Just As I Am is the debut studio album of American soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 musician Bill Withers

Bill Withers

William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...

, released in 1971 on Sussex Records

Sussex Records

-History:It was founded December 18, 1969 by Clarence Avant. Initially, it was located first at 6430 W Sunset Blvd at the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga Blvds. In 1972, it moved to 6255 W Sunset Blvd Suite 1902 both in Hollywood. From 1969 to 1974, all records were distributed by Buddah Records &...

. The album features the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine

Ain't No Sunshine

"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just as I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums, as well as Withers on lead vocals and guitar. The song was released as a single in September...

", which was ranked at number 280 on Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....

. Booker T. Jones

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...

 produced, arranged, and played keyboards on Just as I Am. The album was later reissued as a dual disc with a second disc featuring all the tracks in 5.1 Surround Sound

5.1 surround sound

5.1 is the common name for six channel surround sound multichannel audio systems. 5.1 is now the most commonly used layout in both commercial cinemas and home theaters. It uses five full bandwidth channels and one low frequency enhancement channel . Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and...

.

Track listing

Chart history

Chart (1971)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Black Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...	5
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	39
Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... 100 Albums	37

Personnel

• Bill Withers – guitar, vocals
• Stephen Stills
  Stephen Stills
  Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
  
   – guitar
• Jim Keltner
  Jim Keltner
  James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
  
   – drums
• Booker T. Jones
  Booker T. Jones
  Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
  
   – guitar, keyboards
• Bobbye Hall Porter – percussion
• Al Jackson, Jr. – drums

Later Samples

• "Ain't No Sunshine"
  • "Soulja's Story" by 2Pac from the album 2Pacalypse Now
    2Pacalypse Now
    - Unused Tracks :* "Crooked Nigga Too" * "Tears Of A Clown" * "Scared Straight '91"...
    
    
  • "No Sunshine" by DMX
    DMX (rapper)
    Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
    
    
  • "No Sunshine" by Kid Frost
• "Grandma's Hands"
  • "No Diggity
    No Diggity
    "No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen in her first recorded appearance. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK. It ranked at #91 on . It sold 1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a...
    
    " by Blackstreet
    Blackstreet
    Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what...