- In full:
- Bobby Dwayne Womack
- Died:
- June 27, 2014, Tarzana, California (aged 70)
- Awards And Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (2009)
- On the Web:
- AllMusic - Bobby Womack (Oct. 25, 2026)
Bobby Womack
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Who was Bobby Womack?
Bobby Womack (1944–2014) was a highly regarded American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his soulful rhythm-and-blues compositions and musicianship.
Womack began his career with his brothers in a gospel group called the Womack Brothers, later transitioning to secular music under Sam Cooke's influence as the Valentinos. As the lead vocalist, he achieved modest R&B hits such as "Lookin’ for a Love" and "It’s All Over Now," the latter of which was covered by the Rolling Stones.
Womack also worked as a session guitarist and songwriter for other artists, before debuting as a solo performer. His career experienced a resurgence in the 1980s with albums like The Poet and The Poet II, and he continued to record, later collaborating with Damon Albarn of Gorillaz. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
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What kind of music did Bobby Womack perform?
Bobby Womack was a highly regarded American singer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his soulful compositions and musicianship in rhythm and blues (R&B).
Womack's musical journey began with his family gospel group, The Womack Brothers, before transitioning to secular music as The Valentinos, achieving modest R&B hits. His solo work featured a blend of heartfelt vocals and guitar, appealing mainly to R&B audiences, though some singles reached mainstream success. Womack's style generally adhered to traditional soul, but he also experimented with modern electronic beats later in his career.
His work encompassed gospel, soul, and rhythm and blues.
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What were some of Bobby Womack's most famous songs?
Bobby Womack was a highly regarded American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his soulful compositions and musicianship.
Some of Womack's most famous songs include:
* "Lookin' for a Love" (1962)
* "It's All Over Now" (1964)
* "California Dreamin’" (1968)
* "That’s the Way I Feel About Cha" (1971)
* "Across 110th Street" (1972)Womack's career experienced a resurgence with The Poet (1981) and The Poet II (1984), and he continued to record music throughout his career, blending traditional soul with contemporary sounds.
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How did Bobby Womack get started in music?
Bobby Womack began his music career as one of five brothers in a gospel group called the Womack Brothers, organized by their father, a steelworker and amateur singer. In 1953, they opened for the Soul Stirrers, catching the attention of Sam Cooke, who later convinced them to transition to secular pop music.
Under Cooke's label, they became the Valentinos, with Bobby as the lead vocalist. They achieved modest R&B hits with songs such as "Lookin’ for a Love" in 1962 and "It’s All Over Now" in 1964. Bobby co-wrote "It's All Over Now," which gained further recognition through a cover version by the Rolling Stones.
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What other musicians did Bobby Womack work with during his career?
Bobby Womack collaborated with numerous musicians throughout his career. Initially, he performed with his brothers in a gospel group, the Womack Brothers, who later transitioned to secular music as the Valentinos. Womack's early work included playing guitar on classic records by artists like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, and writing songs for Wilson Pickett. He also played guitar on albums by Janis Joplin and Sly and the Family Stone. Later, he recorded duets with Patti LaBelle, sang on the Rolling Stones' Dirty Work, and was a guest vocalist for Gorillaz.
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How did Bobby Womack influence soul and R&B music?
Bobby Womack was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist celebrated for his soulful compositions and accomplished musicianship, making him a prominent figure in rhythm and blues (R&B) music.
Womack's sound, characterized by deeply felt vocals and lean guitar work, gained traction with albums like Communication (1971) and Understanding (1972). While primarily popular among R&B audiences, some of Womack’s singles, such as “That’s the Way I Feel About Cha” (1971), achieved mainstream success. His soul-funk title track for the film Across 110th Street (1972) became one of his best-known cuts. Womack continued to record, maintaining a traditional soul style, with notable releases including So Many Rivers (1985) and Resurrection (1994).
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Bobby Womack (born March 4, 1944, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—died June 27, 2014, Tarzana, California) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose soulful compositions and accomplished musicianship made him one of the most highly regarded rhythm-and-blues (R&B) performers of the late 20th century.
Womack grew up in Cleveland as one of five brothers. When they were children, their father, a steelworker and amateur singer, organized them into a gospel vocal group called the Womack Brothers. In 1953 the group opened for the gospel act the Soul Stirrers and impressed one of its members, Sam Cooke. After Cooke transitioned to secular pop music, he persuaded the Womacks to do the same. Signed to Cooke’s record label under the name the Valentinos, the quintet, with Bobby as lead vocalist, scored modest R&B hits with the rough-hewn “Lookin’ for a Love” (1962) and “It’s All Over Now” (1964). The latter song, cowritten by Bobby, gained further exposure through a contemporaneous cover version by the Rolling Stones.
Following Cooke’s sudden death in 1964, Womack attempted a solo career, but it faltered amid widespread disapproval of his having married Cooke’s widow in early 1965. (They divorced in 1971.) For a time he engaged work as a session guitarist, playing on classic records by such artists as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. He also wrote songs for other performers, especially soul singer Wilson Pickett.
Womack eventually debuted as a solo performer with the album Fly Me to the Moon (1968), featuring a gritty interpretation of the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’.” He refined his sound, which integrated deeply felt vocals and lean guitar work, on the albums Communication (1971) and Understanding (1972). Those and subsequent recordings proved popular primarily with R&B audiences, although some of Womack’s singles, such as the plaintive “That’s the Way I Feel About Cha” (1971) and a rerecorded “Lookin’ for a Love” (1974), broke through to the mainstream as well. During this period Womack also contributed a song score for the blaxploitation film Across 110th Street (1972)—its soul-funk title track later became one of his best-known cuts—and he played guitar on albums by rockers Janis Joplin and Sly and the Family Stone.
Personal issues, including drug addiction, derailed Womack’s career in the mid-1970s, but he rebounded with the hit albums The Poet (1981) and The Poet II (1984), the latter of which featured several duets with R&B songstress Patti LaBelle. Adhering for the most part to a traditional soul style, he continued to record throughout the 1980s and ’90s, with notable releases including So Many Rivers (1985), the star-studded Resurrection (1994), and a gospel album, Back to My Roots (1999). After a break in the early 21st century, Womack returned with The Bravest Man in the Universe (2012), on which his weathered voice was accompanied by modern electronic beats. The album was coproduced by British musician Damon Albarn, who had previously hired Womack as a guest vocalist on two albums (both 2010) by his pop band Gorillaz.
A longtime friend of the Rolling Stones, Womack produced a 1975 solo album by future Stones guitarist Ron Wood and sang on the band’s Dirty Work (1986). An autobiography, Midnight Mover, was published in 2006, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.