Drummer, front-man, music journalist, historian, and educator Questlove refers to his hero Bill Withers as, “the last African-American Everyman.” Of himself, Withers claims he’s, “not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with.” Grammy Award-winning and Hall of Fame songwriter Bill Withers composed timeless songs from the soul that will live in R&B, rock and pop music for lifetimes to come, though he spent just over eight years in the music industry.
"The Twist" by Hank Ballard
Singer-songwriter Boz Scaggs gave the introduction during Hank Ballard’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Scaggs quoted Ballard’s perspective on life as “all about having a good time, and feeling good, and looking fine, and having some laughs, and getting others to do the same.” Scaggs spoke of Ballard as being a “very vital, very positive, very dynamic man.”
"Taxman" by George Harrison
"The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin
In addition to piano, Joplin also played the cornet, mandolin, and was a noted singer. His early performances were with traveling brass ensembles and vocal groups. But composition was his main focus, and Joplin became arguably the most famous creator of Ragtime music, earning the name, “The King of Ragtime.”