenzi yezenhlalakahle nezombusazwe eyayigcwele idolobha lakhe laseBeckley.
Ehlatshwe umxhwele uthando lwasolwandle, ngo-1955 wabhalisela inkonzo yezempi e-US Navy, lapho achitha khona iminyaka engu-9. Yilapho aqala khona ukuthanda umculo, okokuqala ezama ukubhala izingoma zakhe. Esinye sezizathu eziyinhloko zezifundo zakhe zezwi kwaba ikhono lokukhohlwa nge-stutter yakhe isikhashana.
Ukuqala komsebenzi womculi uBill Withers
Ngo-1965, u-Withers oneminyaka engu-26 ubudala washiya i-Navy futhi wanquma ukuqala impilo yomphakathi. Ekuqaleni, akazange acabangele ngisho nomsebenzi womculo njengendlela eyinhloko yokuphila. Ngo-1967, wathuthela eWest Coast, eLos Angeles. Kuleli dolobha elikhulu, ngokusho kwetilosi langaphambili, kwakulula kuye ukuzinza ekuphileni. Insizwa emnyama yayisebenza njengochwepheshe bezogesi embonini yezindiza yakwaDouglas Corporation. Okukhethekile okutholwe ngesikhathi senkonzo kuNavy kwaba usizo.
Naphezu kweqiniso lokuthi uBilly akazange athathele umculo ngokungathi sína, akazange awushiye ngokuphelele. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uthando lwakhe lomculo kancane kancane lwathatha isikhathi sakhe esiningi sokuphumula emsebenzini. Ngemali eyongiwe, waqopha amakhasethi edemo anezingoma aziqambele yena. Ngokuhambisana nalokhu, wenza kuma-nightclub, lapho ayesakaza amakhasethi anamarekhodi mahhala kuwo wonke umuntu.
UFortune wamoyizela lo mculi osemusha ngo-1970. Kwathi ngemva kokubuka ifilimu ethi Days of Wine and Roses, waqamba ethi Ain't No Sunshine. Ngalokhu kushaya, okubhalwe ngaphansi kwethonya lefilimu ebabazekayo, i-Withers yazuza ukuduma okubanzi. UClarence Avant, umnikazi wesitudiyo sokuqopha iSussex Records, udlale indima ebalulekile esiphethweni somdlali oqalayo.
Ngemva kokulalela elinye lamakhasethi omculi omnyama ongaziwa owafika kuye ngephutha, waqaphela ngokushesha ukuthi lena kwakuyinkanyezi yesikhathi esizayo. Ngokushesha, kwasayinwa inkontileka phakathi kukaBill nenkampani yokuqopha ukuze kukhululwe i-albhamu yokuqala yalo mculi, ethi, Justas I Am. Kodwa ngisho nangemva kokuqala kokubambisana neSussex Record, eyamthembisa inzuzo enkulu, uBill akazange alokothe ashiye umsebenzi wakhe oyinhloko njengomhlanganisi efektri yezindiza. Wayekholelwa ngokuhlakanipha ukuthi umsebenzi womculo wawuyibhizinisi eliguquguqukayo futhi awukwazi ukuthatha indawo "yomsebenzi wangempela."
Umculi odumile womphefumulo womhlaba uBill Withers
Ngesikhathi esifanayo ngokubambisana ne-Sussex Records, uBill uthole uzakwethu wokudlala okuhlukahlukene nokurekhodwa. Baba ngu-T John Booker, owayephelezela uBill kumakhibhodi nesiginci lapho eqopha i-albhamu yakhe yokuqala.
Ngo-1971, kwakhululwa ezinye izingoma ezimbili njengezingoma ezihlukene - Ain't No Sunshine kanye ne-Grandma's Hands. Eyokuqala kulawa mathrekhi yathakazelelwa kakhulu yibo bobabili abagxeki bomculo nabalaleli. I-single idayise amakhophi angaphezu kwesigidi esi-1 e-US kuphela. Uthole indondo ye-Grammy Award ye-Best R'n'B Hit of the Year.
Enye impumelelo kaBilly Withers kwaba iyodwa ethi Lean On Me evela ku-Still Bill (1972). Ukuthengiswa kwerekhodi kudlule amakhophi ayizigidi ezi-3, okuphambili kwaba phezulu eshadini le-Billboard amasonto ambalwa. Enye inkomba yokuthandwa kwengoma ethi "Lean on Me" - izwakale ekugcotshweni komongameli ababili baseMelika - uB. Clinton noB Obama.
