The most beautiful, fully-realized music is often intensely personal, a product of genuine emotion, experience, and introspection. It captures your attention because the artist is sharing something with which you can relate. The singer-songwriter era of the late 60’s and early 70’s produced several artists particularly adept at laying bare their feelings in a compelling manner, and the great Bill Withers stands tall among them.
Withers’ special gift for honest, deeply personal music is perhaps best exemplified by his song “Grandma’s Hands” from his 1971 debut album Just As I Am. Working with little more than the imagery of her hands, Withers lovingly sketches his Grandmother and her importance to him in an all-too- brief, albeit perfect, two-minute track. It reached # 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, but chart performance is of little moment when discussing something this poetic and powerful. We feature here Withers performing the track live on the BBC in 1973. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
Bill Withers – “Grandma’s Hands”
