Still Bill

Filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack's Still Bill is an intimate documentary about legendary singer-songwriter Bill Withers, who became famous in the 1970s for such hits as “Lean on Me” and “Just the Two of Us”—and then walked away in the 1980s to raise a family. Withers speaks about his life here, backed by archival footage, and also travels to West Virginia, where he grew up, and to New York for a tribute concert. His laconic, colloquial way of talking makes him good company (a quality that comes across in his singing, which combines soul with folk and funk). Withers overcame a stutter and other obstacles to reach stardom—his first single, “Ain't No Sunshine,” put him on the map in 1972—but when the suits pushed him in a more conventional direction, his enthusiasm waned (“the fame game was kicking my ass,” he says). Among those who add to the portrait are Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Angélique Kidjo, and Jim James, along with Withers' wife Marcia, and son Todd (toward the end, we also see Withers working on songs with his daughter Kori). While it's true, as Withers says, that “we are remiss in overvaluing entertainers,” Still Bill offers a necessary corrective for one such man who hasn't always gotten his due. DVD extras include interviews with fans and two cover performances. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)