“First, you have to want to then you have to pursue it. The only question was whether I was going to just do it for myself in my head or whether I was going to do it and share it with somebody else.” – Bill Withers

Bill Withers was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. His coal miner father died when Withers was only thirteen. Bill worked a series of odd jobs to help his mother out. At 17 he joined the Navy and after discharge moved to LA to pursue music. He worked a full time job making toilet seats at the Boeing aircraft company and recorded demos at night. He signed with Sussex Records and in 1971 released his debut album “Just as I Am.” “Ain’t No Sunshine” was an R&B hit and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. Withers followed up with “Lean on Me” (which reached #1 on the Billboard pop charts), “Use Me” and “Just the Two of Us.”

It IS possible to find meaningful work, even later in life. It’s just a matter of how bad you want it, how much work you’re willing to put in, and how persistent you’re going to be to reach your goal.

“Sometimes in our lives we all have pain. We all have sorrow. But if we are wise we know that there’s always tomorrow” (Lean on Me)