Bobby Womack

At 70 years old, Bobby Womack has this physical status:

Robert Dwayne Womack (March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, guitarist, and record producer.

Womack's career spanned more than 60 years as the lead singer of his family's musical band, the Valentinos, and Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, including R&B, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, and gospel.

Womack, a prolific songwriter who performed and recorded (with his brothers, the Valentinos), the Rolling Stones' first UK number one hit, "It's All Over Now" and "I Can Understand It," is a video from "I Can Read It."

As a performer, he is best known for his hits "Lookin' for a Love," "Woman's Gotta Have It," "Harry Hippie," "Across 110th Street," and his 1980s hits "If You Think You're Lonely Now" and "I Wish You Don't Trust Me So Much." Bobby Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, in 2009.

Early life

Bobby Womack, third of three brothers, was born in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, near East 85th Street and Quincy Avenue. Bobby's older brothers, Friendly Jr. and Curtis, were his younger brothers, and Harry and Cecil were his younger brothers. They all grew up in Cleveland's slums, so poor that the family could only afford pig snouts made of the local supermarket's garbage. He had to share a bed with his brothers. He could "sing his way out of the ghetto," his mother told him. "We came up really poor," Bobby said about recalling his youth. "The neighborhood was so ghetto that we didn't bother the rats and didn't bother us," my children had a much happier life than I'd ever imagined of living in.

They were raised Baptist, their mother played the organ for the church choir, and their father, a part-time minister, and a singer who played the guitar and also sang gospel. Their father used to tell his sons not to touch his guitar while away, but all five brothers played it while their father was away. Bobby, an eight-year-old boy, snapped a guitar string and then tried to replace it with a shoelace one night. Friendly discovered that Bobby (who was missing a shoelace) had broken the string, he gave Bobby the opportunity to play the guitar for the sake of a whipping.

Friendly bought guitars for all five of his sons within a few days. Because Bobby was left-handed, he played his guitar upside-down to play, unaware that the guitar should have been restrung to accommodate a left-handed player.

Personal life

Barbara Cooke, 20, a ten-year-old Womack and Cooke widow, attempted to marry at the Los Angeles county courthouse on February 26, 1965, 77 days after Sam Cooke's death. Womack wore one of Cooke's suits to the courthouse, and the cameras caught the case, but the application was turned down. Womack was refused because he was under 21 years old and did not have his parents' permission to marry, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel. They were married on March 5, the day after his 21st birthday. Some in the music industry deemed their marriage a failure, and Womack was outcast in the soul music industry. Womack's brothers, as well as his followers and disc jockeys, all turned against him. The Cooke's family was also enraged. During an attack on a hotel in Chicago, Womack's jaw was broken by his brothers Charles and David Cook. Following Cooke's death, Womack later said he went to Barbara's house to console her. She would "do something crazy" if she were left alone.

Barbara Cooke, the daughter of Barbara and Sam Cooke, died in 1970 after she discovered she was having an affair with his 17-year-old stepdaughter Linda Cooke. Barbara opened fire at her husband and the bullet grazed his head, triggering a tussle. In 1971, the couple's divorce was finalized. Linda never spoke to her mother again, according to Womack.

When Womack was 29 years old, he married Evelyn Evans. She was his personal secretary.

Womack married 19-year-old Regina Banks on December 31, 1975. They had three children together. Regina left him in the early 1990s and moved to New York. They remarried in 2013.

Womack had six children, two of whom died before him.

Vincent Dwayne Womack, Womack's firstborn after his marriage to Barbara, was born in 1966. He died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the age of 21. Barbara had two children from her previous marriage, including Sam Cooke, Tracy, and Linda. Vincent Lance Cooke (1961-1963), a widow who drowned in the family pool at the age of 18 months, was also a mother.

Truth Bobby (1978–1978) and Bobby Truth, as well as his daughter GinaRe, with his wife Regina, were Womack's two sons. Truth Bobby, whose name was suggested by Womack's pal Sly Stone, died aged 4 months after being discovered "wedged between the wall and the bed" after being discovered "wedged between the wall and the bed." Womack's death prompted him to delve into heroin use more deeply. Bobby Truth became involved with gangs and was sent to a youth detention facility around 11 or 12 years old.

