Who is Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Bobby Womack (/ˈwoʊmæk/; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and musician.[3] An active recording artist since the early 1960s, when he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cookes backing guitarist, Womacks career spanned more than 50 years and spanned a repertoire in the styles of R&B, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, gospel, and country. Born and raised in Clevelands East 85th & Quincy area to Naomi Womack and Friendly Womack, Womack was the third of five brothers.[5] Raised Baptist, their mother played organ in their church and their father was a minister and musician, often known to play guitar though he advised his sons to not touch the instrument while he was away. One night, eight-year-old Bobby, who was often playing it, broke a guitar string. After Friendly replaced the string with a shoelace,[6] he let Bobby play the guitar for him. According to Bobby later, Friendly was shocked by his sons talents as well as the talents of his other sons. Soon afterwards, he bought Bobby his own guitar and formed The Womack Brothers. The group toured the gospel circuit with their parents accompanying them on organ and guitar respectively. In 1954, under the moniker Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers, the group issued the Pennant single, Buffalo Bill. Bobby was only ten years old at the time Even though Curtis Womack often sang lead, Bobby Womack was allowed to sing alongside him showcasing his gruff baritone vocals in contrast to his older brothers smoother tenor. During performances, Bobby would sometimes imitate the role of a preacher, which later became his nickname. Sam Cooke discovered the group performing while he was still in the Soul Stirrers in 1956 and began mentoring the boys, promising them that he would help with their careers once he established himself. Within four years, Cooke had formed SAR Records and signed the quintet to the label. Changing their name to the Valentinos, Cooke produced and arranged the groups first hit single, Looking for a Love, which was a pop version of a gospel song they had released titled Couldnt Hear Nobody Pray, written by Bobby. The song became an R&B hit and helped land the group a spot on James Browns Revue. The groups next hit came in 1964 with the country-tinged Its All Over Now, co-composed by Bobby. Their version was rising on the charts when the Rolling Stones covered it. The Valentinos career was left shaky after Sam Cooke was shot and killed in a Los Angeles motel. Devastated by the news, the brothers disbanded and SAR Records folded. 1967–1972 Womack worked at Chips Momans American Studios in Memphis and played on recordings by Joe Tex and the Box Tops. Womack played guitar on several of Aretha Franklins albums, including Lady Soul, but not on the hit song Chain of Fools, as erroneously reported. His work as a songwriter caught the eye of music executives after Wilson Pickett took a liking to some of the songs and insisted on recording them. Among those songs included the hits Im a Midnight Mover and Im in Love. In 1968, he signed with Minit Records and recorded his first solo album, Fly Me to the Moon, where he scored his first major hit with a cover of the Mamas & The Papas California Dreamin. In 1969, Womack forged a partnership with Gábor Szabó and with Szabó, penned the instrumental Breezin, later a hit for George Benson. Womack also worked with rock musicians Sly and the Family Stone and Janis Joplin, contributing vocals and guitar work on The Family Stones accomplished album Theres a Riot Goin On, and penning the ballad Trust Me, for Joplin on her album Pearl. After two more albums with Minit, Bobby switched labels, signing with United Artists where he changed his attire and his musical direction with the album Communication. The album bolstered his first top 40 hit, Thats the Way I Feel About Cha, which peaked at number two R&B and number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1972. 1972–1985: Solo success Following Communication, Womacks profile was raised with two more albums, released in 1972. The first was Understanding, noted for the album track I Can Understand It, later covered by the funk band New Birth and a three-sibling lineup of Bobbys old group, the Valentinos, and two hit singles, Womans Gotta Have It and Harry Hippie. The latter song was written for Womack by Jim Ford in a country version, which Womack re-arranged in an R&B version. Harry Hippie later became Womacks first to be certified gold. Contrary to popular belief, the song was not about Womacks brother Harry[citation needed]. Womans Gotta Have It became Womacks first single to hit number-one on the R&B charts. Another hit album released after Understanding was the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Across 110th Street. The title track became popular during its initial 1972 release and later would be played during the opening and closing scenes of the film, Jackie Brown, years later. In 1973, Womack released another hit album, Facts of Life, and had a top 40 hit with Nobody Wants You When Youre Down and Out, an older song Sam Cooke had done years before. In 1974, Womack released his most successful single during this period with a remake of his first hit single, Lookin for a Love. His solo version of the song became even more successful than the original with the Valentinos, becoming his second number-one hit on the R&B chart and peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his only hit to reach that high on the pop chart. The song was featured on the album Lookin for a Love Again and featured the minor charted Youre Welcome, Stop on By, later covered by Rufus & Chaka Khan. Womacks career began stalling after Womack received the news of his brother Harrys death. Womack continued to record albums with United Artists through 1975 and 1976 but with less success than previous albums. In 1975, Womack collaborated with Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood, on Woods second solo album, Now Look. Womack languished with his own recordings during the late 1970s but continued to be a frequent collaborator with other artists, most notably Wilton Felder of The Crusaders. In 1981, Womack signed with Beverly Glen Records and had his first R&B top ten single in five years since the 1976 single Daylight with If You Think Youre Lonely Now, which peaked at number three on the R&B singles chart. His accompanying album The Poet reached number one on the R&B album charts and is now seen as the high point of his long career, bringing him wider acclaim not only in the U.S. but also in Europe. He had two more R&B top ten singles during the 1980s including the Patti LaBelle duet, Love Has Finally Come at Last, and I Wish He Didnt Trust Me So Much. He had a hit featuring on the Wilton Felder single (No Matter How High I Get) Ill Still Be Looking Up to You. 1985–2014: Later career Womacks solo career started to slow down, however, after 1985, partially due to Womacks issues with drug addiction. After sobering up in the mid-1990s, he released the album Resurrection and continued his performing career. In 1989, Womack sang on Todd Rundgrens For the Want of a Nail on the album Nearly Human. In 1998, he performed George Gershwins Summertime with The Roots for the Red Hot Organizations compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.Many will miss him
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 23:22:15 +0000
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