RIP Bill Withers

Well, 2020 is just going to continue to kick our ass it seems. I woke up this morning, started with my new routine, where I am a teacher and a father at the same time, and after getting my kids started on their school work for the day, I sat down to check out some stuff on my phone. I played a game like I do every morning, I checked Bleacher Report to see if there was any kind of sports news and then I checked Facebook. I check Facebook twice a day, to post my blog and to see my memories. Some mornings I like to meander around Facebook for a minute and today was one of those days. As I scrolled through my feed I kept seeing my friends posting videos and pictures of Bill Withers with the letters RIP next to it.

I did not want to believe it. I am a big time Bill Withers fan, have been since my oldest brother introduced me to him my senior year of high school, and like many others right now, I have found myself listening to his songs to help reduce stress during this pandemic. Like so many others, I of course had heard "Lean On Me" well before I even knew who Bill Withers was. And that song is a true classic. It never has gotten stale. It will always be one of those beacon of hopes in the darkest of times. It is not only a great song to lift you up, it is one of the songs that you hear at so many weddings. "Lean On Me" is one of those rare perfect songs. It has also been covered by countless musicians over many years. So, yeah I knew of "Lean On Me". But, I didn't know anything else. Then, when I went up to visit my brother and sister in law about 20 years ago one weekend, he asked me if I had heard anything else by Withers. I must have been singing "Lean On Me", and that must have caught his attention. That night he had me listen to a bunch of his other songs. He started with the hits. He played me "Lovely Day", "Use Me", "Just the 2 of Us", "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Let Me in Your Life". I loved them all so much. I loved his voice. I loved how simplistic yet profound the songs were. I loved his band. It was like love at first sight, except with sound. I wanted more and more. My brother let me borrow the CD's he had to burn, yes I am that old, and I devoured his music. "Menagerie" is a wonderful album. "Still Bill" is a classic that is filled with hits. Any live recordings were phenomenal listens. I was so happy that I now had Withers music in my life.

A few years after I first heard all of Withers stuff, I know this may seem like I am jumping around, but it will all lead back to Withers, my grandma passed away. We were all very close to her, and like any family, we were devastated that she was gone. She was old, but it was sudden and out of the blue. We made the trek up to the UP for the funeral, and while we were sitting around and talking about her, my brother played "Grandma's Hand's" by Withers. This hit all the feelings. This song said whatever we couldn't, or didn't, want to say at the time. This was when Withers jumped into the pantheon of legends for me. That song will forever be my favorite Bill Withers song, and one of my favorite songs of all time. I still tear up when I hear it to this day.

Even though Withers catalog is small in comparison to some other musicians, his legacy is going to live on forever. The fact that he decided to walk away, to live a quiet life, makes him even more of a legend than I may have expected. Bill Withers is also wildly renowned as one of the biggest influencers in the history of modern pop music. His songs are almost always covered by a large number of professional musicians. He is a legend.

Bill Withers was old, and had heart complications which caused his death, but it was still a punch to the gut when I found out for sure that he had passed. I still have his music, which I will be forever grateful for, and there have been countless stories online today talking about how great of a man he was. He was able to straddle the line of both a great musician and person. Bill Withers will be missed, but at least we have a catalog of wonderful music to listen to for the rest of our lives.

Rest In Peace Mr Withers.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Booker T. and the M.G.'s

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today for the greatest American band debate I'm going to nominate the first, and possibly only, all instrumental band. Instrumental music can be a hard sell for a lot of people, but these guys did it funky with a ton of soul and made it very enjoyable. Of course I'm talking about Booker T and the MG's.

Chances are even if you don't think you know who Booker T and the MG's are, or one of their songs, you've heard them before. They have been around forever, still performing today, albeit very limited and not the same guys that started the group, and their sound has been used by very famous singers. They were one of the first backing bands that went out and did their own thing and garnered a good amount of success doing it.

