Bobby Womack

Cleveland-born soul singer, songwriter and guitarist who went from gospel and Sam Cooke's SAR label to the Valentinos, Memphis sessions and a solo career that ran from the 1960s to 2012.

Origin: Cleveland, Ohio
Years active: 1950s-2014
Genres: soul, R&B, funk, gospel
Labels: SAR, Minit, United Artists, Arista, Beverly Glen, XL Recordings

Gospel and the Valentinos

Bobby Womack was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 4 March 1944, the third of five brothers. His father Friendly played guitar and his mother played the church organ, and by the mid-1950s the family was working the Midwest gospel circuit as the Womack Brothers. Bobby was left-handed and played a right-handed guitar upside down without changing the stringing.

Sam Cooke signed the group to his SAR label in 1961, renamed them the Valentinos, moved them to Los Angeles and steered them from gospel toward secular R&B. Their first hit was Lookin' for a Love, which reached number 8 on the R&B chart in 1962. In 1964 came It's All Over Now, written by Womack and Shirley Womack. The Rolling Stones recorded their own version nine days after hearing the Valentinos' record, and it became their first UK number one. The Guardian reported that Womack was furious at first and that his anger eased with each royalty cheque.

Sideman and songwriter

Womack played in Cooke's band from 1961. His first solo records for Him and Checker were all but ignored, so he worked as a session musician, touring and recording with Ray Charles from 1965 to 1968. At Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis he played guitar on records by Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and the Box Tops, and Wilson Pickett recorded his song "I'm a Midnight Mover".

In 1968 he signed to Minit and cut Fly Me to the Moon, whose cover of "California Dreamin'" gave him his first major hit. He wrote "Breezin'" with the guitarist Gabor Szabo, later a hit for George Benson, sang and played on Sly Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, and co-wrote a track on Janis Joplin's Pearl.

United Artists

At United Artists Womack made his most successful run. Communication (1971) produced "That's the Way I Feel About Cha", which reached number 2 on the R&B chart, and Understanding (1972) gave him his first R&B number one with "Woman's Gotta Have It". The Guardian's Alexis Petridis called Understanding arguably the pick of his Minit and United Artists albums.

The same year he wrote and sang the songs for the film Across 110th Street, whose soundtrack was scored by J. J. Johnson. The title song, Across 110th Street, later turned up in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown and Ridley Scott's American Gangster. In 1974 a solo remake of "Lookin' for a Love" reached number 1 R&B and number 10 on the Hot 100, his only top-10 pop hit. A country album, BW Goes C&W, followed, and his label dropped him in 1976.

The Poet

A 1980 hit with Wilton Felder of the Crusaders, "Inherit the Wind", revived his career. In 1981 he signed to Beverly Glen Records and made The Poet, which topped the Billboard Top Black Albums chart. Its single If You Think You're Lonely Now reached number 3 on the R&B singles chart at a time when dance music dominated it.

The Poet II followed in 1984 with "Love Has Finally Come at Last", a duet with Patti LaBelle, and the Guardian's obituary says the NME named it album of the year. The same obituary says he saw little money from the two albums and spent much of the decade in legal wrangling with his record label. Barney Hoskyns toured with him that September for the NME, which headlined the piece "The Last Soul Man". In 1986 he recorded "Living in a Box" with the group of that name, and in 1989 he sang on Todd Rundgren's "For the Want of a Nail".

The late return

Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2010 Damon Albarn invited him to sing on the Gorillaz single "Stylo" with Mos Def, and he toured with the group on the Escape to Plastic Beach tour. That led to The Bravest Man in the Universe, produced by Albarn and Richard Russell for XL Recordings and released on 12 June 2012. It won the Q Award for Best Album of 2012.

His last concert was at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee on 14 June 2014. He died on 27 June 2014, aged 70. The Guardian noted that artists including 50 Cent, Ghostface Killah and Black Star have sampled his early 1970s records.

Records

Communication 1971 · United Artists
Womack's third studio album and the one that carried "That's the Way I Feel About Cha".
Understanding 1972 · United Artists
The album with "Woman's Gotta Have It", his first R&B number one.
Across 110th Street 1972 · soundtrack · United Artists
The soundtrack to the Harlem crime film, with Womack's songs and J. J. Johnson's score.
The Poet 1981 · Beverly Glen Music
The 1981 album that returned Womack to the top of the Billboard Top Black Albums chart.
The Bravest Man in the Universe 2012 · XL Recordings
His final studio album, made with Damon Albarn and Richard Russell.

Songs

If You Think You're Lonely Now The Poet · 1981
The ballad from The Poet that reached number 3 on the R&B singles chart.
Across 110th Street Across 110th Street · 1973
The title song of the Harlem crime film, later picked by Tarantino and Scott.
Lookin' for a Love 1962
The Valentinos' first hit, remade by Womack as a solo number 1 R&B record in 1974.
It's All Over Now 1964
The Valentinos single that the Rolling Stones turned into their first UK number one.
That's the Way I Feel About Cha Communication · 1972
His first crossover Top 40 hit, from Communication.

Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Gorillaz, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin

Where to go next

Reference

Bobby Womack Career overview from the Womack Brothers to his final concert.
The Poet (album) Release, chart and personnel details for The Poet.
The Bravest Man in the Universe Recording dates, reviews and accolades for the 2012 album.
Across 110th Street The film, its production and its soundtrack tracklist.
Bobby Womack Womack's page at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2009.

Writing and criticism

Bobby Womack obituary The Guardian's obituary covering his whole career.
Bobby Womack: a talent undimmed to the end Alexis Petridis on his albums, guitar playing and songwriting.
Bobby Womack: six great performances Paul Simon picks six Womack performances.
Bobby Womack The Guardian's collected Womack coverage.
Bobby Womack: The Poet / The Poet II Pitchfork on the reissue of The Poet and The Poet II.
Bobby Womack: The Bravest Man in the Universe Pitchfork's 2012 review of The Bravest Man in the Universe.

Interviews

Bobby Womack, gospel-soaked baritone and the very last of the Soul Men Barney Hoskyns on touring with Womack in 1984, with Womack's own words.

Film and video

Bobby Womack: watch an unseen interview Filmed interview released by XL Recordings, Behind the Bravest Man.

Sources

Bobby Womack, Wikipedia
Bobby Womack obituary, The Guardian (2014-06-28)
Bobby Womack: a talent undimmed to the end, The Guardian (2014-06-28)
Bobby Womack, gospel-soaked baritone and the very last of the Soul Men, The Guardian (2014-06-28)
Bobby Womack: The Poet / The Poet II, Pitchfork (2021-03-20)
Bobby Womack: The Bravest Man in the Universe, Pitchfork (2012-06-14)
Bobby Womack, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame