Bill Withers festival to take place Saturday

Jul. 4—Community members and music lovers near and far will gather this coming weekend in Beckley to celebrate the life and the legend that is Bill Withers.

Most known for his songs "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lovely Day," "Lean on Me" and "Just the Two of Us," to name a few, one of the lesser-known facts about Withers is that he grew up in a small town in Raleigh County, W.Va.

But a musician who hails from the same county where Withers grew up and even attended the same local school, though several years apart, is hoping to change that.

Now in its third year, the Bill Withers Memorial Festival will take place from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Beckley Intermodal Gateway in Beckley.

As part of the festival, the city is also raising funds for a Bill Withers statue, crafted by West Virginia artist Frederick Hightower.

Local musician Matt Mullins, who has helped organize the festival since its inception three years ago, said the festival isn't just about honoring the three-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. It's also about celebrating where he came from.

"When people think Beckley, they should think Bill Withers," Mullins said.

Mullins, a music teacher at Beckley-Stratton Middle School, said he often runs into the situation where his students know Withers' music, but they don't know anything about the musician.

"With almost all my students, I'll play (Withers') songs first and I'm like 'All right, who's heard this song?' They raise their hands ... and then at the end, 'All right, who knows who sings this song?' Nobody," Mullins said. "Then I'm like, 'His name is Bill Withers and guess where he's from?' They're like, 'California,' and I'm like, Nope, he's from Beckley.'"

Mullins said he was also in middle school when he found out that one of his favorite musicians attended the same school he did.

"I love the history of Beckley and I want to preserve it and also pass it on to the next generation," he said.

"And, you know, the kids all make fun of me because they're like, 'Mr. Mullins, you're obsessed with Bill Withers.' and I am, but it's just wild to me that it takes so long for them to know that Bill Withers is from here."

Born on July 4, 1938, in Slab Fork, Withers grew up in Beckley, where he attended the historic all-Black Stratton High School.

When Mullins attended the school years later, it was a junior high. It has since been turned into an elementary school.

In front of the school, which is scheduled to be torn down this year to make way for a new Stratton Elementary, is a historical marker recognizing Withers, who passed away in 2020, and his musical career.

Erected in 2021, the historical marker was the basis for the first Bill Withers Memorial Festival. But Mullins said he thinks the city should do more for its music legend.

"Fayette County, I feel like personally, is the adventure capital of West Virginia because you've got rock climbing, mountain biking and whitewater rafting. Well, then you've got the two big university cities — Huntington and Morgantown. I kind of feel like Lewisburg is an art hub. Well, I think Beckley should be the music hub of the state," Mullins said.

Although Bill Withers may be Raleigh County's biggest musical star, Mullins said several other well-known musicians hail from Raleigh County including Little Jimmy Dickens from Bolt, Calvin Simon from Beckley and Charles E. "Everett" Lilly from Clear Creek.

"That's four musicians from four very different genres of music that all excelled at the highest level that are all from right here in Beckley," Mullins said. "So I think that we've got something to really say about it and share with the world that Beckley is West Virginia's music hub."

Mullins hopes this vision will kick off when the city is able to raise enough funds for a bronze statue of Withers which will be located in the plaza of the Beckley Intermodal Gateway.

He added that he has no doubt the statue will attract visitors because he's seen it done in other states.

"There's a Keith Whitley statue near Lexington, Kentucky ... and I drove 45 minutes out of the way once to see it," Mullins said. "But I know Bill Withers is a much more universal name and people, when they see their route through Beckley, West Virginia, they can say, 'Oh, we should go see the Bill Withers statue.' I think that's something that we should all really rally behind and get the funding done so we can have that and also just an awesome positive in downtown Beckley."

The Beckley Area Foundation is accepting donations for the Bill Withers statue. Donations can be made online at bafwv.org/billwithers

Performers for this year's Bill Withers Memorial Festival include The Carpenter Ants, Whiskey & Wine, DJ Naybz, the How Great Thou Art Theatre Group, Shayar, Lords of Lester and Matt Mullins and the Bringdowns.

The festival will also include a craft beer garden, a community art installation and the playing of the Bill Withers documentary "Still Bill" in the Raleigh Playhouse and Theatre on Neville Street.

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com