With the passing of media executive Clarence Avant on Monday, Hollywood lost an industry magnate whose impact and reach was unquantifiable. “He had an innate sense of goodness and fairness and was able to have the drive and willpower to succeed without compromising his values, and use that success to help more people,” said filmmaker Reginald Hudlin, who profiled Avant …
One came back with a hole in his arm where all the money goes; the other came back with no arm at all. Such were the soldiers John Prine and Bill Withers wrote into existence nearly 50 years ago to illustrate the horrific toll of the Vietnam War — Prine in “Sam Stone,” about a drug-addicted veteran with “a hundred-dollar …
Bill Withers wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Singer-songwriter Bill Withers, who came to music late and left it early but created enduring hits such as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me” and “Just the Two of Us,” …
