Bill Withers

In the long and storied history of the great State of West Virginia, few Mountaineers have made their presence felt – and missed – as indelibly as the late Bill Withers. But Bill Withers, for as loved and celebrated as he is, is far more than a West Virginia icon; Bill Withers is a bonafide legend of American music. 

“Just the Two of Us,” “Lovely Day,” ” Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Lean on Me” – these songs are the soundtrack to which generations of West Virginians came of age, and the anthems which an entire nation sang out loud. Bill Withers transcended West Virginia, and in the process helped make his beloved home state “Almost Heaven.”

And if you ever doubt the love Bill Withers had for West Virginia, you need only remember his words: “The challenge is to get young people who grow up in places like West Virginia to take the limits off of themselves, and realize there’s no magic that somebody else has in the world that they don’t.”

“They’re just people – and man, that’s a lot.”

For giving his fellow West Virginians another reason to be proud, and for leaving a legacy that will outlive us all, we are oh so proud to name Bill Withers as the certified Real West Virginian of the Week.

Have someone you’d like to nominate? Email us at news@therealwv.com.