BILL WITHERS - Grandma's Hands

Bill Withers was born on the 4th of July, 1938 in a small West Virginia coal-mining town. After serving nine years in the Navy, he moved to Los Angeles with hopes of getting into the music industry. He worked as an aircraft assembler, save up enough money to record demos. In 1970 Withers got his first record deal - with Booker T. Jones producing. The recording sessions would  feature Stephen Stills on lead guitar. His debut album Just As I Am was recorded during 3 three-hour recording sessions, and it was released in 1971. The first single off the album - Ain't No Sunshine - won the the 35-year old a Grammy in 1972. The other single released off the album was Grandma's Hands, a song that Withers has said is his personal favorite. As a child Withers was picked on a lot because he had a stuttering problem, and his father died when he was 13-years old. Grandma Galloway, his maternal grandmother, looked after him and had a huge influence on his life. The song has been covered by many artists since, and in 1996 the song's guitar riff was sampled for the hit song No Diggity by Blackstreet and Dr Dre.