Booker T and the MG's formed in the early 60's in Tennessee. They helped shaped, and probably pioneered, the "Memphis sound". They were the funkiest backing band that I have ever heard. Booker T Jones was the organist and piano player, Steve Cooper was on guitar, Lewie Steinberg played bass and Al Jackson was the drummer. After forming, they quickly became the house band for Stax Records. They performed with legendary singers like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Bill Withers, Sam and Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Albert King. Basically, any big time artist that Stax had, they wanted Booker T and the MG's to be their backing band. They have had to played on hundreds upon hundreds of hits when you look at those musicians that they performed with. Songs like "Walkin the Dog", "Hold On, I'm Comin", "Soul Man" and "Try a Little Tenderness", just to name a few, they were the ones bringing the music to the lyrics. Those are mega hits that not only soul music fans know and love, but just fans of music adore. "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin" really show you Booker T and the MG's signature soul/funk/rock sound. Great guitar, followed by great bass and thumping drums and then the cherry on the top that is Booker T's exceptional piano playing. They could even do slower stuff like "Try a little Tenderness", but they had to throw their sound in to make it a little funky and have a touch of rock and roll. When that song jumps up in tempo, I get goosebumps listening to it. It's a perfect song that perfectly showcases not only Otis Redding, but mainly Booker T and the MG's.

The band would also record and release their own material while still performing with these uber famous singers. They have put out a ton of their own stuff, but their biggest hit has to be "Green Onions". Believe me, you know this song. The first place I heard "Green Onions" was in the movie "The Sandlot". I was in fifth grade, my dad took me out of school early to see this baseball movie, and while the movie is one of my all time favorites, with the scenes of the kids playing being phenomenal, I kept asking my dad about "that one song that had no words". I couldn't shake that song. I loved it as a 10 year old and I still love it now. "Green Onions" is the personification of the "Memphis sound" and, more importantly, perfectly sums up the greatness that is Booker T and the MG's. The organ and the drum that starts is awesome. Then, the simple guitar riff, that is just chords, absolutely wonderful. Then, Booker T really shines on the organ, playing the most distinct notes anyone has ever heard. I guarantee you know the song when you hear that organ in the first verse. The guitar keeps adding reverb and gets a bit more complicated throughout the three minute song. Then, it's back to organ, with a downright funky bass line being played. The drums, keeping perfect beat the whole time, are just incredible. When I hear this song, I can't help but dance or move my feet or bob my head to it. It's a classic.

Now, "Green Onions" isn't their only hit as a band, they also have the song "Time is Tight". This song features the great organ by Booker T, but the other musicians shine just as bright. The guitar is just as front and center as the organ and it's awesome. The solos are fantastic. The drums are great, this time, not just keeping time, but playing awesome fills and having a very full sound. The bass is just as good. It's minimal, but it is necessary and it is good. I know bass always gets a bad rap and people make fun of bass players, but in a soul/R&B/funk group, bass is very important. It keeps time, just like the drums do. They have many other hit songs, but these are the two that everyone, even if they think they don't know them, know these songs. Hell, "Green Onions" is a staple in most movies and on a lot of TV shows.

Booker T and the MG's are owed a great debt by many musicians, especially ones that fancy themselves funk musicians. Without what these guys did, we may have never gotten that funky soul sound that they brought to the listening public. They are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I feel like they're a very underrated band. They are all extremely technically skilled musicians that all the big names in soul music wanted to be their backing band. Booker T and the MG's, in my opinion, are the best backing band of all time. I know people will throw out singers and musicians from the movie "20 Feet From Stardom" or the band from "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", but for my taste, it gets no better than Booker T and the MG's. These guys created a sound that was all their own. They are inventors and masters of their craft. They still perform today, with mainly new members, but Booker T is still there hammering away at his organ, and that's all that matters. As long as he is still around, the MG's will continue to be a great band.

Here's to you Booker T and the MG's, you guys are pioneers.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He feel bad for being mean to the bassist from his high school rock band. The dude kept good time. Hear all about the glory days of The Redshirt Freshmen by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.