Ngesikhathi sokuphakama kwe-coronavirus, abantu baseMelika ngokuzihlukanisa bathule isixuku lapho benza khona iLean On Me online. Indodakazi kaMongameli Trump, u-Ivanka, wabhala ekhasini lakhe le-Twitter ngaleso sikhathi: "Namuhla isikhathi esihle kakhulu sokwazisa ngokugcwele amandla ale ngoma."
Izimpumelelo Zomculi
Ngo-1974, u-Withers, kanye no-J. Brown kanye no-BB King, benza ikhonsathi enhloko-dolobha yase-Zaire, ebekwe isikhathi ukuze ihambisane nomhlangano oyingqopha-mlando eringini yezingqalabutho ezimbili zesibhakela zomhlaba, uMohammed Ali no-J. Foreman. Ukuqoshwa kwalokhu kudlalwa kwafakwa kwifilimu ethi When We Were Kings, eyawina indondo ye-Oscar ngo-1996.
Ngemva konyaka, ilebula yeSussex Records yashabalala kungazelelwe, yasala inesikweletu ku-Withers ngokudayisa amarekhodi. Ngemva kwalokho, umculi uphoqeleka ukuba ahambe ngaphansi kwamaphiko enye ilebula yokuqopha, Columbia Records.
Kulesi studio ngo-1978, i-albhamu elandelayo ye-soul star Menagerie yaqoshwa. Engomeni ethi Lovely Day ekule albhamu, uBill uqophe irekhodi kubaculi. Ubambe inothi elilodwa imizuzwana engu-18. Leli rekhodi laqoshwa ngo-2000 kuphela ngumculi ohamba yedwa weqembu i-a-ha.
Ngo-1980, u-Withers waba nenye impumelelo. Isitudiyo sokuqopha i-Elektra Records sikhiphe ingoma ethi Just the Two of Us, ngenxa yokuthi umculi waklonyeliswa ngendondo yesibili ye-Grammy. Ngaleso sikhathi, ubudlelwane ne-Columbia Records babuwohloka.
Lo mculi umsole ngokubambezela umsebenzi wama-albhamu amasha. Iqoqo elilandelayo lakhululwa kuphela ngo-1985 futhi laphawulwa "ukwehluleka" okukhulu, ngemva kokuthola ukubuyekezwa okungalungile kwabagxeki. Khona-ke umculi oneminyaka engu-47 ubudala wanquma ukushiya umsebenzi wakhe we-pop.
Impilo kaBill Iyabuna ngemva kwesiteji esikhulu
U-Wers waligcina izwi lakhe, futhi akazange abuyele esiteji esikhulu. Kodwa akunakushiwo okufanayo ngendalo yakhe. Izingoma zomculi we-soul odumile zisaqhubeka nokudlalwa nanamuhla. Zifakwe ohlwini lwezihlabani zomhlaba ezicula i-jazz, i-soul, ngisho nomculo we-pop, okuhlinzeka ngenkundla ebanzi kakhulu yokuthuthukiswa kokudala.
I-documentary mayelana ne-Withers yakhululwa ngo-2009. Kuyo, wavela phambi kwezilaleli njengomuntu ojabulayo. Ngokusho kwakhe akazisoli ngokushiya inkundla. Ngo-2015, ehlonipha iminyaka engu-30 ephumile esiteji, u-Withers wangeniswa e-Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
UBill useshade kabili empilweni yakhe. Umshado wokuqala omfushane wawungo-1973 nomlingisi we-sitcom. Kodwa kungakapheli nonyaka, lo mbhangqwana wahlukana, ngemva kokuba inkosikazi esencane isole uWiters ngobudlova basekhaya. Lo mculi waphinde washada ngo-1976. Unkosikazi wakhe omusha, uMarcia, wamzalela izingane ezimbili, umfana, uTodd, nentombazane, uCorey. Esikhathini esizayo, yena, njengezingane, waba umsizi oseduze Withers, ethatha izintambo zokuphatha izindlu zokushicilela e-Los Angeles.
Umculi odumile waseMelika ushone ngoMashi 2020 ngenxa yesifo senhliziyo. Ukushona kwakhe kumenyezelwe emphakathini jikelele ezinsukwini ezine kamuva. UWinter wangcwatshwa emathuneni aseHollywood Hills Memorial, eduze kwaseLos Angeles.
