Still Bill (2009)

A portrait of soul legend Bill Withers.

Directors:

Damani Baker, Alex Vlack

Stars:

Bill Withers, Clarence Avant, Benorce Blackmon

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bill Withers	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clarence Avant	...	Himself
Benorce Blackmon	...	Himself
Cornell Dupree	...	Himself
James Gadson	...	Himself (as James Gadsen)
Corey Glover	...	Himself
Terrell Harrison	...	Himself
Nona Hendryx	...	Herself
Jim James	...	Himself
Mervin Johnson	...	Himself
Angélique Kidjo	...	Herself
Ralph MacDonald	...	Himself
Raúl Midón	...	Himself
Tavis Smiley	...	Himself
Sting	...	Himself

Storyline

A portrait of soul legend Bill Withers.

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Plot Keywords:

bill withers | stuttering | west virginia | veteran | u.s. sailor | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Late Night and Weekends

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Bill Withers taught me to be true to myself

My first introduction to the music of Bill Withers was the song "Lean On Me". I would not exactly say that it was my all time favorite song but the song in itself struck a chord with me. I had no idea who the mastermind behind the song until certain years later. I only first came to know of the name Bill Withers as a result of having become a hardcore soul fan since 2002. It was only through my soul music journey that I decided to buy his 1981 Greatest Hits CD over 10 years ago.I am proud to say that I still have the CD to this very day. It was then that I could perhaps say that I was formally introduced to the singer that sang and wrote songs such as "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lovely Day" and so forth.

Although the documentary may have come out eight years ago, I did not think much about it until recently. I am not certain as to what drove me to watch the documentary yesterday evening but it allowed me to gain a glimpse of who this man really was and how did not give into the system. I would not wish to say that Bill Withers is a pop star in the true sense of the word but he did not put fame above his principles. That is why I believe God has blessed this man with so many years. May God continue to bless him as his nearing 80. There are not many of his caliber that can actually stand up for what they believe in. I wish that the current crop of musicians can learn from this wonderful man.

If there is perhaps one thing that "Still Bill" has taught me is to be true to myself. I do not have to owe anyone any apology to the principles for which I stand. Of course, this is not to say that Mr. Withers was a perfect man in any sense of the term. He also did make mistakes along the way but this should not detract from the fact that the morale behind this 78-minute film is we need to know who we are, where we come from and what we stand for. Mr. Withers exemplified these virtues mentioned here. I specifically recommend it to anyone who may have not heard the name Bill Withers before. It gives you a perspective of the man behind the songs that we often sing in our showers, kitchens, cars, churches or even when we walk alone in the street. It is never a documentary you would simply want to watch once and forget about it. I am actually going to watch it again after this review. There is a lot we can learn from the one of the last living soul legends of the 20th century.