Cory and Jordan, Womack's sons, were born from his friendship with Jody Laba.

Bobby Womack was fatally stabbed in the neck with a steak knife, by his sister Patricia Wilson in 1974, owing to a jealous rage. In a room he was occupying at Bobby's house, she discovered another woman's clothes. The clothes turned out to belonged to Bobby's girlfriend, as it turned out. In his honor, Bobby created the 'Harry James Womack Memorial Scholarship Fund' following his death. Because Harry had always "wished he had gone on and received a degree," the $50,000 scholarship fund was meant to support minority students complete college.

Linda Cooke, Bobby's ex-stepdaughter, co-wrote his 1972 hit song "Woman's Gotta Have It." They met in the late 1970s when she was planning her first album. Cecil Womack, Bobby's younger brother, was married by her, and the pair became Womack & Womack. Womack & Womack's album "Love Wars" first appeared as a single in 1983.

In his book Midnight Mover, Womack discussed his regular drug use. Womack said he first used cocaine in the late 1960s. He had become close friends with Sly Stone and was an active participant in Stone's infamous drug binges. In 1984, Womack told Rolling Stone, "I was really into the drugs." Blowing as much coke as I could blow. And we're still indulging. And then there's the smoking of marijuana and taking pills. I'm doing it all day, but it's not all day. "Stone Me and Sly [Stone] were running partners."

After he suffered a concussion from a blow to his head while he turned backwards over an amplifier during a recording session, Womack experienced "temporary blindness" in 1974.

By the late 1970s, his cocaine use had developed to a heroin use. Womack attributed some of his drug use to his infant son Truth's death in 1978, which he said changed him forever. Womack suffered with a escalating heroin use throughout the 1980s. His career slowed significantly during this time, owing in large part to his heroin use. Womack was hospitalized in 1985 after suffering a blood circulation disorder in his left leg. He went to a rehabilitation center to get rid of his cocaine use, which he said he beat.

Womack battled prostate cancer. A sequence of health issues will follow, including diabetes, pneumonia, colon cancer, and Alzheimer's disease symptoms in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

In his later years, Womack developed diabetes. Womack was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 2012 after Bootsy Collins announced it on his Facebook page. Womack revealed later that he would have cancer surgery. Womack's surgery to remove a tumor from his colon was successful, and he was declared cancer-free on May 24, 2012. Womack admitted that he had trouble remembering his songs and other people's names, and later discovered he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

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Career

Bobby, a 10-year-old boy, was touring with his brothers on the midwest gospel circuit as The Womack Brothers, along with Naomi on organ and Friendly Sr. on guitar by the mid-1950s. The company debuted the Pennant single, "Buffalo Bill" in 1954 under the moniker Curtis Womack and the Womack Brothers. More records were followed.

Sam Cooke, the lead singer of The Soul Stirrers, was the group's first appearance in the mid-1950s. He became their mentor and assisted them in going on tour. The Staple Singers toured around the country on national tours. Despite that Curtis often performed lead, Bobby was able to perform alongside him on a gruff baritone due to his older brother's smoother tenor. Bobby would sometimes imitate the role of a preacher, which later became his name. Bobby dropped out of high school at the age of 16.

Cooke formed SAR Records in 1961 and signed the quintet to the company, where they released a handful of gospel singles. Cooke, Neville, moved them to Los Angeles and ordered them to shift from gospel music to secular soul-and pop-influenced sounds. Cooke produced and arranged "Lookin' for a Love," the group's first hit single, which was a pop interpretation of the gospel song "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray," which they had recorded earlier. The song became a hit on R&B, and it was able to land the group a front-row seat to James Brown's tour. The group's next success came in 1964 with the country-tinged "It's All Over Now," co-composed by Bobby. When the Rolling Stones covered it, their version was on the charts.

