Sheryl Crow And Citizen Cope Play Tribute To Bill Withers

Keavin Wiggins | 04-06-2020

Sheryl Crow has teamed up with Citizen Cope to play tribute to music icon Bill Withers, who passed away last week from heart complications at the age of 81.

They have shared their cover of Withers' classic "Lonely Town, Lonely Street", which was produced by Steve Jordan. Crow had this to say, "I love Bill Withers. His passing last week was a heavy blow, on top of the challenges we're all facing just trying to live day to day right now.

She continued "After making incredible, beautiful, funky records like Ain't No Sunshine, Grandma's Hands, Use Me, and Lean On Me, Bill got tired of the music business and stopped recording in 1985.

"When I was fortunate enough to meet him, I begged him to make music again and he replied, 'I am a stonemason now and I am good at it!' He told me he was happy and didn't want to make music anymore. Times like these remind us about what's really important in life - love, family, living life in harmony with each other and our planet.

"Bill's music was about that, and so much more. In loving memory, I am releasing one of my favorite Bill Withers songs that I recorded with Citizen Cope and Steve Jordan a while back , Lonely Town, Lonely Street."

Producer Steve Jordan had this say, "I'd been working on getting Bill to record for over a decade. He would send me a tune and say 'I need a certain kind of person to record this.'

"The truth is, he was the only person that could record it first! He would visit me in the studio and we would have a blast, he loved hanging with the studio cats... everyone would get such a thrill with Bill just being there, he was a GURU! There was only one Bill Withers."

Citizen Cope added, "Bill Withers is such a huge influence on me as a songwriter and a transmitter of energy and emotion. His music will move and touch people forever." Check out the cover below: