William Harrison Withers, Jr, was born on the 4th July 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia USA. He is a musician; singer, and songwriter, best known for his hit songs such as “Ain`t No Sunshine”, “Lean On Me”, among others.
Have you ever wondered how rich Bill Withers is, as of mid 2016? According to authoritative sources, Bill`s net worth is estimated at $25 million, an amount acquired through his successful career in the entertainment industry as a musician. His net worth has also benefited from his business career, launching a publishing company located in Beverly Hills.
Bill Wither Net Worth $25 Million
Bill grew up in Beckley, the youngest of six children in a hard working family, as his father was a miner, and his mother a housekeeper. As a child, Bill suffered from a stutter, which had a negative effect on his growing up, as he couldn`t make any friends, and was often a target of ridicule by other children. To make things worse, his father died when Bill was only 13 years old. Nevertheless, Bill never surrendered, and when he became eligible, he joined the US Navy, which helped him overcome his stutter. He served in the navy for nine years, and upon discharge, he became involved in music, and started writing and recording songs. His first demos saw the light of day in 1967, but meanwhile Bill worked in the aircraft industry for the Douglas Aircraft Corporation.
Bill`s music career began in the early 1970s, when he was spotted by the owner of Sussex Records, Clarence Avant, who signed him after an audition. Bill`s first album, entitled “Just As I Am”, was produced by Booker T. Jones, and it came out in 1971, spawning hits like “Ain’t No Sunshine”, and “Grandma’s Hands”. After the success of the album, Bill ventured on a tour, which only increased further his net worth, and then started working on his second album, entitled “Still Bill”, which was released in 1972. This album achieved gold status, increasing Bill`s net worth by a large margin, as it also topped the US R&B Chart.
Before Sussex ceased to exist in 1975, Bill released one more album entitled “+’Justments” in 1974, which was also successful, reaching No. 7 on the US R&B chart.
In 1975 he switched to Columbia Records, where he continued his recording career, until 1985 when stating that he wasn`t satisfied with the producers and record label telling him how to sing, and record albums, if he wanted to earn more from his music career. Before he decided to quit recording, he released five albums with Columbia Records, including “Making Music” (1975), “Menagerie” (1977) – which achieved gold status – and “Watching You Watching Me” in 1985, which was his last studio album to be released.
Bill stayed in music, however, collaborating with numerous artists such as Club Nouveau and Jimmy Buffett, among many others, which also added to his net worth.
Throughout his career, Bill has also released numerous compilation albums, including “Greatest Hits” (1981), which achieved gold status, “Lovely Day: The Very Best of Bill Withers” (2005), and most recently “The Essential Bill Withers”, which also added to his net worth.
Several musicians, including Aloe Blacc, Ed Sheeran, Anthony Hamilton, and Michael McDonald among others, held a tribute concert for Bill in 2015 at Carnegie Hall, and Bill was in the audience, appearing for a short time on stage with the musicians. The main focus of the concert was to recreate Bill`s album “Live at Carnegie Hall”, released in 1973, however, they also performed songs which weren`t included in the original set.
Thanks to his talents, Bill has received numerous prestigious awards, including several Grammy awards, and a Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2006. Furthermore, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2005, and he was also inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. When it comes to his personal life, Bill has been married to Marcia Johnson, since 1976, with whom he has a son and a daughter. He was previously married to Denise Nichols from 1973 until 1974.