Womack was also a member of Cooke's band, and he performed and recorded with him from 1961. After Sam Cooke was shot and killed in a Los Angeles hotel, the Valentinos' career was left shaky. The brothers were disbanded, and SAR Records was discontinued, devastation by the news. Womack began his solo career in 1965, first recording for Him Records and later the Chess Records affiliate, Checker Records. Since marrying Barbara Cooke, Womack's widow Barbara Cooke, he came under fire. He'll be gone to radio stations and disc jockeys would toss his records away. He continued to perform as a session musician. He toured and recorded with Ray Charles from 1965 to 1968.

Womack, who was born in Memphis, moved to Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis. On recordings by Joe Tex and the Box Tops, he played guitar. Womack appeared on several Aretha Franklin's albums, including Lady Soul, but not on "Chain of Fools," as erroneously stated. After Wilson Pickett took a liking to some of Womack's songs and insisted on recording them, he attracted the attention of music executives. "I'm a Midnight Mover" and "I'm in Love" were among the songs included.

Bobby De Lavigne, a 1968 singer-songwriter who appeared on Minit Records, recorded his first solo album, Fly Me to the Moon, where he scored his first big hit on a copy of Barry McGuire's "California Dreamin'" in 1968. Womack formed the instrumental "Breezin" in 1969, which was later a hit for George Benson. Womack has worked with rock band Sly and the Family Stone, and Janis Joplin's debut on the Family Stone is a film that was influenced by her song "I Believe in Me." In fact, Womack was one of the few people to see Joplin alive, having visited her just hours before she died at the Landmark Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Bobby switched labels after two more albums with Minit, signing with United Artists, where he changed his appearance and musical direction with the album Communication. "That's the Way I Feel About Cha," the album's first top 40 hit, debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1972, at number two R&B and number 27.

Womack's fame was raised with two more albums, which were first published in 1972. The first was Understanding, which was later released by Bobby's funk band New Birth and a three-sibling lineup, as well as two hit singles, "Woman's Gotta Have It" and "Harry Hippie." In a country version, Jim Ford wrote for Womack, which Womack rearranged in an R&B version. "Harry Hippie" became Womack's first single to be named gold. "Woman's Gotta Have It" was Womack's first single to reach number one on the R&B charts.

After Understanding was the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Across 110th Street, a new hit album was released. During its initial 1972 release, the title track became very popular, and it will be seen again in the film's opening and closing scenes. Jackie Brown's 1997 film, Jackie Brown, released the title track. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" was Womack's third hit album on Life in 1973, and it became a top 40 hit.

Womack released his most popular song of the 1980s, "Lookin' for a Love," a rerelease of his first hit single from the 1970s. His solo album of the song became much more popular than the original with the Valentinos, with his second number one on the R&B chart and his second highest on the pop charts, and his first hit on the R&B chart and his second on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was included on the album Lookin' for a Love Again album and featured the minor charted "You're Welcome, Stop on By," later covered by Rufus & Chaka Khan. Since Womack learned of his brother Harry's death, his work began stalling. Womack continued to record albums with United Artists from 1975 to 1976, but with less success than their previous albums. On Wood's second solo album, Now Look, Womack collaborated with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in 1975. In 1976, Womack sponsored a benefit at the Hollywood Palladium to raise money for his friend, singer Jackie Wilson, who had suffered from a heart attack.

Womack spent time on his own music in the late 1970s, but he continued to be a frequent collaborator with other artists, most notably Wilton Felder of the Crusaders. Womack founded Truth after his son Truth Bobby died in 1978. Patrick Moten, a former co-producer and Keyboardist who worked with Ike Turner and Natalie Cole, has been hired by the artist and keyboardist, and the album Roads of Life on Arista Records was released in 1979.

On MCA Records, Wilton Felder released In 1980, Wilton Felder's album Independence the Wind, which featured Womack. On the Wilton Felder album "No Matter How High I Get" (No Matter How High I Get) I'll Still Be Looking Up to You," he had written in 1979 as a bonus track on the same 1980 album but it wasn't released in 1985. This song became a soul classic, particularly in the United Kingdom—Robbie Vincent of Radio London named it as one of his all-time champions in October 1982. Womack first R&B top ten single in five years since 1977's single "Daylight" topped the R&B top ten singles chart, with "If You Believe You're Lonely Now" that debuted at number three on the R&B singles chart in 1981. His accompanying album The Poet debuted at number one on the R&B album charts and is now considered the best point of his long career, bringing him not only in the United States but also in Europe, bringing him more acclaim. During the 1980s, he had two more R&B top ten hits, including "Love Has Finally Come At Last" (1984), and "I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much" (1985). Bobby performed the soul song "Life in a Box" with his new group Live in a Box in 1986.

