Wildermiss and Other Denver Musicians Pay Tribute to Bill Withers

Kyle Harris April 7, 2020 12:09PM

Members of Wildermiss, Overslept and Meliora pay homage to Bill Withers. Tessitura Studios/Youtube

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Seventies singer-songwriter Bill Withers passed away from heart complications on March 30. He was 81.

While Withers had not made music since the mid-’80s, his was the eternal voice behind songs like "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine."

A handful of Denver musicians — Emma Cole and Caleb Thoemke from Wildermiss; producer and engineer Kyle Smith of Kiltro and Wildermiss; Corban Roberts from Overslept; and Malena Roberts from Meliora have now paid tribute to Withers. In a video shot in the living room of the south Denver house they share, they covered two of his songs: “Lean on Me” and “Just the Two of Us."

“We’re all quarantined together and wanted to thank Bill for his beautiful music," says Cole, who sings lead vocals.

Here's the video:

"Having fun collaborating together has definitely kept us sane," adds Cole. "We hope this brings some joy to people. Just lean on the five of us…more on the way.”

Listen to Wildermiss and more favorites from Westword writers on our Westword Staff Picks playlist.

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