Bill Withers is the man. He's had many hits that are still popular today in their original form...covers...rap artists sampling him, etc. Not to mention a captivating voice. Pretty fascinating career too, battles with record companies and such.

I've always loved his lyrics...simple and right to the point, but still somehow colorful and emotional. Best. I love when people try to sing his songs on American Idol (what, my little sisters watch it) and the judges all shake their heads because they fail at reproducing the soul of the song.

You've also gotta respect his outlook on life:

COX: So, I want to ask you to look at the choices that Bill Withers has made in his life to now and tell us which choice you made was your best choice, and which one you made was your worst?

Mr. WITHERS: Let's make it a generalization thing. The best choices that I made was when I was - when I accepted who I was and was honest with myself and went about things how I believed it, without worrying about whether I was going to impress somebody or not. And the worst choices that I made was when I was trying to gain somebody's approval rather than choosing on principle. And every time I compromise one of my principles, the price is fierce for that.

From:
Songwriter Bill Withers And A Career Cut Short
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7236327