Ain't No Sunshine is a soul and R&B ballad by Bill Withers, released in 1971 as a single from his debut album Just As I Am. The track was produced by Booker T. Jones and features Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass, Al Jackson Jr. on drums, and Stephen Stills on guitar, with strings arranged by Jones. It was recorded in Los Angeles with overdubs in Memphis by Terry Manning. The song became Withers' breakthrough hit, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the US R&B chart, and Billboard ranked it the 23rd biggest hit of 1971. It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1972 and is listed at 285 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2024 it was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural significance. A Michael Jackson cover appeared on his 1972 debut Got to Be There, helping keep the tune in public memory.
