OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0046

Artist

Bill Withers

Title

“Three Nights and a Morning / What’ll I Do?”

Release Details

Issued in the United States in 1967 as a 7-inch 45 RPM promotional single on Lotus Records, catalogue number LO 3601, this release captures Bill Withers at the outset of his recording career. A July 29, 1967 Record World notice states that Lotus had signed and released its first artist, Bill Withers, and identifies his first deck on the label as “Three Nights and a Morning” b/w “What’ll I Do?”

Edition & Variant Identification

Physical Description

7-inch single with promotional white label on black vinyl

Condition Report

Near-mint, glossy vinyl with no signs of play or handling and crisp, pristine labels in a generic sleeve.

Provenance

Acquired by OMMA from Discogs seller badfootbrown.

Photomatching & Verification

Discographic sources confirm the 1967 U.S. Lotus Records release under catalogue number LO 3601, and the contemporaneous Record World notice confirms both the title pairing and the label’s presentation of Withers as its first artist.

Market Context & Historical Notes

This release, a little-known 1967 promotional single on a small California label, sits at the start of Bill Withers’ storied recording career, several years before Just As I Am and the run of songs that made him a central figure in American soul. Public biographical summaries also identify “Three Nights and a Morning” as his debut release and note that the song later evolved into “Harlem,” which would appear on his 1971 debut LP. 

Canonical Status in OMMA

This release is recognized by the Origins of Modern Music Archive as the canonical recording debut of the artist.

Bibliography / References

Discogs release entry for the 1967 promo issue of Three Nights And A Morning, Lotus LO 3601.  https://www.discogs.com/release/4654323-Bill-Withers-Three-Nights-And-A-Morning

Discogs master entry for Three Nights And A Morning. https://www.discogs.com/master/570588-Bill-Withers-Three-Nights-And-A-Morning

45cat entry for Three Nights And A Morning / What’ll I Do?, Lotus LO 3601. https://www.45cat.com/record/lo3601

Record World, July 29, 1967, identifying Bill Withers as Lotus’s first artist and “Three Nights and a Morning” / “What’ll I Do?” as his first deck on the label. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/60s/67/Record-World-1967-07-29.pdf