"I'm Back for More" was Bobby Womack and Lulu's first album. After 1994, Womack's solo career began to slowed down. He recorded Resurrection, his twentieth studio album on his close friend Ronnie Wood's label in the mid-1990s. Rod Stewart, Ronald Isley, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts were among the admiring associates on the album, including Rod Stewart, Ronald Isley, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts. His remaining brothers from the Valentinos, Curtis, Friendly, and Cecil band were featured as background singers. Two singles from the album, "Matein's Not to Break Down" and "Forever Love," appeared on the Billboard R&B chart, but the album contained two of Womack's best later songs, "Cousin Henry" and "Don't Break My Promise," but the album received mixed critical reception. Judges in the high court in London ruled that Bobby Womack stole "Cry Myself to Sleep," an album from Liverpool singer and songwriter Mark Thomas, but that no royal payments were due to him.

Back to My Roots, a gospel album, debuted at the end of the decade, but Womack concentrated largely on session and guest work for the next ten years.

The Manhattans released the album Back To Basics in 1986, which featured songs written and produced by Womack. "Where Did We Go Wrong" by Womack (duet with Regina Belle) "I'm Through Proving My Love to You" "Mr D.J." "Back to the Night" and "Back to the Night" is the show.

He is the featured vocalist on "Inherit The Wind," a track credited to Wilton Felder and with Allen Toussaint on "Sputin"), and he appeared on Rae & Christian's version of "Wake Up Everybody." "You Got What It Takes" with Diane Schuur, "Ain't Nothing Like The Lovin' We Got" with Andrew Love & Wayne Jackson, "Break the Chain" with Andrew Love & Wayne Jackson, and "It's Man's Man's World" with Jeanie Tracy were among other collaborations.

On Todd Rundgren's "For the Want of a Nail" on the album Nearly Human, Womack performed on 1989. In 1998, he appeared on George Gershwin's "Summertime" with The Roots, a Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, which raised funds for various charities dedicated to raising AIDS awareness and combating the disease.

Womack held four tribute concerts for his buddy Eddie Kendricks in October 1992. Womack planned the concert before Kendricks, a lung cancer sufferer, died on October 5, 1992. Womack opened the show; other performers included Chaka Khan, Mary Wilson, and Bill Withers.

Womack co-authored and performed on "Stylo" with Mos Def, the first track from the third Gorillaz album Plastic Beach in 2010. Womack was ordered to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo." "I was in there for an hour discussing love and politics, so getting it off my chest," Womack said. On December 10, he performed vocals on the song "Cloud of Unknowing" in lieu of the song "Bobby in Phoenix," which was also known as "Bobby in Phoenix."

By XL Recordings, a new album was released on June 12, 2012. Damon Albarn and Richard Russell produced The Bravest Man in the Universe, the album. On March 8, 2012, XL Recordings' first album "Please Forgive My Heart" was released as a free download on XL Recordings' official website. Womack was working on a blues album titled Life in the House of Blues, a compilation of Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, and Rod Stewart, according to Contact Music. Womack revealed in an interview with Uncut that the sequel album would now be called The Best Is Yet to Come and star Teena Marie and Ronnie Isley.

On Morrison's 1991 album "Morns to the Silence," he performed a duet with Van Morrison titled "Some Peace of Mind." The album is also available on Morrison's 2015 album Duets: Re-working the Catalogue. On "New Day," Womack's second studio album, "We the Generation," they collaborated with Rudimental. He had expressed an interest in working with the organization and that they had discussed certain topics. Following Womack's death, his wife sent the group a cappella vocal that he had produced for them, and they pieced together the playlist.

Womack's last concert was held in Tennessee on June 14, 2014.

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